A/N: I know it has been ages since my last update- and I sincerely apologise for that. These last few months have been the craziest in my life, and there were just too many things I had to focus on. But now I'm back- new job, new apartment, newly single and finally reunited with my muse:) Thank you so much to all who still read, followed, favourite, reviewed and pm'ed me- you honestly made my day every single time I saw a notification in my inbox, and your lovely words of encouragement kept me going.

So here we go with chapter 21. There's nothing much happening per se, but it's setting the plot for the next chapters to come.

Hope you enjoy!

What on earth was wrong with her? Thinking about her old neighbour, while lying more or less naked in the Mayor's arms. Regina would kill her if she knew… fuck! ...the Evil Queen couldn't read minds now, could she?

Feeling rather silly because of her ridiculous train of thoughts, and just a teensy bit apprehensive and paranoid about the whole mind reading thing Emma slowly opened her eyes to Regina's still slightly flushed face.

Damn, that woman was gorgeous. So bloody fucking gorgeous. And she'd be happy to stay here in her arms forever, if it weren't for the uncomfortable kitchen floor they were currently lying on. Grimacing as all her muscles seemed to protest at even the slightest move, she offered Regina a hand nonetheless and pulled her up with her.

She noticed with some satisfaction that the brunette seemed to be feeling the after effects of their frantic lovemaking as well.

They were quite the pair, she grinned to herself and feeling all giddy and mushy and happy at once she leaned in and tenderly cupped Regina's face with both hands, her thumbs stroking over ridiculously perfectly shaped cheekbones. And to her surprise the other woman didn't recoil at her intimate gesture. Emboldened by Regina's reaction- or lack thereof- she softly trailed small kisses over her forehead and down her nose until she felt the older woman relax her rigid stance and fairly sink into the kiss she finally bestowed on waiting lips. Sighing happily as Regina pushed her body flush against hers, Emma deepened the kiss. Oh yes- they were quite the pair indeed.

Her cell phone signalling an incoming text interrupted them rudely and caused her to reluctantly pry herself off of the brunette who whimpered in protest as she sensed her intent. Any other person might have identified the sound as a growl, but who wanted to be any other person when it was one Emma Swan who had her arms full of a certain irresistible Queen. Smiling ruefully at the scowling woman, Emma tried her best not to stumble over her jeans, which were still tightly wrapped around her ankles. Why again was she always wearing skin tight trousers? Her Majesty's yoga pants were clearly less dangerous in situations like these.

The text was from Mary-Margaret, informing her that they were done and would pick up dinner on their way back.

Oh, it was so nice to have an accomplice now. Once she had gotten over her initial shock, Mary-Margaret had been strangely delighted that Emma had confided in her and promised to help out with Katie.

Emma just hoped that the teacher would remember her enthusiasm- and more importantly- approval, once she regained her memories. But that was a problem for another day. Right now she had to make sure to return home in time to get into the shower before her daughter showed up. Quickly informing Regina, she righted her clothes as best as she could, noting with no small amount of regret that the older woman was doing the same. Her hasty departure had one advantage though- she wouldn't be here for the fall-out when the Mayor noticed the various bite marks she had felt obliged to bestow upon olive skin.

Regina followed her to the front door, and as Emma turned and saw her standing there looking all tousled and sweet, her big brown eyes regarding her softly and somewhat sadly- it almost killed her not inviting her to join them for dinner.

But Katie's needs came first, and she truly believed that the kid needed a break from being in her mother's presence- as awful as that sounded. The little melt down she had had today had been way overdue in Emma's opinion. Katie's easy acceptance of the fact that she was a complete stranger to her own mom, coupled with all the other craziness going on had really freaked her out. Not that it didn't hurt her seeing her child so scared and sad and overwhelmed, but at least that kind of behaviour was- normal- for a lack of a better word.

So, opening the door and giving Regina one last quick kiss and an apologetic smile, she practically raced off, not daring to turn her head back for one more look, fearing that she would cave in after all.

