Emma spent a week at Regina's castle before Snow called upon the evil queen to help her find her daughter. The witch appeared before Snow and played ignorant as Snow explained her daughter went missing once again.
"Where do you think she went this time?" Regina questioned. "Neverland?"
Snow ignored the jibe as she continued to pace the throne room. "James said that she just vanished into thin air."
"Vanished? Nobody just vanishes unless they have magic," Regina accused and she watched Snow's back grow rigid. "Ah, so little princess Emma has magic. Very interesting," she lied smoothly through her teeth.
"It's your mother's fault! When Emma was in Wonderland your mother taught her magic and now, at least from what my husband tells me, she is quite good at it."
The witch fought to hide the smirk of pride that threatened to spread across her face. "That is unfortunate. What exactly do you plan to do if she returns home?"
Snow's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
Regina sauntered over to her stepdaughter's side and smiled ruefully. "As I recall, magic is banned from this kingdom."
Realization crossed over Snow's features and she bit her lip. "Emma will have to be forced to stop magic then."
"And what if that doesn't work? Children can be difficult, especially when it comes to following rules."
"She will, she is a good girl. She may have hidden this from us but she never disobeys me when I give a direct order. It's far and few that we have ever had to tell her to do or not do something but she will listen because our love is unconditional," Snow babbled as if she were trying to convince herself. "Will you help?"
Regina wanted to retch at Snow's doe-eyed expression. "If she is in the Enchanted Forest I will find her and return her to you."
"Thank you Regina."
The evil queen bowed slightly before she twitched her lips into a smirk. "I find it quite amusing how your wish to keep me out of Emma's life has seemed to relinquish all together. Had you just given her to me from the beginning, none of this strife would have tainted your perfect, happy life."
Snow's eyes narrowed. "Just because my daughter is a handful does not mean I would ever wish her away. She is my flesh and blood Regina, something you will never understand."
Snow immediately regretted her words as she watch the dark emotions play over Regina's features.
"Do not mistake my assistance as weakness, Snow White. The only reason I am helping you is because I have an investment in Emma's future," Regina warned in a low voice.
"I admit that what I said was uncouth," Snow stated before she stepped into her stepmother's personal space and glared. "But we made a deal because of your selfish need to punish me so you will find Emma and return her to me and then I never want to see you again."
Regina cackled before she leaned in, leaving only a breath of space between their faces. "Find her yourself," Regina punctuated as her voice dripped with venom.
Snow blinked in shock and stepped back. "What?"
"You heard me; find her yourself. I am done with these charades. I'm not some lap dog you can call upon every time your stupid girl gets herself lost! I'll see you when your grandchild is born," Regina sneered before she disappeared in a puff of purple smoke.
"Regina!" Snow screamed out into the now empty throne room.
The agitated witch reappeared in her castle and stomped across the room. "Who does she think she is telling me what to do?! I ought to smite her on the spot and turn her into the very bug the crawls beneath my skin whenever I am in her presence."
The genie appeared in the mirror and sighed. "Do you think it wise my Queen to have the child here?"
"My castle is the last place they would search for the princess and it gives me the luxury of time that is needed to teach young Emma a special trick."
"I thought we were past the dark and broody phase," Genie whined, earning a scowl from the evil queen. "You aren't honestly going to teach her what I think you are?"
"Oh but I am; by this time tomorrow, Snow's precious daughter will know how to rip out hearts," Regina mused before the room tinkled with the sound of her laughter.
James returned home after spending the day with the search party and found his distraught wife on her throne seat crying.
"Snow, my love what is wrong?"
"Regina isn't going to help us."
"We don't need her help anyway," James scoffed.
"But she would've found Emma by now," Snow explained.
"Yes, by using magic, which is something we need to discuss," James murmured as he wiped a tear from Snow's cheek. "I think we need to alter our magic ruling. Maybe allow magic but only if it is used for good."
"I don't know James. I think I would rather have the rule remain and make Emma stop using her magic."
James offered a brief smile. "Snow, you know as well as I do that her stubborn streak will prevent that. She told me she likes using magic and having her stop won't make her a different person. It would be wrong of us to smother our daughter from being who she really is."
Snow huffed as she leaned back against the chair. "I worry she might change if she continues practicing it. Regina used to be nice once too and look at how much she changed along with her magic. I don't want that to happen to Emma; I don't want to see the light go out from her eyes."
"What if she despises us for making her stop magic? Couldn't that also lead her down a dark path? I'm sorry but I would rather her do magic as long as she understands it's for good intentions only and allow Nova or Blue to help guide her with it."
The brunette remained quiet but James could tell she was holding something back. After a few minutes of quietness, he gently cupped his wife's cheek and forced her to look at him. "Tell me whatever it is you're thinking."
"I'm afraid that no matter what we decide, Emma will turn to the dark side regardless when she discovers the deal I had made with Regina," Snow confessed.
"Hey, we won't let that happen, okay?"
Snow nodded as another tear slipped down her face, causing her husband to pull her into his arms.
It had almost been a month since Emma had arrived at Regina's castle and stayed. She missed her parents terribly but the thought of her father's words and his angered face kept her from returning home. She started to have nightmares of her father and mother hunting her down and burning her at the stake until one night her dreams took a very different turn that left her utterly confused about everything. It wasn't until a couple of days ago that she realized her unusual dreams weren't really dreams after all; they were memories.
Regina against her better judgment was starting to allow Emma into her blackened heart with each passing day that the princess remained in her care. They both had a common love for magic and horses yet something so familiar rested on the tip of the brunette's tongue but she just couldn't understand why. Emma was even able to convince Regina that she didn't want to learn to rip out hearts from people with a simple shake of her head and a firm no. Anyone who ever dared to say no to the evil queen lost their life but not Emma. The witch was starting to think she had gone completely soft and that worried her.
