Chapter 14

Outside Gold's pawnshop, cold caught Zelena by surprise. She felt much more aware of her surroundings and let go of Regina's arm as if it burnt. Almost at the same time, the brunette regained her hold of her and, that time, it was firmer.

"Do you want a ride?" the prince asked suddenly.

They were all itching to get away from that place. Regina stared at Zelena again and, in her brown eyes, she could no longer find any sort of softness. The mayor nodded curtly and the redhead looked away.

They got in the van —David and Regina in the front seats and Zelena in the back. As the doors shut closed, she could feel fresh tears welling up in her eyes. Regina had not uttered another single word to her. She did not even know whether she was being taken to the asylum or the sheriff's station.

She had been so stupid. She had just lost what she had looked for all her life and she had no one to blame but herself. Of course it should not surprise anyone, but she had started to believe she could belong in somewhere. Where else could she have found someone as patient with her as Regina? And Henry... No one had ever looked at her as the boy did. She almost burst into tears when she realised she would probably not see him ever again.

She blinked the tears away, though. She would break down later, when she was alone. She was not going to be any more of a burden to anyone. Besides, being honest, showing vulnerability —it was all over. And Zelena was not very sure it had been worth the pain.

She took in every detail of that winter afternoon as they rode down the streets. That is, until a realisation snapped her out of her musings. They had gone on by the sheriff's station. And if her memory did not trick her, the hospital was in the opposite direction.

Shortly after, it was undeniable they were going to Regina's house. The redhead was puzzled at first. Perhaps her sister would not let her go anywhere without some clothes and other basic items. Zelena felt the familiar pang of anger and hated her a little for showing her any more kindness. When would she leave her alone? A tiny part of herself, however, asked a very different question. Would she be allowed to take other things, like books? She shut that weak voice at once and promised herself she would not beg for anything.

They finally arrived at the mansion and David stopped the van but did not kill the engine. Zelena was unsure whether she was expected to get out as well. She figured that if Regina did not want her to go in, too, she would say so out loud. It was not the case, so the redhead followed her out of the vehicle. Regina just turned around to thank David for his assistance and he replied with the usual pleasantries. Then, he drove away, to Zelena's further confusion.

The sisters were left alone in the path, but the younger one did not remain standing there for long. She walked up to the front door and opened it, waiting for the redhead to go in first. Despite not knowing exactly what was going on, she complied and forced herself not to flinch when Regina slammed the door shut behind her.

Robin emerged then from the kitchen, clearly worried sick.

"I received your message," he said to Regina right away. "Are you two all right?"

Regina took some steps away from Zelena, but did not get closer to Robin, either.

"Why don't we ask my sister?" the brunette retorted, barely controlled. She crossed her arms over her chest and finally fixed her gaze on the redhead. "What the hell were you thinking?!"

At Regina's fire, she answered with fire of her own. Rage was an easier emotion to manage than pain.

"Do we need to have this conversation here?" she asked with as much contempt as she could muster, but did not match the yelling. Her voice was dark, dull, devoid of any real emotion —just like she wanted to feel.

"Of course," Regina scoffed, visibly annoyed. Robin was looking between them as if it was a tennis match, not knowing how to cut in. "Would you rather have it anywhere else?"

Her mocking question was the last straw for Zelena.

"Actually, yes! Wherever you're bloody going to take me!" she replied in a high-pitched cry.

"What on earth are you talking about? You're not going anywhere."

Regina's annoyance had grown, but her words brought stillness to the redhead's mind. She needed a second to think of something to say. Lying and covering up her mistake did not even occur to her —she was too stunned by how absolutely clueless Regina had sounded.

"I... I thought I couldn't stay here anymore," she said in a small voice.

She could not help hesitating as her temper deflated swiftly. Yet, her insecurity neither brought a pause in the conversation nor softened Regina that time.

"You thought I'd throw you out?" she asked, incredulous. Zelena did not really know how to answer that. She had been positive Regina would not take her in again after the debacle at Rumple's shop.

"I—"

"Why do you always believe things like that?" the brunette cut her off without a second thought. "What the hell have I done so far to still make you think I'd do such a thing?"

Zelena felt unable to swallow her emotions all of a sudden. The lump in her throat was too big and stopped her from speaking. Regina was getting angrier by the second and Robin chose to intervene then.