It was during the dead of the night when the rain started again, drowning all illusions of an impending spring. Even when day final came, sheets of ice cold rain were still drenching everyone and everything as Regina amongst several others tried to escape into the damp warmth of an overcrowded Granny's.

Cursing under her breath the brunette half-heartedly looked for an empty table- or even stool at the counter- when she spotted the Swan women and Miss Blanchard occupying a booth at the back. Feeling disturbingly relieved, she made her way over and slid into the empty seat next to Emma, who was the only one acknowledging her presence by smiling faintly at her in greeting.

What on earth was going on here? All three of them were pale, with big dark circles under their eyes- and Katie's face looked like she had spent a considerable amount of time crying- causing the cut on her eyebrow to stand out even more prominently than usual. Ruby bustled over, pouring her a coffee before she could even place an order and vanished as quickly as she had appeared. Regina barely restrained herself from huffing in annoyance at being so thoroughly ignored.

"Well, what a pleasure seeing you all so bright and happy on this lovely morning."

Maybe it had come out sounding a bit harsher than intended, considering that Katie and Miss Blanchard shot up simultaneously -almost falling over each other as they mumbled something about having to use the restroom as they scampered off. But seriously- that reaction had been a bit over the top now, right? Considering that comment had come from her, it could have even been classified as polite.

She looked at Emma questioningly, and the blonde emptied her own coffee in one big gulp, grimacing as if she were downing hard liquor and not caffeine.

"Sorry Regina," she ventured, "don't mind them. Rough night. None of us got much sleep."

Her hand made it onto the Deputy's forearm without any input whatsoever from her brain, and she couldn't say who was more surprised at her gesture. Emma, herself or Ruby who had- despite concentrating on juggling heavy plates with food- definitely noticed as well. Feeling a bit flustered, the brunette clutched her cup with both hands while waiting for the other woman to elaborate.

"Katie had a nightmare." She finally said in a flat voice- sounding as desolate as she undoubtedly felt.

"And you couldn't chase it away." Regina murmured, just knowing that this was what was bothering the blonde.

But strangely enough that didn't make her feel better. Miss Swan- who was clearly so adored by her daughter- and to whom showing affection and parenting seemed to come so natural- felt she had failed, and Regina couldn't take any pleasure from that. Even though she well should.

How on earth had she become this soft? If this would have happened even only ten years ago- Miss Swan would have felt her wrath the second she would have found out about Katie's origins; and her daughter…-well, she would have probably grown up to resent and fear her right under her very close and watchful eye. The mere thought of big green eyes looking at her the very same way she must have looked at her own mother all this time ago was enough to make her stomach churn.

The Deputy however continued, clearly oblivious to her inner turmoil.

"She was screaming the entire house down. Drenched in sweat… absolutely hysterical. Took us forever to actually get her to wake her up- she was so fast asleep."

The blonde vigorously rubbed her eyes and Regina swapped their coffee cups, putting her own still untouched one in front of the other woman. Emma shot her the first genuine smile this morning, effectively wiping out all dark thoughts of her mother- and giving her the confidence to prod a bit further.

"When you mentioned the other day that Katie sometimes had nightmares, I had no idea they were that bad."

The blonde shrugged. "They usually aren't. I mean, she always seems to have trouble sleeping, but incidents like last night have become really rare over the last few years. Seems like they are starting up again though."

"Have you ever considered consulting a professional?"

Regina jumped at her chance. If Katie went to see Dr Hopper she could easily find out just how much her daughter really remembered. The cricket was too scared of her to deny her information, she knew.

"I have," Emma nodded and added wryly "Katie though, after her very first- and very disastrous session, I might add- has outright refused to ever even set foot into a therapist's office again. Reasoning with a lamppost would be more effective. If that girl has made up her mind there is nothing in this world that can change it. Even when she bloody knows that she's wrong. Something I personally attribute to nature and not nurture."

