I needed more Granny in Regina in my life.
Granny Lucas was exhausted. Part of her was really and truly grateful that her establishment was the heart of this chaotic town, part wished they'd find somewhere else to celebrate, to grieve, or discuss their ever impending demise. The last two days had covered all three. First there had been the Outlaw's wake, followed immediately (interrupted really) by the Pirate's return, and then the earth shook and the skies erupted throwing them once again into an uncertain chaos that had somehow become routine.
None of that is what kept her up tonight, however. No, what wouldn't leave Granny's mind was the portal opening in the morning. The three sorceresses had all agreed—a rare occasion indeed—that it could be done. It would take their combined power, but they could sustain it long enough for those who wanted to return to the Enchanted Forest to do so. She had watched from behind her counter as the people of her town quickly split apart: so many eager to return, so many begging to stay.
The dwarves were divided. She subtly kept Leroy's glass full as he drank down the reality that he would likely never see some of his brothers again. The Merry Men were elated, never adjusting to this modern world most could not hide their excitement at getting to return to their own forest. Little John at least had the decency to look pained as he watched Regina cling to the sleeping boy she would lose in the morning. It wasn't fair, but it was right. He belonged with those lads who had raised him, who would tell him of all the parts of his father that Regina hadn't had the chance to learn.
The Queen would stay; the Savior and the Author and well. Theirs had been a decision made in seconds with frantic glances and squeezed hands. The Pirate wouldn't leave his Swan, nor the Witch her reclaimed sister. The Charmings had surprised her, more importantly they had surprised themselves. Both were resolute in their decision: the Princess to go and the Prince to stay. When the couple had left the diner, Granny still wasn't sure which side of the line she would see them on when the sun rose.
She hadn't forced anyone out the door tonight, hadn't announced her usual last call or stopped to wash a single glass. A few patrons were still lingering when she left for her rooms; Leroy passed out at the bar, Marco and Archie deep in conversation in a booth, a few others whose orders she knew by heart even if she didn't know their names. She was sure hers was not the only mind searching for answers tonight. The first journey from their home had been a curse, the second a necessity, but this was a choice: one that everyone would have to make and live with.
She didn't remember falling asleep, but hours had passed when she was suddenly jarred awake by the crashing rattle of metal pans hitting linoleum. "Damnit, Leroy!" she trudged down the hall, grabbing the crossbow by the door just in case her instincts weren't correct. They weren't, she discovered as she burst into the back kitchen, weapon raised but unneeded. "Regina?" she asked even though the identity of the woman was undeniable. Normally Granny wouldn't have addressed the mayor so informally. It would have been Madame Mayor or Your Majesty thickly coated in the same easy detachment as the other woman's Widow Lucas; a detachment that over the years had caused them to be very much attached.
Regina was on her hands and knees, left leg awkwardly twisted beneath her, designer dress sopping wet and sudsy. There were dishes everywhere. "I'm sorry I woke you," Regina whispered as if being quiet now would make up for the raucous she had just caused.
"What on earth are you doing you stupid girl?" Granny leaned the bow against the wall and bent before Regina.
"Dishes," she said simply. As if it was the most natural thing in the world for the Evil Queen to be washing someone else's dishes in the middle of the night. "I slipped."
"That floor is a death trap; I've been saying it for years." She held her hand out and Regina let herself be pulled to her feet. Well, her foot. Her left knee didn't quite want to hold her just yet and she winced as she tried to step back to the sink. Granny grabbed a nearby chair and positioned it at Regina's backside with an order of "Sit" that the younger woman quickly obeyed. She grabbed her own chair and sat across from Regina, pulling the brunettes leg across her lap and twisting her ankle and knee until she was satisfied nothing was badly damaged. She didn't say a word more, certain the grieving woman had had her fill of condolences and platitudes over the last few days.
They sat in silence. Regina was counting the drips as the faucet leaked into the half full sink. At 117 she let one word go: "Why?" And then she was unleashed; the dam breaking and sweeping everything under in its wake. Granny was certain it was the first time she had truly allowed herself to cry for him, for his boy, for herself. She gathered the weeping woman into her arms, held her firmly to her breast. Regina didn't hesitate, allowing herself to soak in the motherly affection she had been denied until it had been too late for it to matter. "Tell me it wasn't because he loved me," she pleaded between ragged sobs. "Tell me he didn't die because I was too weak to push him away. Tell me he knew…" the rest was lost in a wail she didn't try to hold back.
"That man knew you loved him more than you ever thought you could love anyone," Granny said unequivocally, directly into her ear. "You don't need anyone to tell you that him loving you was wrong. Love is never wrong; it makes you stronger, better." She grabbed Regina's face, hands firm on wet cheeks as she stared the younger woman down. "You listen to me, girl. I don't give two shits what that devil said or what weapon he used, a love like the two of you have…"
"Had," Regina interrupted, fresh tears falling against the fingers that still held her face.
Granny didn't miss a beat as she swept her thumbs under Regina's wet lashes. "I mean what I say," she chastised. "You still love him. That love doesn't die. You'll have your thief back in the end."
Regina believed her. There was no rational explanation for why. It went against everything she knew to be true, but looking in the wolf's certain eyes, Regina couldn't help herself from giving in to the possibility of hope. Her body still shuddered, trying to regain the control she had given up and she went willing back into Granny's open arms until she could once again fill her lungs without them spasming in her chest. "Are you leaving, Granny?" Regina asked in a broken voice as she peeled herself away, wiping tears that hadn't been absorbed by the older woman's sweater.
That was the question wasn't it? The one that had kept her from sleep. She settled back into her chair and took in her surroundings. Pans and broken dishes covered the floor, the fading wallpaper peeled in the corner, the damned faucet that dripped her to sleep every night, and finally to the barefoot and cried-out evil queen in her kitchen. She suddenly wondered why there had been a question at all. "And leave all this?" she swept her arm out as she got to her feet and headed to the sink. "Stupid girl." She tossed a towel over her shoulder that landed in Regina's lap. "Now finish those pans. No curse has ever stopped the people of this town from wanting their breakfast."
Regina joined her at the sink, towel in hand. She could have this place spotless with a flick of her wrist, but as she raised her hand to do just that, Granny's hand closed around hers. "Yes ma'am," the queen smiled, shoving her hands back into the soapy water. They spent the next hours in silence, shoulder to shoulder, getting ready for the morning.