Fiction vs. Reality part II
Her little, private sobbing session is interrupted by a knock on the door. Regina sighs heavily. She's really, really not in the mood for visitors right now, and for a second she considers transporting herself away to be left alone.
It's too late though. She hears the front door open and then Henry and Emma's voice.
Regina straightens her back as much as she can considering how pregnant she is, and tries her best to look like everything is fine.
,,Hi mom," Henry says briskly as he and Emma enters the kitchen.
,,Hi honey," Regina replies and curses herself for sounding so pathetic.
Henry opens his mouth as to speak, but he stops himself when he sees the shattered mirror. He frowns.
,,What happened to your mirror?"
,,I broke it." Well, that's true.
,,What, why?" Emma questions and raises an eyebrow.
,,It was an a-accident." Oh god, since when does she stutter?
,,How could you break your mirror by acc.." Henry cuts himself off mid-sentence and gapes at his mother. ,,Wait, are you crying?"
,,No."
,,Mom. I can see you are crying, what's going on, are you in pain?" the teenager frantically questions.
,,No no, just a bit of false labor that's all," Regina says and tries to calm her son.
It doesn't help one bit. Henry's frown goes even deeper.
,,Where is Maleficent?"
,,I don't know," Regina answers truthfully.
,,What do you mean? What's going on?"
,,We had a fight and she left the house," Regina says and has a distinct feeling that she looks exactly as pathetic as she feels.
,,She did what?!" Henry spats. ,,And she left you alone and in pain?!"
,,I wasn't in pain when she left."
,,So the pain came after she left," Henry says coldly. ,,She did that to you. And now you're crying because she left."
,,No," Regina says and tries to joke about it. ,,I'm crying because my hormones are out of control and it doesn't take much to rattle me these days."
,,I am going to kill her," Henry says icily.
,,Kid, I don't think you're helping much right now," Emma says and puts a hand on Henry's shoulder.
,,Tell me what I can do to help, mom," Henry pleads.
Regina gives him a watery smile. ,,That's very sweet of you dear, but I don't think you should be here right now."
,,You want me to leave?" the teenager asks and frowns once more.
,,I think that would be best," Regina nods. ,,You really shouldn't see me like this."
,,I don't want to leave if you're upset!"
,,It's okay, kid. I'll stay with your mom until Maleficent returns." Emma assures.
,,If she returns," Regina says and bites her quivering lower lip.
Emma promptly shoos Henry out of the mansion, and Regina sits down on the couch. She's still crying, but now it's tears of anger. She has never been angrier with Maleficent than she is right now, and she almost believes herself when she hopes that stupid dragon won't ever come back.
They've barely been alone in the mansion for five minutes when there's another knock on the front door. Emma opens the door. It's Snow who's standing on Regina's porch.
Regina closes her eyes as Emma in a low whisper explains what's happened between Regina and Maleficent.
Snow enters the living room, and she looks equally as shocked as Henry did.
,,Are you alright, Regina?"
,,Do I look alright?" Regina bites. And instantly feels guilty. She knows she's biting at the wrong person.
Luckily, Snow ignores her tone. ,,No you don't," she says gently and sits down next to Regina on the couch. ,,Didn't Maleficent say anything about where she was going?"
,,No she didn't," Regina hisses. ,,I don't know and I certainly don't care. As far as I'm concerned, she can stay the hell away."
,,You don't mean that," Snow says softly.
,,Yes I do."
,,No you don't,"
,,You didn't hear what she said to me!"
,,What did she say?" Emma asks and raises an eyebrow.
,,Doesn't matter," Regina dismisses. ,,But it wasn't very nice."
,,Are you still in pain?" Snow asks worriedly.
,,No," Regina says and circles her growing belly. ,,Just Braxton hicks."
,,Are you sure?" Emma asks. ,,We shouldn't take you to the hospital or something?"
,,Hospital won't be necessary, but thank you," Regina murmurs and leans back to relieve her lower back just a little.
,,I don't think I've ever seen our son that angry," Emma observes and shakes her head.