And that was exactly why she didn't do compassion. Offering the other woman her own coffee had clearly been a premature move on her part, the Mayor observed.

"There is nothing wrong with having a strong mind and standing true to your convictions." She huffed before she could stop herself.

"Just wait until she stands in your office, refusing to do something you want her to because she feels the need to display that strong mind of hers." The blonde teased, now clearly amused.

"I'd actually love to be a witness for that, you know." Miss Swan went on, whose mood seemed to be improving by the second "the two most stubborn people I have ever met- worlds might actually end in the fallout."

"Really now, Emma- I'm disappointed in your lack of faith in my abilities; for worlds to end I wouldn't need your daughter. I'm strong minded enough to do that just on my own." She husked, starting to enjoy their little banter as well.

"Speaking of worlds ending... I still have a bone to pick with you, my dear. I couldn't believe what I was seeing last night when I looked into the mirror after my shower…"

Yes, she was fully aware that she had been wearing a silly grin on her face ever since she had stepped out of Granny's and into the Sheriff's Station. And yes- she was late for work, and she was currently munching on a bear claw and ignoring both, a sleeping Leroy and the paperwork on her desk. But thankfully Graham was a very kind boss- or just plain lazy himself, and maybe even both- because he just shot her a knowing a grin and disappeared into his own office; probably intent on catching up on some sleep himself.

With the bear claw safely in her tummy Emma started to feel drowsy- the ridiculous amount of caffeine she had subjected her body to this morning doing nothing to help her stay awake. Maybe having a little snooze was the smart thing to do. This town being packed with amnesiac fairy tale characters, the next disaster couldn't be far off anyway. But it was just that nagging feeling that prevented her from dozing off.

She really should have stayed home with the pixie today, instead of allowing her to spend the day at the Mayor's office. A cranky, traumatised Katie mixed with a cranky, neurotic Regina seemed to be a sure recipe for disaster.

But God- that girl was stubborn! She hadn't been exaggerating earlier. Even though Emma had had to personally take off her daughter's sweat soaked pyjamas and put her into the bathtub because Katie was still only half lucid and shaking too badly to do anything by herself, she had vehemently reclined Emma's offer to take the next day off.

And yes- that dogged determination to go through with whatever hare-brained plan she had concocted, no matter the consequences to herself and others was so Regina- her Majesty could huff and puff all she wanted; it didn't change the facts.

Though being able to rile the other woman up like that, without her really being in a position to retaliate had been an unforeseen bonus. One that would probably end up biting her in the ass if she overdid it- and there was a good chance that she would- but the fun she could have watching the Mayor squirm and silently seethe would so be worth it.

And while she was on the subject of a seething Mayor…if the woman truly didn't want any hickeys…which she somehow doubted since Regina's cheeks had coloured rather fetchingly during her lengthy lecture at the diner when Emma's eyes had pointedly drifted to the bruise they both knew was well hidden beneath the Mayor's shirt and bra…

or the one just below the hipbone…

or the one on her inner thigh…

Leroy grunted in his sleep, startling her from her sudden more M- rated reverie of yesterday's shenanigans…

anyway… if the woman didn't want any, she should stop giving them out in the first place- the possessive, bloodthirsty little hypocrite.

Not that she didn't secretly revel in the sting of the one on her own hip where the skin had actually broken…the one Regina had kissed better in a completely unexpected sweet move…

Emma suddenly sat up straight and vigorously shook out her long curls. How she had gone from worrying over everything to drooling over the memories of last evening in a couple of seconds was a real cause for concern. She had a daughter to check up on…and no valid reason to call the Mayor's office, since she hadn't even printed out the paperwork she should have completed and returned by yesterday…crap! So it did pay off when you did your homework on time once in a while. Well, time to get creative…if she couldn't show up at Regina's office maybe somebody else could…

The girl looked simply spooky today. Like a little malnourished street urchin displaying severe withdrawal symptoms. And she was in no position to do something about that. It wasn't even just that it seemed like Katie was about to fall asleep any second now- she was also restless, unfocused and incredibly tense. Though that had only started when she had launched the texting marathon she was currently pretending not to have, and stopped sorting the files surrounding her- which she was still pretending to do.