"Regina, love, I think she only had good intentions in mind."

The brunette spun around and focused her attention on him. It would have been terrifying for any other person, but Robin did not even flinch.

"And since when do you take her side?" she accused. "Her good intentions almost got her killed! No, don't you dare answer me. I'm going upstairs before I end you two myself." With no other word, they saw her climbing up the stairs briskly, her rage present in every step.

Zelena and Robin were left alone in the hall, surrounded by an awkward silence he decided to break.

"She's only worried," he assured her.

She did not look at him —she still had her wet blue eyes fixed on the spot where she had last seen Regina. She did not know whether it was mortification, shock, embarrassment or just an overwhelming need to cry, but whatever she was currently feeling, she needed to get out of there.

"I'm going to take a shower," she announced, and her voice broke at the end.

As soon as Regina slammed her door shut, she knew she had exceeded in her outburst —although she could not admit it to herself until she had calmed down considerably. She wanted to throw something, to tug at her hair, to wreck the town. Anything that would get the fear out of her system.

She had had no time to think about how frightened she had felt, but now she realised she had been downright scared. For all she had known, her sister could have been already dead when Regina got out in her search. And then, when she arrived at the shop, even though Zelena was thankfully alive, Rumple had been so determined and the ginger so pale that she had been sure they would exchange blows before getting out of there.

Luckily, it had not been the case and she had to remind herself once more her sister was actually alive and well. A perfectly alive idiot —she huffed at the thought. Maybe she could shake off her fear by whacking some damn sense into that ginger head of hers.

Regina paced up and down, until she could breathe normally and think clearly. And then, she did not want to be alone any longer.

She got out of her bedroom. Walking down the corridor, she saw her sister's door closed. She hesitated for a second, but finally chose to see Robin first.

He was in the living room, eyeing a bookshelf. He looked up upon hearing her and smiled brightly at once, as if she had not snapped at him half an hour ago.

"How are you feeling?" he asked kindly.

Regina stepped forward and kissed him wordlessly.

"Better," she replied, smirking slightly, when they pulled apart.

He chuckled and she allowed herself to rest her head on his chest. His arms were around her the next second.

"You should be upset by how I talked to you earlier," she mumbled, even if she had said worse things to him during the missing year and he had always remained calm and collected.

"It's okay. I know you hide behind anger when you're scared."

"I hate it when you can read me so well," she whined, burying her face deeper into his shirt.

"No, you don't. At least not anymore," he retorted and she gave him a full smile that he could not see but would sense anyway.

She breathed in his scent and felt the last anxious knots fading away.

"I should talk to Zelena," she said, sighing and finally stepping back.

"She said she'd go to take a shower."

Regina frowned. She had not heard water running and the bathroom was actually empty when she got out. It was hardly something to concern Robin with, though.

"I'd rather go upstairs and see her at once anyway," she insisted instead, knowing he would understand. "Would you mind bring Henry with you as you pick up Roland from school? He was supposed to stay here today and I'd rather not change plans."

"Of course not. Milady." He added the last word suddenly, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing it. Regina swatted him away while she rolled her eyes, but she could not help another full smile.

She walked him to the door and then, went upstairs. The stillness there was overwhelming. She softly rapped on Zelena's door, but it was met with no answer. She did it again, determined not to lose her patience.

"It's Regina. Can I come in?" she asked.

That time, her sister did reply, although it was barely loud enough to be heard from the other side of the wooden door.

"Of course."

Regina sighed, steadying herself for whatever it was to come. She opened the door and immediately found Zelena sat on the head of her bed with her knees up to her chest. The brunette closed the door after her quietly and stepped forward with deliberate slowness. It was stupid, but she felt any sudden movements would scare her sister further. Once she reached the bed, she gestured at it with her chin.

"May I?"

Zelena just nodded and Regina made herself comfortable in front of her. The redhead lowered her knees, crossing her legs instead. She was surrounded by a quiet sadness, but at least she did not flinch away —a possibility the brunette had not allowed herself to contemplate until now that she could rule it out.

Even though her blue eyes were fixed on her lap, on the fidgeting hands there, Regina could see they were red and puffy. It only made her more hesitant about her next words. Hoping to gain some time, she focused her gaze on the same point as her sister. What she saw set off her alarms again.

