"What just happened?" Emma asked.
"Shh," Regina said to her as she turned her attention to the man. "Does Silas know that I now have the cauldron's magic in me?"
Regina ignored the glance Emma threw her way.
"No."
The man's voice was low and even that simple word seemed to stretch out forever.
"Is Taren still alive?"
"Don't know."
"Damn it," Regina swore. "How did you get here?"
He didn't answer and Regina rephrased the question. "How did you travel from Prydain to this world?"
"Magic."
She huffed out a breath. Of course it involved magic, what she was wanting to know was how that magic was accomplished.
"Ask him if any others were sent?" Emma said. Her gun was still out although she was no longer aiming it at him.
"Were there any others sent here besides you?"
"No."
"Why not?" Silas had a whole army so why would he send just one. It didn't make any sense especially with how many men he had sent to retrieve her at the farm once he knew for sure she was there. It was the last time she had seen Taren – as he was lying on the ground after taking a strike from one of the guards.
"Only one at a time," he said.
"Then why not send more after you?"
The answer was slow in coming. "Portal only open at equinox."
She considered what he said. Magic worked differently in Prydain – well that wasn't exactly it, it was more like how they used it was different. In her many discussions with Taren she had learned that magic users there believed there were rules or forces that kept them from doing magic without adhering to strict ritual. Perhaps this was one of those instances.
Or may be this corpse didn't really know. Either way the real question she wanted answered had been answered.
She touched him again on the chest, using the magic to make him dead once more and closed the unit.
"Do you want to explain what the hell that was?" Emma said.
"That is what the black cauldron does, it brings the dead back to life," Regina said.
"I gathered that from the cartoon, what I want to know is how you did that."
"When I touched the cauldron, I felt its magic and felt my own for the first time there in that world," Regina said. "Its power was so strong and it felt like it was coming for me. It's hard to explain. I used my magic to fight it, but instead of fighting it, my magic was swapped with it. Suddenly this foreign magic was inside of me and it was overwhelming. I don't even know exactly what happened afterward because it's a blur. I've had fuzzy memories of running, getting out of the castle but I was being chased. Someone yelled my name and I turned and that is when the arrow struck. Then it was more running. I didn't know why I was running or where I was running to. The magic was consuming me and so I tried to expel it from me and then next thing I know I was here in Storybrooke but by that time I didn't know who I was or anything."
"Wait, you are telling me that you now have the power of the black cauldron?"
"Yes."
"Ok, ok, we can deal with that," Emma said. "Just don't do that, that thing with the dead people again. Ever."
Emma stepped away from her, pacing a little bit, her eyes continuing to go toward the now closed storage unit. Then suddenly she stopped and smiled.
"You have the power of the cauldron which means you didn't activate it, which means it is useless to Silas, which means there is no need for you to go back to Prydain," Emma said. "This is great."
"Did you miss the part where I said my magic was swapped for the cauldron's magic," Regina said. "Meaning my magic is in the cauldron, which mean yes I do have to go back."
"No you don't," Emma said. "You don't need your magic."
"Yes, I do."
"No you don't. You lived how many years here in Storybrooke without magic. You don't need it," she said.
"Even if I thought I could do that," Regina said.
"You can do it," Emma interrupted her. "You are the strongest person I know. It might be rough at first, but I'll help. If anything magical is required you can teach me how to do it."
"Miss Swan," Regina said calmly. "As I was saying, even if I could do it, there is another complication. The cauldron's magic is inside me. I am fairly confident in saying that it was the reason that I didn't remember any of this when I first returned."
"Yeah but you are ok now, aren't you?"
Regina shook her head no.
"What's wrong?" Emma said stepping closer to her. She reached her hand out as if to touch Regina, but the other woman backed up a step. Emma also took a step back sensing her nearness was not appreciated.
"When the magic first entered me, it felt wrong. It felt like it was trying to fill me, like it wanted to replace me. This magic is unlike anything I have ever felt before," she said. "It's so much power and it's … it's dark. Darker even than my own magic. This power to make the dead live again, it's seductive. I can't live like this. I have to get it out of me and the only way to do that is to get my magic back."
