Chapter 11

"She does? Really?" Regina said looking at Emma.

"Yeah, or she did. I'm surprised I didn't put the pieces together before. She could have your mini me back in the day."

"Don't tell Maleficent."

"She's going to get mad?"

"Not necessarily but if I had carried her and she came out looking like Mal I may have been a little ticked, so it's possible."

"Right, I mean Henry looks more like Neal than me. It doesn't make a difference. And she may have changed."

They made their way over to the table and took their seats. Regina sat next to Mal and Emma next to Henry. "Emma you wouldn't have any pictures of when she was young, would you?"

"I don't know."

"Pictures of who?" Henry asked.

"Your sister." Regina replied.

"Why would she have pictures?" Mal asked looking at Regina.

"Emma knew her. They were friends. Isn't that funny coincidence?"

"That's not a coincidence dear. That's fate. More so Snow White's fate for taking her from me." She said the last part bitterly.

Emma and Henry looked anywhere but at the fuming woman, who was still very upset.

"Mal. We're going to bring her home."

"Can you give me back all those years Regina? You've got my hands tied right now when all I really want to do is strangle that woman."

"Maleficent! I need to know you're not going to burn my son's grandparents into the ground the minute I step out of this town. If you can't then I can't leave."

"Excuse me."

"You heard me."

"I still don't understand how you're all of a sudden so loyal to the same woman that denied you your happiness."

Regina glanced across the table at Henry and Emma before turning back to stare into the blue eyes that drove her crazy and feel like a little girl walking into the forbidden fortress all over again. She'd be lying to herself if she said she had the upperhand, because deep down she knew Maleficent had her wrapped around her finger. But at this moment, in this town, with these people she needed to take a stand. She didn't need to do it in front of her son. "Can we talk about this later?"

"Why?"

"Maleficent.. please."

"Fine. Whatever."

The tension in the room was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Everyone went back to eating in silence after the two women stopped arguing. Emma suddenly thought of something that might help. It may send Mal on a frenzy again but hey it was worth a shot. "You know I think I may have a video of when the two of us broke into a house and 'claimed it' as our own." she laughed slightly remembering.

"Where is it?" Henry asked.

"At the sheriff's station, in a box of some of my old stuff I think."

"You know exactly where it is?" Regina asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Because I want you to get it."

"Right now?"

"Yes."

"Can't it wait until after dinner? I hate to admit it but you're cooking is actually pretty good. I still won't eat anything made of apples in this house but that's a different topic."

Henry burst out laughing, Regina wasn't amused. Mal looked over at Regina, clearly there was a story there.

"I'm going to choose not to have heard that second part. Yes I want you to get it now. Right here."

"Right here?"

"Yes, with magic."

"Regina, I don't know how to do that. You haven't taught me that yet."

"I'm going to teach you now."

"You teach her magic?" Maleficent asked.

"Yeah, someone had to." Regina replied before walking around the table to Emma, "picture where you kept it last, exact location."

"Okay." Emma said closing her eyes and picturing where the tape was.

"You got it?"

"Yeah."

"Good, now reach out and pick up the tape."

Emma opened her eyes, "Seriously? That's it?"

"Yes. Obviously you need to use your magic to pick it up but that's more or less the gist of it."

"Alright," Emma said closing her eyes and doing as Regina had said and tried to grab it. It didn't work the first time around. "What did I do wrong?"

"You're not concentrating hard enough. Imagine holding it and believe it."

Emma did as she was told and the next thing she knew the tape was in her hand.

"You did it." Regina said smiling at the tape in her hands. Proud of her.

Maleficent was watching the whole exchange and furrowed her eyebrows. This seemed oddly like she'd been there. Except it was Regina learning magic.

Regina had been a quick study when it came to magic. The skills almost innate but she had the hardest time trying to teleport objects. For whatever reason the young queen had trouble with it every time they tried.

"Why is this so hard? This isn't even the hardest spell I've taught you."

"I don't know. You're my teacher. You tell me."

Mal narrowed her eyes, the queen may have been young but she definitely had a mouth on her that she wasn't afraid to use, "You should really learn to control yourself. Or better yet say something to that king of yours so you can stop pretending like everything is so happy in your marriage."

"How dare you!"

"Is it a lie?"

"That's.. that's hardly the point."

"What is the point dear? You know as well as I do, before you leave here we're going to go up to my bedchambers and if your marriage was as happy as you make it out to be in that big old castle, you wouldn't be here."

Regina looked up at Maleficent with tears in her eyes not knowing what to say.

"Now, now, I didn't mean for you to cry. Come here." she said pulling her into an embrace.

"You don't have to be so rude." Regina said regaining her composure.

"I'm your teacher. I'm teaching. It's part of my teaching methods. Now try this again, close your eyes, imagine holding the hairbrush." She said placing her hands on Regina's shoulders. "There you go just picture it and .. " she smiled seeing the hairbrush appear. "See my teaching methods work."

Regina opened her eyes smiling at the hair brush, "they may work but let's be clear Mal, you may be teaching me, but you're my mistress." She said with a smirk using her hairbrush to brush out her hair and as she sashayed up to Mal's bedchambers to end their 'magic lesson'.

Regina had applied her methods of teaching on Snow's daughter, aside from how they usually ended their sessions. Unless she did that too and the savior had lied to her. How did she really let go of all that hatred? Mal thought. Lost in thought she didn't realize Regina return to her seat until she placed a hand on her thigh under the table.

"Are you okay?" Regina asked concerned.

"I'm fine. I just, that's how I taught you."

Regina smiled at her, "I know. You taught me well."

Leaning over so only Regina could hear her, "do you finish off the sessions like we used to?"

Regina's eyes widened knowing exactly what she was asking, "No, of course not."

"If you're going off all my methods…"

"Stop. You know as well as I do, that part of the magic lesson had nothing to do with magic."

"And yet we still made magic, she's walking around out there somewhere."

"That's true. But relax, you are and always have been the only woman I've ever loved."

Mal smirked, "good."