"Are you bleeding?" she asked, not hiding a note of panic very well.

There was not a lot of blood, only some traces. Still, she felt dread gripping her heart once again. Zelena only kept looking down at them, as if considering her answer. Then, she shrugged and made fists so that the blood was no longer in sight.

"I'm fine," she replied, shaking her head briefly. She sounded far more composed than Regina had expected.

The mayor was not thinking about it, though. Her stomach was churning because her sister had been hurt and, in her rage, she had not seen it. Clearing her throat, she attempted to put herself together as well.

"I'd like to see it for myself," she insisted, firmly but not unkindly.

Now that she looked closely, she noticed the stiff strands of ginger hair.

"Really, I'm fine. I was going to take a shower and wash it, but..." The redhead took a deep breath and finally looked up. "Just tell me what you came here to say."

Her gaze hardened a little, although not from rage. Regina understood the need to pretend to be strong when one felt anything but it, so she merely offered a sad smile.

"We can talk about your injury later if you want, but answer me two questions first. No lying." It was as much as she was willing to give in.

Zelena agreed and Regina fixed her eyes on her, ready to catch any lie.

"Are you dizzy?" The other woman shook her head. "Do you have any other injuries?" Another headshake.

The brunette pursed her lips, not completely convinced. However, Zelena's gaze seemed to be focused and she did not look dizzy. Regina sighed for the third time and ran a hand across her hair. For the time being, she would let it go —although she was still berating herself up for having let her anger cloud her up to that point.

"I wanted to say 'sorry' for how I reacted earlier," she stated without preamble. A flick of surprise crossed the eyes that now were watching her so intently. "I was scared and angry and said things I didn't mean," she admitted softly. Tears flooded those blue eyes and Regina reached out, putting a gentle hand over her sister's tensed up ones. It did not seem like Zelena would cut in, so Regina figured she would say everything that was in her mind. "Your intentions do matter. They matter to those who care about you."

Upon hearing that, Zelena could not hold back a sob any longer. Tears broke free and she lifted a hand to cover her eyes. Still, her other hand held onto Regina's as a lifesaver and it made the brunette remain on her spot. She stayed quiet, doubtful about how to proceed.

"I— I'm stupid," the redhead managed to say between sobs. "I thought I could make things right. As you have. As good people do. They're always trying to make things right, aren't they? And, even if their plans don't make sense, they win at the end. Oh, sis, I— I'm just st— stupid for thinking I could do the same."

Her voice was completely broken by the end of her rant and she only kept crying harder when words left her. Regina pursed her lips and waited for her to calm down a bit before replying.

"Sis, I shouldn't have been so brash when I told you 'sorry' isn't enough sometimes, but the statement remains true." Zelena looked up for a second and their gazes met. She nodded and sniffed before looking down again. "There are consequences to our actions. We must face them knowing that, sometimes, we can't make it up to those people. We can't fix things up even if we'd trade anything for it, so we must learn to live carrying that guilt."

Regina swallowed, having relived with her words the weight of her own wrongdoings.

"I know that, but... I never thought 'sorry' could fix anything and then, it did and I suppose I let it cloud my judgement," the redhead said, having managed to stop crying for the moment.

Regina frowned, unsure what her sister was referring to. She chose to leave her questions for later, though, and squeezed her hand. She had already used up all her quota for rebuking her.

"I'm just glad you're okay," she assured, "but don't you ever do something like that again."

She had not meant to sound stern, but she neither managed to speak lightly nor could bring herself to correct it when Zelena hurried to shake her head. The former witch looked down at her intertwined hands and then, up at brown eyes. She gulped and Regina knew she was gathering her courage to say something.

"I know the answer will probably be 'no.' You really have no motives to... But do you think, I— I mean, some day, there'll be any way to put the spell on the limits of the backyard again so I...? N— Never mind. Forget I said anything."

Zelena's cheeks had become redder and redder as she spoke, until she shut up abruptly. Regina tightened her lips and she could feel the ginger stiffening in response. The former Queen had not really thought about the barrier.

"The spell surrounding the house isn't going to change," she decided after a few seconds in silence.