All in all, Regina could feel her frustration- and yes, even irritation- rising by the minute. And at some point it took all her self-restraint not to confiscate her daughter's phone, march her home, feed her and tuck her into bed. She hated- absolutely hated- not being able to be her mother. Even Ben had picked up on her current frustration and was tiptoeing around her. Which was a really wise decision on his part since her urge to ground someone- anyone really at this point- was becoming harder and harder to ignore.

When there was a sudden knock on the door, Regina just knew that whoever it was showing up here unannounced was only going to increase her ire.

And of course her hunch had been right, she observed bitterly as the person stepping in turned out to be Blue. It also didn't help that her sudden presence caused Katie's face to light up like a Christmas tree.

And when the nun started going on and on about the oh-so-much awaited funds for the church- funds the annoying woman knew damn well were a done deal and would only take a few more days to get officially approved- Regina's hands actually started twitching. And to top it all off, before she knew it, Blue had whisked her daughter off to help her "carry boxes to her car".

When Katie went back up to her mother's office almost twenty minutes later she felt much lighter. Being able to talk to someone about her nightmare who understood without needing to provide a much too painful and awkward explanation had really helped- even though she felt slightly guilty for not confiding in Emma.

But- and that tied into her other reason for suddenly being in a much better mood and all excited- it was probably better she hadn't told Emma. Since it was something no child should know about her mother in the first place, it would definitely not do if said child told her mother's girlfriend.

Her mother's girlfriend! Apart from the fact that those two had clearly lied to her – something she was willing to overlook for now- this was the best thing that had happened after finding her family. Blue's eyes had only twinkled knowingly when she had more or less shoved her phone into the fairy's face in order to show her Angela's text about her two mothers kissing in the Mayor's doorway last night.

Though that didn't necessarily mean that Blue had already known about it. Adults sometimes had this annoying habit of pretending to possess unlimited knowledge when you went and told them something.

But Blue had also cautioned her about Regina's apparent bad mood she had picked up on, and she was inclined to believe her on that- thanks to Angela's eye-opener she had been too preoccupied to actually pay attention to her mother for the last hour or so. So putting on her cutest smile as a precaution she went back into the Mayor's office.

Bad mood had been an understatement. Her mother looked pissed. Shit. And that so soon after yesterday…

Trying to get back into her good graces the little blonde averted her gaze and quickly went back to work on her abandoned files in the hope that this would just blow over. Which of course it didn't.

"The next time you have to go outside in this kind of weather you will make sure to put on your coat, do you understand?"

Katie was about to reply that if the general tone turned any frostier in here she'd be happy to put on her coat this very instant- but for once thought better of it.

She really didn't want an encore of yesterday's fight. All she wanted was for Regina to be happy with her and for her to fall in love with her mom. And if she had to swallow her pride once in a while, in order to keep the peace- then fine.

So she just nodded and struggled very hard to produce a neutral and simple "o.k."

Alright, that had sounded so fake and pathetic even to her own ears that she couldn't suppress the sudden giggle rising in her throat. She hesitantly looked at Regina, silently praying that her somewhat short reply had appeased the brunette. Surely her good intentions had been clear, right? And it seemed they had as the Mayor's tone had lost most of its previous bite;

"Well aren't you quite the good girl all of a sudden? May I ask what I did to deserve this honour?"

Feeling a bit unsure about whether her mother was actually teasing her or not she decided to go for it. Putting on her most innocent expression she assured the brunette sweetly;

"I'm always good. Maybe it had just been your perception that was bad."