,,Yes well, I'm very angry as well," Regina says darkly.
They hear the sound of rustling and bustling from outside, and Regina pops her head up just in time to see Maleficent lurking outside.
Regina looks up towards the ceiling and completely ignores her wife.
,,Do you want me to let her in?" Emma asks carefully.
,,No, I want you to tell her to go to hell," Regina says flatly without tearing her gaze away from the ceiling.
Emma stands from the couch anyway and walks into the hall where she opens the front door. A few seconds later, Regina hears her saying:
,,I was told to ask you to go to hell."
,,That destination seems very fitting right now, Savior," is Maleficent's answer.
Regina continues to stare at the ceiling as Maleficent comes into the living room. The dragon is definitely not her usual, cocky self, and she looks very embarrassed.
,,You got some nerve upsetting a pregnant woman," Snow snaps rather aggressively, and any other day Regina would have found it amusing.
Maleficent simply nods and looks at Regina.
Regina stubbornly continues to stare at the ceiling. ,,Well, well, look at that. And here I was, thinking I was gonna be a single parent."
Maleficent swallows thickly. ,,I have never been more ashamed of myself than I am right now."
,,Fascinating," Regina says uninterested. ,,Is your self-loathing supposed to make me feel better?"
,,I fully understand why you are angry.."
,,Angry isn't the word," Regina hisses and stands from the couch. Her mood affects her magic, and tiny fireballs emerges from her palms.
Emma and Snow instantly takes a step backwards.
,,Get. Out." Regina sneers at Maleficent. ,,Get out before I do something I might regret later."
,,No," Mal says. ,,I'm not going anywhere."
,,Oh, so now you're not going anywhere?! What a nice change. A few hours ago you said you were "longing to leave", isn't that how you put it?!" Regina is vaguely aware that she's screaming in the dragon's face, but she really don't care right now.
,,If I could take that back…"
,,Then what, Maleficent? Do you want me to pretend you didn't say that?!"
,,No."
Regina's anger has reached a state where's she's temporarily quiet. ,,I am so upset with you," she whispers with a voice that almost trembles. ,,I have never been more upset with you."
,,I know, and I'm so so…"
Regina doesn't let her finish. She can't stand hearing her pathetic excuses, and she hurls a fireball straight at Maleficent. Well, not straight at her. She's aiming for the window behind Maleficent, the dragon simply happens to stand in front of it.
Maleficent instantly ducks, and if it hadn't been for her quick reflexes, her hair would probably have been burned.
,,Yeah, I think you can handle this on your own," Emma says hastily. ,,Come on, mom."
,,Emma, no," Snow says with wide eyes. ,,We can't let them kill each other!"
,,Trust me," Emma says and drags her mother with her out of the mansion. The door slams behind them.
Regina is breathing heavily and she's shaking. She can barely comprehend that she actually threw a fireball at Maleficent. And the only thing Maleficent did was to duck. She didn't fight back in any way.
The look on Maleficent's face is utter priceless. Regina barely reaches her chin, and yet the dragon looks like she's afraid. Not mock afraid, but genuinely, "backed up-against-the-wall-afraid".
In the end, it all becomes too much, the surprise fireball attack, the look on Maleficent's face, and not to mention the fact that Maleficent was jealous of herself.
It's so stupid and utterly ridiculous. Regina has to laugh. At first she's just chuckling, but it doesn't take long before she's laughing rather hysterically. And Maleficent's confused expression doesn't help one bit.
,,Well," the dragon says and hesitatingly takes a step towards Regina. ,,Now I'm confused, my darling."
That statement doesn't help. Regina actually has to hold onto the couch not to fall over from laughing.
,,Oh god," Regina hiccups and wipes the tears of laughter away. ,,Just to make one thing very clear, if you ever walk out on me again, then it's the last time you're setting foot in this house. Is that understood?"
,,Completely," Maleficent says eagerly. ,,I am so sorry. I shouldn't have left."
,,No you shouldn't," Regina agrees. ,,Do you mind telling me what the hell that was even about?"
