Apple of my Eye 20
Well, my lovelies, I think the time has come to end this story. I loved it despite its many flaws, typos, and weird plot decisions. I plan on writing something SwanQueen next. Maybe something AU. In any case, I want to thank all of you for reading this. Your reviews and views mean the world to me. Best of luck and love. See you in the next story!
Regina and Belle walked quietly through the forest, together at long last. There was nothing that stood in the way of their blossoming relationship anymore, no monsters or mothers anyway. Was Regina ready to just throw caution to the wind and dive in? Not really, but it was nice to know that she now had the time to work her way up to it.
Belle, on the other hand, was thoroughly baffled by everything that had happened. Was she completely comfortable with the fact that Regina was now the Dark One, or that she had murdered Rumple? No, not really, but it was nice to know that Regina really did care for her.
Neither woman was perfect, nor perfectly comfortable with their new arrangement, but something encouraged them to keep holding the other's hand. Something deep down inside them both. Regina's mind occasionally wandered back to her mother, but she refused to look back or help her. Cora would find her way to Storybrooke on her own, or she would wander into the rest of the world. Regina decided she would deal with it later, when she had to. Today she wanted to hold Belle's hand and try to win her son back.
When they finally arrived in the town, they saw Emma and the Charming gang hugging and crying near Granny's. Belle smiled.
"Do you want to go over and welcome them back?" She asked. Regina scowled, but a smile broke through.
"Not really, but I suppose I have to show them a new face." She offered. They walked, hand in hand, to the diner. They were met with a shocked silence.
"Regina." Emma said. Snow and Charming said nothing. Henry just looked at her.
"Emma, Snow, welcome home. I trust that Ruby has caught you up on all the things you missed?" The Queen said gently.
"About you being the Dark One and Cora? Yeah. We heard what happened. Pretty wild, I gotta say." Emma said, her eyes wide. She laughed nervously. Regina was palpably uncomfortable. Did Emma know about how she had used magic on Henry and thrown a rather violent temper tantrum? How she loathed to think how Emma must see her. Henry clung to Emma a little tighter, almost as if to spite her.
"Yes. It was all quite wild." Regina said. Belle sensed the tension growing in her love and squeezed her hand.
"Well, we're glad you made it back in one piece." Belle said, dissolving as much of the tension as she could. Emma and Snow both gave her a rather quizzical look, but they smiled all the same. Thankfully, Ruby poked her head outside of the diner and called to them.
"You guys ready for some cold beer?" She yelled. The group laughed despite themselves and made their way into the diner. Inside was a little party made up of a few members of the town and everyone who had been outside. No one wanted to talk to Regina, but that didn't particularly bother her. She had Belle and that was enough for now. They sat in one of the booths, across from one another.
"So, you say my mother kissed you on the forehead and your memories came back?" Regina asked, clearly incredulous.
"That's what happened." Belle insisted. Regina's brow furrowed in thought.
"That makes no sense." She concluded. Belle sighed.
"Regina, she really does love you. After all this time she really does love you. If I had to guess, I would say that her kiss was the culmination of that love." Belle said. She reached across the table and took Regina's hand. The Queen stiffened. Love? From her mother? The very thought of it made her squirm. How could her mother love her, even with her heart? How could anyone love her? The thoughts began to grow more accusing, more violent, but Belle's hand kept her from spiraling away completely.
"Well, if she makes it to Storybrooke then I will ensure her comfort. I will not, however, forgive her. I can't." Regina said sadly.
"And that's fine." Belle assured her. Regina sighed and looked over to her son, who was still wrapped around Emma's waist.
"I really shot myself in the foot by banishing Henry with magic." Regina whispered, watching the happy pair.
"You did, but there were many factors in play. All that dark magic would have made anyone unstable." Belle answered gently. Regina raised an eyebrow.
"Are you implying that I'm not emotionally stable?"
"I'm not implying it, Regina. I'm saying you're emotionally unstable." Belle said firmly. Regina smirked.
"Well, you're the one who kissed me." The Queen said. Belle smiled widely.
"I did, and I'm going to do it again." And she did. She leaned over the table and planted a gentle kiss on Regina's lips. Their lips locked and, for a moment, they both felt sort of complete. So, complete, in fact, that the world around them disappeared and they didn't notice the Savior's approach.
"Well. Um. Henry wanted to know if you guys wanted some cake but…well." Emma stammered, blushing. The women broke their kiss and Regina turned quite red. Belle laughed.
"Yes, it would be nice to have something sweet for a change." She said chuckling.
"Are you implying that I'm not sweet?" Regina said with mocking surprise.
"You're much more than that, dear." Belle answered. Emma observed their back and forth with a mixture of fascination and confusion. Who was this new Dark One/Regina/Evil Queen/Co-mother of her child? Who was she after all? Emma had no idea, but she decided that, for the first time, she was interested in finding out.
The three of them walked over to the cake, where Snow, David, and Henry were gathered. David nodded to the pair and even Snow offered a smile. Henry, on the other hand, was surprisingly cold. Well, perhaps it wasn't that surprising.
"Henry, do you think we could talk for a moment?" Regina asked. He looked at her and shrugged. Belle gave her hand a squeeze.
"Do you need me to come with you?" She whispered in her love's ear. Regina shook her head and guided Henry to the outside. He sat on the steps of Granny's diner, waiting for this mother to talk.
"Henry I- Henry, I don't know how to love very well." Regina began. This made Henry fidget, but he listened.
"I don't know how to love very well, but I do love you very much. My actions were awful and I behaved very badly the other night. I don't expect you to forgive me right now." She continued.
"You were just dealing with all the dark magic, right?" Henry asked, still looking down.
"It certainly played a part, but I know that it is not an excuse. I am sorry, Henry. I never should have used magic on you or pushed you away like that. I just- Henry, I want you to know that I was a-" Regina stopped suddenly. She knew what she had to say, but even admitting it in her own mind was a serious challenge.
"I have lived a very difficult life. The people who were supposed to take care of me really didn't when I was growing up. My mother didn't have a heart and…I-I wasn't raised to understand how to love people."
"Because no one loved you?" Henry asked suddenly. The question made Regina's heart pound, but she knew she had to keep going.
"I think my father did. He just couldn't keep me from being hurt by my mother, or by Rumpelstiltskin. I'm not excusing my behavior, Henry. I just want you to know that I am working on it. Belle is helping me to better understand healthy relationships. I love you, ok? I love you so very, very much. I am so sorry that I haven't always shown it in the right ways." Regina said finally. She wiped her eyes. Henry finally looked up at her, his eyes hard and searching for answers.
"I love you too, mom. Thank you for telling me that." He said. Then, he rose and threw his arms around her. She hadn't said everything, nor did she plan to. Her son was not the right person to talk about the darker points of her life with. Those conversations were for Belle and for Archie.
"Can we go get some cake now?" Henry asked. Regina smiled, thankful to have been forgiven.
"Yes, of course."
When they reentered Belle raised her eyebrows as if to ask if everything had gone well. Regina nodded. Henry ran over to Belle and gave her a tight hug.
"I'm glad you're here." He said. Belle, hugged him back. Regina watched as the two people she loved so much shared an embrace. Perhaps there was hope for her new life after all.