Regina raised an eyebrow at her statement but the lines around her eyes were still relaxed and the corners of her mouth were slightly tugging upwards and Katie let out a relieved breath even as Regina half- jokingly replied:

"You're treading on very thin ice, missy. But I'm glad that you seem to be feeling better. I have to leave now for an appointment with Mr Gold, and before you ask- no you can't come along."

"I wasn't about to."

O.k. - that had so been a lie and judging by the pointed look directed at her, her mother hadn't been fooled.

"I think you should be done sorting these files by the time I'll come back- assuming you manage to put your phone away for more than five minutes that is."

So was her mother still mad at her, or not? This was becoming too confusing. And surely she had already had her recommended dose of received stern looks this morning. But she had the grace to at least look a tiny bit embarrassed.

"And also dear; if you think about leaving this office..."

"I know- put on a coat."

"No. If you would kindly let me finish: if you think about leaving this office- think again. Can I trust you to actually stay here until I return?"

This is why you should never, ever just give into an adult's demands without at least putting up a small fight for the sake of it. If they merely suspect that you're desperate enough to please them even though it's clearly the last thing you want to do, they think they can get away with anything.

Besides- she found it hard not to take offence in that. As if her sole agenda was to run off as soon as anyone turned their back.

Especially since she had noticed that her mother had forgotten to log out of her amazon account. And if she finished sorting these stupid files quickly enough she would have more than enough time to actually call Angela and have some fun updating Regina's wish list. Disney Princess merchandise came to mind, for example. Or books about kids' favourite desserts and sweets, or books on how to raise and take care of kittens- the possibilities were endless.

"Katelyn!"

Oops- Regina was still waiting for a reply. And the situation didn't justify the use of her actual name- that one was reserved for instances when she did something so incredibly stupid and/or dangerous that Emma wanted to wring her neck. They would have to talk about that once Regina became her mom again.

"I won't leave." There.

"I have your word?"

Now, this was the very last time today she was going to humour her mother, she hoped Regina knew that.

"Yeah."

At least her mother finally looked like she believed her, which should count for something she supposed. You couldn't expect miracles when dealing with parents after all.

And then, just as the brunette turned to leave Regina stopped and did something that came as a complete surprise, but made more than up for her acting just like any other annoying adult all morning.

Because for the first time in a long, long time her momma suddenly engulfed her in a hug and held her close.

Katie, feeling all dizzy when she was gently released a few seconds later couldn't have said anything even if she'd known what it was that she wanted to say. All she wanted was to get hugged again.

But Regina, her eyes glistening, cleared her throat before she whispered "good girl" and left for her appointment.

Meeting Mr Gold had been a waste of time. The old bastard only enjoyed playing cat and mouse and had had nothing substantial to say. Not that he could remember anything, obviously- but at least he hadn't become too overly curious about Emma and Katie yet.

Ducking her head in order to brace the still torrential rain she rushed to her car and took off as fast as the wet streets allowed her.

Getting rid of that nasty imp had taken a bit longer than she had anticipated and her imagination was running wild with all the scenarios of what her daughter could have been up to all this time.

As she was finally walking up the stairs to her office, Regina started to feel a bit silly. Katie was fourteen- not four, it was highly unlikely that she would play with open flames, run with scissors or get snatched by some ill-meaning adult. Besides- she had confused the poor child more than enough earlier with her...higher maintenance...mood. She shouldn't have to suffer under the newly discovered mum side in her going completely overboard.

"Well, Madame Mayor. Is there anything else I can help you with, or will that be all?"

Confused, Regina stopped walking. Ben was nowhere to be seen, so how had he known that she was back; and what on earth was he talking about?

Katie's voice- sounding much deeper than normally- drifted through the gap in her office door.

"No thank you, Ben. That'll be all for now."

Oh really? –her lips slowly morphed into a grin. Her daughter was playing mayor with her assistant?