Emma could see that Regina was worried about this, shaken even.
"Alright, we will get your magic back," Emma said. "We will. Together. Ok?"
"No."
"Regina."
"No," she repeated. "Henry can't lose both of us."
"He's not going to lose us," Emma said, coming closer. This time she didn't stop and Regina didn't back away. Emma touched her arm. "If we do this together then he won't lose us. You know like back in Neverland, we did better when we were working together. We made a freaking eclipse happen, we can do this."
This time Regina glanced at the storage unit. "If we are going to do this then you should probably hear what happened in Prydain."
…
They had returned to the mansion and took seats in the living room. Regina told her what had happened up until leaving the seer's house minus what Celine had to say about Emma.
"Then this woman was legit psychic," Emma said.
"I wouldn't go that far."
"But she told you that when you returned here you wouldn't know who Henry was," Emma said. "That sounds pretty legit to me."
"Yes well forgive me if I don't let my life be dictated by something a psychic says," Regina said.
"So what happened next?" Emma asked as she yawned.
"Perhaps we should continue this discussion tomorrow," Regina said. "You are tired."
It was already nearly 3 a.m. as Regina had waited until Henry was asleep before venturing out.
"Well I was almost asleep when someone decided to take a field trip to the morgue."
"How did you know I was there anyway?"
Emma bit her bottom lip.
"Miss Swan, how did you know?"
"Could you not call me that?"
"I call you that all the time."
"You used to call me that," Emma said. "Then you were calling me Emma. My name."
"I called you that because I didn't know I called you Miss Swan."
"I like it better when you call me Emma. Please don't call me Miss Swan."
Regina saw it in Emma's eyes that she meant what she said.
"Ok, Emma, how did you know I was at the morgue?"
"I may have put a trackable GPS on your phone."
"You did what?"
"I did it for you own good or do you not recall leaving here that day and trying to jump into a now non-existent well." Emma defended her actions. "I couldn't take the risk that you would do it again even with your memories back."
Regina grabbed her phone and held it out to Emma. "Take it off."
"Fine," Emma said. She quickly removed the hidden app and returned the phone. "I'm doing this because I trust that you aren't going to do something stupid, atleast not without me. Don't make me regret it."
"I won't."
Regina stood, prompting Emma to do so. "I guess I'll meet you back here tomorrow for more story time," Emma said, another yawn coming out of her.
"Yes, well, it's late, so you could stay here in the guest room if you want."
"Really?"
"Only if you want. I can get you some clothes to sleep in."
"That would be great. Thanks."
Regina led the way up the stairs, Emma a couple of steps behind her. Regina had been wearing a pair of jeans – a surprise to Emma as she figured Regina would go back to her mayor clothes now that she had her memories back. The jeans were a pair that Emma had bought her. They were quite form fitting and Emma's eyes were drawn to Regina's ass, so much that she stumbled when she got to the top step.
"Graceful as always," Regina said, raising an eyebrow at her as Emma regained her balance. "Wait there and I will get you something to sleep in."
Regina went to her room and pulled out a pair of pajama pants and then grabbed the tank top she had kept. She had been wearing it to sleep in and while it seemed to help the first couple of nights, it no longer smelled like Emma.
But maybe if Emma wore it tonight …
She knew she was being silly and she should just give her the shirt and be done with it.
Regina took the items and went back out to Emma. "Here."
Emma examined the shirt. "This is mine."
"Yes. I overlooked it before when I was gathering up your things."
"Thanks," Emma said. "I'll um see you tomorrow."
Emma entered the guest room and shut the door behind her, leaning against it. She used this time to just look around the room. It was clean, the bed was made and it was exactly like it was when she first came here to stay with Henry when Regina disappeared except for different bedding.
Thinking about that first night, she hadn't slept well at all. She was worried about Henry who hadn't said much except for that he was waiting for his mom to come home.