Despite her confident voice, Regina felt she was making a mistake. All the facts indicated the sensible thing would be to lock up her sister again, at least for some time. Yet, the redhead had shown genuine regret for her impulsiveness, had thought she had lost her second chance and had needed of all her courage to simply ask for the size of her cell to be the same. She was clearly expecting a punishment, and maybe she should get one, but Regina was unwilling to do so. She would rather spare her sister from feeling any more pain that day.

Zelena's blue eyes went wide open and, open-mouthed, she fixed them on the brunette.

"What? But you just said our acts have consequences."

Regina shrugged slightly, still feigning certainty she did not feel entirely.

"I know, but I also know you weren't really trying to escape. Besides, I think the fright you got is lesson enough."

Zelena stared at her for several more seconds, until she finally nodded —she still looked somewhat sad. Her meek appearance contrasted with the iron grip she kept on Regina's hand.

"It won't happen again," the ginger said out loud after a minute, breaking the dense stillness.

Regina nodded in response, caressing the pale skin with her thumb for a bit before replying.

"I'll let you get some rest, but first, I'd like you to wash your injury so I can have a look at it. And don't tell me you're fine," she added when her sister opened her mouth, presumably to protest.

Zelena closed it, but after swallowing, she schooled her features and opened it again. She looked like she was going to act on an impulse once again.

"I... I'd like to tell you something first," she said, barely above a whisper, as if she did not dare ask that.

"Go ahead," prompted Regina.

Zelena gulped again. Finally, she took back her hands. The younger woman let her, understanding her need for distance. With her now free hands, the redhead dried her face, sighing. Then, she breathed in, looking Regina in the eye.

"I want you to know I really understand what you've said," she started, solemnly. "I know words can't fix what actions have done. And you've already given me more than I... than I ever expected. So I need you to know I'm not asking for anything here." Regina matched her seriousness as she nodded. "What I did to Neal isn't the only thing I've been thinking about. Actually, that was because Henry and I were talking and I... I felt the need to apologise to him. I've never met such an amazing child before and he's always so good to me... It— It felt wrong to keep on as always, I guess. So I apologised and he forgave me, and I wouldn't've ever expected that. So it made me reflect on all the other things I did prior to coming here. It would've made more sense to apologise to you before doing so with Rumple, but I didn't dare. I... I suppose I didn't want to remind you of everything I've done to you," she admitted. Her voice was low and filled with shame and she could no longer hold Regina's gaze as she finished speaking.

The brunette was speechless, mulling over every bit of information she had just received. The part about Henry had warmed her heart, but she could not help being confused about Zelena's relationship with Rumplestiltskin. Then again, her own feelings about her former teacher had never been easily defined. She could not help softening upon hearing the honesty in her voice, either —the hidden earnestness for a clean slate.

Neither of them said anything for a long time. Zelena was completely still, looking down and hiding her face behind her hair. Regina did not know whether she had nothing else to add or she was having serious trouble finding the right words. In any case, the brunette decided it was time for her to break the silence. The right words had come to her.

Very slowly, she reached out for her sister's face, barely touching it with her fingertips but making her lift it all the same. She smiled to chase away the fear she saw there, knowing her own brown eyes mirrored watery blue ones.

"You're forgiven," she whispered simply.

Zelena tried to breathe in and gulp at the same time and, in the end, her face only scrunched up. A moment later, tears began to roll down her cheeks and it was the last thing Regina saw.

Neither of them knew who the first to go forward was, but soon enough, they were enveloped in a much needed hug. As Zelena silently sobbed in her shoulder, Regina looked for the injury in her head after only a moment of allowing herself to fully enjoy the moment. She located it and healed it without a second thought. Then, she focused on her sister and on tightly returning the embrace, having a pretty good idea of what was going on inside that silly ginger head.

A/N: First of all, I'm very sorry for not updating last week. I really had no time to look through the chapter in order to upload it. I hope this won't happen again, but just know that this story is finished, so it won't be abandoned.

I loved all the comments the previous chapter got. Thanks to Marina Ka-Fai, BetweentheCovers, Rose Nguyen and the two guests for their reviews. I hope the outcome hasn't disappointed you!

It's never easy to write a heart-to-heart between these two, so I'm looking forward to knowing what you think. Please, leave a review and let me know!