She quickly opened the door fully and was greeted with Benjamin picking up the sorted files on her conference table, and Katie reclining regally on her chair behind her big desk, a steaming mug of hot chocolate in front of her.

She looked at her employee.

"Well Mr Harris, I'm appalled. I haven't even been gone for two hours and you've already pledged allegiance to someone new?"

Ben merely shrugged his shoulders and grinned at her as he walked by and back to his own desk.

"And you darling," Regina narrowed her eyes at the girl as she peeled off her wet coat, "do you know that what you're doing is called treason?"

Some Evil Queen she was- a smirking employee; and the only reaction she got from Katie was an amused snort and an impressive eye-roll,

"No it's not. Did you not pay attention in school? Treason is when you attack your country. This here was a coup. And I'm not even sure you could call it that, since I just took over after you abandoned your post. Finders, keepers."

"Yes I'm sure; that's the politically correct term." Regina replied dryly and rounded her desk.

Just as she was about to chase her daughter off her chair Ben informed her over the intercom.

"Miss Mills, the Deputy just called. She wanted to know whether you could give our Mayor a lift home later since something came up at work and she and Miss Blanchard both need to stay and sort things out."

"Since when does our city pay its teachers to meddle with law enforcement?"

"Hmm- not sure. I'd say since roughly ninety minutes ago, when your throne was taken over by that blonde little mini-me's of yours. Now if you'd excuse me, I have to send out emails to all town employees that casual Friday has now been changed to hot fudge sundae Friday."

For the fraction of a second they heard Ben's dry chuckle over the speaker before the connection ended.

It was shortly after ten p.m. when Katie's head finally dropped onto Emma's mattress- despite her valiant effort to stay awake until the Deputy and Miss Blanchard returned home. Regina waited a few minutes to ensure the girl wouldn't wake up again, before she carefully tiptoed over to the old TV and switched it off. Looking at her sleeping child she decided to go and get Katie's own covers instead of trying to manoeuvre her under Emma's.

The brunette grimaced and rubbed her temples as she went into Katie's room. She had developed a headache over the cause of this exhausting evening.

The later the hour the more tired and cranky Katie had become. And it was evident that she just wanted Emma to take care of her. She refused to even touch the dinner Regina had prepared and she had only gone to the bathroom and gotten ready for bed after a very long and heated negotiation about whether she would stay up and watch a movie downstairs or go to bed immediately.

In the end, as it looked like Katie was about to start to cry and throw a full blown out tantrum from sheer frustration they had settled on the compromise of watching a movie together on Emma's bed. And Regina could have kicked herself when she noticed the relieved look Katie shot her as they both got comfortable on the queen sized bed. She should have realised much sooner that her daughter had just been terrified of the idea of falling asleep by herself.

Still feeling like eating dirt even two hours later, the Queen found herself back in the room she had only been in once before. For heaven's sakes- Harry Potter's cupboard under the stairs must have been more spacious! And to think that she had four empty guest rooms at her house. Angry at Miss Swan for believing it was alright to ask of her daughter to live in what must be the smallest room available in Storybrooke and conveniently forgetting that she herself had forced the blonde to accept Miss Blanchard's invitation to live here in the first place, she yanked the covers off the single bed and marched back into Emma's room. Katie was curled up on her side now and didn't even stir when Regina carefully tucked her in and softly ran her hand over wild blonde curls. Tiptoeing back out and back into Katie's bedroom once more in order to switch the light back off, her eyes fell on the locket lying forlornly on the mattress.

Silly little girl- hiding things under her covers.

Her heart thundering in her chest Regina reached out determinedly and let out a surprised gasp as her hand made contact with the cold metal. This locket was heavy with magic. A very powerful magic, if she could feel it here in this world, but it didn't seem to be dark or dangerous. Which was a relief, since anything coming from the Mills household could have potentially been tampered with by her mother- and that woman probably had never known that white magic even existed.