But she hadn't come home for such a long time.
And when she did, well she needed help. Emma had been reluctant to be that person, to be a full-time caregiver. Then it changed. She couldn't even point to the moment it changed.
Sighing she stripped down and put the other clothes on. Pulling the tank top over her head she paused for a second. When she had it fully on, she lifted the front and smelt it.
It smelt like Regina. Odd, she thought.
…..
"Morning mom," Henry said, as he walked into the kitchen.
"Good morning," she replied without turning to look at him. She was at the stove cooking breakfast, which he now came over to take a peek at.
"Kind of a big breakfast," he said, noting she was making eggs, bacon and pancakes.
"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day," she said. "Besides I am sure Emma can help you finish it off."
"Mom's coming for breakfast?"
"She's already here actually. She spent the night in the guest room. Perhaps you should go wake her."
"Yeah, ok," he said, turning and leaving the room. He bounded up the stairs and knocked on the door to the guest room. He didn't hear a response so he opened. "Mom?"
Emma was still on the bed, hugging a pillow to her, and still quite asleep.
"Mom," he said again, as he got closer and this time poked her leg which was sticking out from the covers.
"Five more minutes," she mumbled.
He snickered. "Five more minutes and your food is going to get cold. Mom's making breakfast."
This time she opened her eyes. "Breakfast?"
"Yes," he smiled. "She told me to get you up."
"Alright I'm up," she said. "Be right down."
He left the room and she got out of bed, stretching and then regretting that she had to leave the comfort of the bed at all. She hadn't slept this well since, well since she had left the mansion.
She put the clothes she had been wearing the night before on. She quickly made the bed and the placed the pajama pants folded up on top of it. The tank top she took with her. It may only be psychological but she really did believe that it smelt like Regina.
Making her way downstairs she could smell the food before she even made it to the kitchen.
"Good morning," Emma said.
"Good morning," Regina said, indicating she should sit.
Once Emma was seated, Regina put a plate of food down in front of her and then took her own seat.
The first few minutes of the meal was eaten in silence.
"Why aren't you drinking milk?" Emma asked.
"Excuse me?" Regina asked.
"You always drank milk before," Emma said.
Regina looked at the glass of orange juice in front of her. "I drank milk because that is what you had in my refrigerator."
"Oh."
More silence.
"So do you like milk?" Emma asked.
"Yes. I just prefer orange juice for breakfast."
"Ok."
More silence.
"So why didn't you tell me that before, you know that you liked orange juice? I would have gotten you some."
"I don't know," Regina said. "I guess it was easier to let you control things, to let you take care of me."
The admission surprised Emma and by the way Regina averted her eyes quickly she figured the brunette was a little embarrassed by it.
"Are you back to staying here?" Henry asked Emma.
"No kid," Emma said. "Your mom and I have some things we need to talk about is all."
"What are you guys talking about?"
The two women exchanged a look. Regina was about to speak up but Emma went first. "Just city business. Your mom has been gone for a long time and she needs to catch up on what's happened around town. I told her I would fill her in."
Henry looked at Regina. "Are you going to be mayor again?"
"I think any discussions about that are premature," Regina said. "But there is still a lot of other things I should know about what went on here while I was gone."
They ate the rest of the meal in relative silence and once it was done Henry left to spend some time with a friend and Emma helped Regina clean the dishes.
"Why didn't you want to tell him the truth?" Regina asked.
"Why were you going to? You do realize if you had told him that we plan to go to Prydain that he would insist on going with us."
"Much like you are insisting on going with me?"
"Yes, but me going is logical. Taking our son with us, is not."
"I don't feel comfortable lying to him," Regina said. "Not being truthful is how I almost lost him before."
"You aren't going to lose him again. I promise. I'm more concerned about him losing you."
"You don't think I can do it, go to Prydain and do what I was supposed to have done in the first place?"
"No, I'm not doubting you," Emma said. "But I'm worried about you. You shouldn't have to do it alone, not when you have people who care about you. Maybe you should try and get used to that."