Late one night while Emma was practicing some simple magic, she blurted out a question that almost stopped the older woman's heart.
"Can I stay here with you...always?"
Regina took a few cleansing breaths before she answered. "Emma dear, you have to return home at some point."
"But I don't want to go home!" Emma blurted out before she lowered her voice. "I want to stay here with you and be able to use my magic freely. You understand me in a way that my parents never will."
Regina stood up from the chair she was seated on and slowly paced. "Emma, you don't know what you are asking of me. I'm not capable of...I'm not very good at loving people," Regina warned before she stepped over to the fire hearth and rested her palm against it. "I need to be honest with you about something."
"Alright," Emma said. "Tell me."
Regina looked up towards the ceiling in disbelief. She couldn't believe she was about to be honest with the young girl. "I made a deal with your mother the day you were born. I was planning to steal you from them and take you home with me. I wanted to raise you to despise your family and kill them."
"Why would you do such a thing?" Emma asked in clear shock.
"Because your mother and I have a long history together; Snow is my stepdaughter," Regina admitted before she faced Emma. "I am the one they call the evil Queen."
"I know," Emma confessed before she crossed her arms. "I know more about you than you think."
Regina looked absolutely puzzled. "I don't understand. If you knew who I was then why would you come here? Why would you risk staying here with me?"
"Because something has been shown to me that nobody else in the entire Enchanted Forest knows," Emma stated proudly.
Regina looked positively stumped. "And what might that be?"
"I know the key to your heart," Emma admitted with a bright smile.
"I don't have a heart," Regina glowered.
"Yes you do," Emma replied. "It'll be some time before you know the truth to that. Now, I want to make a new deal in place of the one you made with my mother."
"And what would you know about the deal we made, aside from what I told you?" Regina questioned.
"I know she traded me for my firstborn child," Emma bluntly stated.
"How do you know all of this? What kind of game are you playing little girl?" Regina demanded.
"All in due time Your Majesty," Emma said with a hidden smirk. "Now here is the deal I am willing to make; I will let you take my firstborn and raise him as your own but you must name him in honor of your father and you will allow me to visit him whenever I please."
Regina's eyebrows rose in astonishment. "So sure you are having a son. Tell me princess, do you have the gift of prophecy? "
"Not exactly," Emma admitted. "Please consider the deal I offer you out of the care you feel for me, even though you try to deny it, and void the one you made with my mother."
Regina dropped her gaze slightly before she looked back up. "I must admit I do have a soft spot for you which concerns me greatly."
Emma flashed a smile. "Do not fret over it. It's simply your heart clinging to me because of who I remind it of."
Regina was completely out of her element with the recent turn of events. Emma's cryptic talk and knowledge of knowing she was the evil queen this entire time confused her but part of her told her to trust Emma and believe in her.
"I'm afraid both your mother and I have to sign off in order to break that contract," Regina informed her.
"I will take care of my mother. I just need you to do your side of it before I take it back home with me," Emma stated before she sighed heavily. "Assuming you make this contract with me, I will return home. So do we have a deal?"
"We have a deal," Regina complied before she magically created a new contract and signed it.
Emma signed it also before handing it back to Regina. With a flick of her wrist, the new contract was replaced with the older contract and after signing the bottom, she handed it over to Emma willingly.
"All Snow has to do is sign her name backwards at the bottom of the scroll and it'll break the contract," Regina instructed.
"May I stay the rest of the week before I return to my kingdom?" Emma asked.
Regina paused for a moment in contemplation before she nodded. "Of course, Dear."
The princess made a bold move and wrapped her arms around the witch's waist. "Thank you Regina."
The older woman gently returned the embrace and smiled. "You're welcome."
"Oh! I almost forgot," Emma exclaimed before she bounded over to a small chest and returned with an apple and a scroll. "I figured you wouldn't trust me so here is the spell and the apple to do it on."
Regina took the scroll and unraveled it, reading the scripture written eloquently across it. Emma watched as she arched an eyebrow. "You made me an youth spell?"
"In a way, yes. It'll return you to the age you were when I was born and then keep you frozen at that age until my son is born."
"I'm not sure I understand," Regina confessed.
"I have reason to believe that you do not wish to be in your forties with a newborn," Emma humored. "Just blow the spell unto the apple and take a bite. I promise you you won't fall into a sleeping curse."
Regina scowled before she realized Emma was just making light of an otherwise dark situation. Relaxing her features, she eyed Emma's smiling face before she leaned towards the page and blew softly. They watched together as the words floated lazily off the paper and drifted towards the apple that Emma had held in her hand. The crimson fruit glowed a vibrant hue as the words absorbed into its skin before the apple returned to its natural color.
"I do hope I don't regret this," Regina murmured before she took the apple and took a hearty bite.
She carefully chewed and swallowed the piece before she felt a tingling sensation throughout her body. Emma inhaled sharply as she watched Regina's face soften and tighten, eleven years disappearing in a matter of a few seconds. The evil Queen turned to one of her many mirrors and gasped as she saw her younger face staring back. She tenderly brushed her finger tips over her features before she turned to Emma with sparkling eyes.
"You have such a remarkable talent with magic," Regina praised. "Thank you Emma."
Emma bowed with a huge grin. "You're welcome Your Majesty."
Regina chuckled despite herself and she returned attention to her mirror to gaze at her reflection. Even though happiness was something she was unfamiliar with, Emma tended to bring it out of her and for tonight, Regina allowed it as she gave her reflection a genuine smile.