Regina contemplatively turned the locket over a few times, trying to figure out what kind of spell had been cast on it, but she wasn't getting anywhere. In order to determine that she would need magic herself. So doing the next best thing that came to mind she slowly opened the locket. There were two photos in there, one of Katie probably taken not long after she had been found by Emma- and the other one of mother and daughter hugging each other and smiling happily into the camera, causing the brunette so smile softly as well. But then her smile turned into a frown as she noticed that the photos' edges were a tad frayed, as if they had been frequently taken out and put back in again. Regina quickly stuck her head back out into the narrow hallway- checking for noises that meant Katie had woken or Emma and Mary-Margaret had returned- and after hearing none, she carefully stuck her fingernail under the photo of Katie and took it out.

For a split second she felt light headed and had to sit down on the bed as she disbelievingly stared at the small painting framed behind protective glass.

A young Snow was sitting on a bench in the Palace Gardens; her arms wrapped around a toddler-aged Katie leaning against her.

Swallowing heavily, Regina pried the second photo out with shaking fingers. She didn't even hear the keening sound that left her windpipe as she stared at the other painting uncovered.

It was of her- the proud mother and Queen smiling indulgently at the tiny girl sitting on her lap, who was reaching for the necklace she was wearing- the very locket she was holding right now- with a small chubby hand.

The pain of not remembering at all was quickly snuffed out by the panic she was suddenly feeling as it occurred to her just what her little discovery implied. Katie had carefully hidden these paintings- paintings in which you could clearly recognise the Mayor and Miss Blanchard- and even though this didn't prove that she remembered her earlier life, it meant for sure that she thought she was onto something. Regina hastily put the photos back in and stuffed the locket under the pillow. She needed to find this file of Katie- right now, before Emma came back.

Back in the Deputy's room she noted with relief that the girl was still fast asleep, and it took no time at all to find what she had been looking for between the few possessions of the older blonde. Why hadn't she thought of doing that the first time she had broken in here in order to procure DNA samples?

Regina hastily scanned the pages, her eyes flitting over incident and medical reports and numerous legal documents, hoping to learn something about Katie's state of mind when she was found, or what she had initially told the police or social workers.

But there was nothing of that sort. And just when she had thought that her day couldn't get any worse she turned to the last page- the DNA comparison of Emma Swan and Katie. Next to the confirmation of them being aunt and niece she found the name of the social worker ordering the analysis-

Coraline Allison Cynthia Mills.

There was simply no way that this social worker just happened to have the very same name as her mother- no way.

When Emma carefully snuck into her bedroom about forty minutes later she briefly considered running straight back out. Regina was sitting stiffly on her bed next to a softly breathing heap of covers revealing nothing but a messy mop of blonde hair- looking like she was ready to squash the next person crossing this threshold.

Schooling her features to look appropriately chagrined at having saddled the older woman with babysitting duties for so long she softly closed the door behind her and gingerly sat down on the edge of the bed.

Though she didn't know why she had bothered; because as soon as her butt connected with the mattress the Mayor shot up and hissed:

"Miss Swan- a word in the hallway, please?"

Oh God. She so didn't need this after the evening she had just had.

Though she had to hand it to the other woman- despite being royally pissed at whatever it was that had her knickers in a twist- she was still managing to keep her temper in check in order not to wake Katie.

Maybe she should stay close to her bedroom door as a precaution just in case Regina decided to go all Evil Queen on her- and sadly she didn't mean that in the naughty way.

Water suddenly rushed through the old pipes, causing them to groan and moan as they always did- indicating that Mary-Margaret was taking her shower.

"Regina listen," Emma quickly started in the vain hope of stopping the other woman's dreaded outburst, "I'm sorry it took so long, it wasn't fair to just dump this on you, but I really couldn't leave work sooner and you are the only one I would trust with Katie…"

Would you look at that- she still had it! Ladies and Gents- one sly, manipulative little sentence and the Evil Queen transformed into a docile kitten. Well maybe not docile, but the murderous intent burning in her dark eyes had given way to what she would classify as semi-dangerous ire.

"Your daughter hasn't eaten at all today to my knowledge, and despite being utterly exhausted she hadn't wanted to go to sleep without you being home, Deputy!"

Maybe she had had this all wrong; again- Regina wasn't pissed at her for returning so late- she was upset. And true to fashion it outwardly manifested in anger. Evil Drama Queens- argh!

"I believe I told you just this morning that she could be a handful, but you only dismissed it," the blonde softly teased "but it looks like you managed just fine- I mean maybe she hasn't had much to eat today, and has probably been a pain in the ass- but; she is safe and sound and sleeping peacefully- so thank you."

Regina was still grumbling and muttering under her breath as she slid between her own bed sheets a while later. The way Emma Swan had managed to charm herself out of trouble had been extremely embarrassing. And after all the worry and shocks she had been subjected today, she had really needed to vent her frustration- but the blonde had just looked at her so endearingly that she had caved. So now she was still feeling frustrated on top of running this terrifying loop in her mind of her mother maybe being alive after all. At least she couldn't enter or even find Storybrooke for as long as the curse was still intact.

Sleep. She needed to catch some sleep. Fluffing out her pillows- and giving them a few satisfying whacks in the process, Regina let herself fall down face first onto her bed. This whole curse business had become exhausting ever since Emma and Katie had rolled into town and she had a lot on her plate right now. Her eyes slowly started to flutter close as she buried herself in her covers- not unlike her daughter earlier- and the last image drifting through her mind before she succumbed to sleep was that of a little Princess cradled securely in the Queens arms.

"My Queen…"

"My Queen, please wake up…"

"Huh?... Sara?"

"Please your Majesty, we need to hurry…"

"Hurry? Why? What's going on?"

"The Princess… your daughter has fallen ill…"

"Ill? What are you talking about? She was fine when I tucked her in last night."

"I know my Queen- but now she's running a high fever- and the guards are already alerting the King- come on! You need to get to your daughter before he does and get her to Blue! Time is not on your side. "

"What about Snow? I can't leave her behind!"

"The princess' fever- Benjamin is convinced it's caused by magic. You know what this means- the King's mind must have finally been taken over by his dark thoughts, who knows what his plans are- but Snow should be safe for now- it's you and your daughter he wants to destroy, not his older child."

Regina shot up, breathing heavily. This was beyond frustrating. She was so close to finally finding out just what had occurred, but of course she had to wake up before that happened. Angry at herself and her lacking ability to command her dreams she kicked back the covers and put on her running gear. It was shortly after six a.m. and while the streets were still wet, the rain at least had stopped.

After about twenty minutes of doggedly putting one foot in front of the other her mind was thankfully functioning again. And by the time she passed the library on her way back to her house she had finally discarded her wild idea of sacrificing the last few of her magical items in order to incorporate Emma and Katie into the curse. The thought of them living as a family with her officially being the biological mom had been a tempting one but it would only have been a hollow lie and would have made her feel worse in the end when everybody would turn against her once more. She intended to make some true and honest memories to take with her when the time came.

Plus she couldn't afford to waste any magic in case she might need it one day to protect her child. Which brought her to the two most important points on her agenda for the day: contact Sydney and order him to acquire all available information on that social worker- a photo would be perfect- and find out whether Katie really remembered. And she had a pretty good idea on how to do that…

A/N: I'm afraid whatever plan it is Regina has, she might not have thought it through as well as she believes. Plus; what is the woman thinking- assuming Mr Gold doesn't remember and that he isn't curious about the two blondes?

Coming up: More SwanQueen, to make up for the serious lack in this chapter;) plus: Katie's dream, more teenage angst and some risky plans, the reason why Emma had needed Mary-Margaret's help, more insights on Katie's curse and news on Cora. Stay tuned, and if you liked it- make my day and please hit that little button- you know which one;)