,,I got jealous," Maleficent ashamed admits.
,,Of who?"
,,The television version of me."
,,Why?"
,,Because…" Maleficent pauses and actually blushes a little. ,,Because she looked so young and beautiful compared to me."
,,That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," Regina says flatly. ,,That version of you doesn't even exist. It's made up. Fiction."
,,She looked very real to me," Maleficent mutters and fiddles with her hands.
,,What, exactly are you afraid of?" Regina gently asks. ,,That I'm going to leave you for someone younger?"
,,Yes."
,,My darling," Regina says and shakes her head. ,,For a creature who is a thousand years old, you are terribly dense."
Maleficent's eyes lights up at the pet name. ,,I guess I am."
Regina sighs dramatically and walks up to her wife. She promptly wraps her arms around Mal's waist.
,,Very dense," she assures quietly and silence all of Mal's worries with a sweet kiss.
Maleficent is more than happy to return the gesture and Regina can feel her smile into the kiss as she wraps her arms around the brunette's waist.
And suddenly, Regina is no longer standing on the floor. Instead she's swept up so her feet is dangling a few inches above the floor.
,,How can you even do that when I'm this pregnant?" Regina questions breathlessly.
,,Where there's a will there's a way, my darling," Mal says.
Regina's rebuttal to that statement completely gets away from her. Maleficent promptly kisses her again, and this kiss is less gentle and slightly more demanding. And Regina is more than happy to return that gesture. She wraps her arms tightly around Mal's neck and presses her lips firmly against hers.
Maleficent sets her on her feet again so she's able to wrap her arms around Regina and rest her palm on her lower back.
Regina abandons her neck and tangles her fingers into her blonde hair without breaking the kiss for a second. Suddenly, she has an unbearable need to be with her wife right now.
And that's when their heated makeout session is interrupted by a knock on the window. Maleficent groans when Regina breaks the kiss to see who's outside.
Apparently, Snow and Emma didn't leave. Not really. They are standing right outside the mansion and is grinning at the couple. Emma even has the nerve to flash Regina a thumbs up.
Regina rolls her eyes and waves her hand, making the curtain block Emma and Snow's view.
,,Do you want to continue this upstairs?" Maleficent suggests calmly.
,,No."
,,No?"
,,Not right now," Regina shrugs. ,,I have a son who's currently very worried about me."
,,Oh. Where is he?"
,,I imagine he is at Granny's."
,,Then we better get to Granny's."
,,Just a little warning," Regina says. ,,He's not too fond of you at the moment."
,,I'm not too fond of me either right now," Maleficent says and looks ashamed once more.
Maleficent looks like she's about to be beheaded when they enter Granny's Diner. Henry looks up from his phone and shoots Maleficent a very nasty look.
,,So. You're back," he says dully when Regina and Mal sits down next to him.
,,Yes I am," Mal confirms.
If looks could kill.
Henry narrows his eyes at the dragon. ,,Are you planning on walking out on my mom again?"
,,No. Absolutely not."
,,Good. Because if you do," the teenager days darkly. ,,Then I will personally hunt you down and kill you. I may not be a dragon, but I can get pretty angry."
,,I believe you," Maleficent says and winces at the look Henry gives her.
,,Consider yourself warned," Henry says and gives his mother's shoulder a light squeeze. Then the teenager spots Violet waiting outside Granny's Diner, and he promptly stands up. But before he goes he gives Mal one last stern talk to:
,,And for the record, if you ever make my mom cry again, then I can assure you, you will regret it."
He leaves the Diner with Violet, and Emma and Snow who sits at a nearby table with Killian, sniggers quietly.
Maleficent on the other hand, looks completely horrified, and her face goes white as a sheet.
,,I made you cry?" she half-whispers and looks like she's about to cry herself.
,,Technically, it was my hormones that made me cry," Regina shrugs.
Maleficent hides her face in her hands. ,,I am a terrible person."
,,No you're not."
,,Yes, I am. I made you cry! I feel terrible."
Regina sighs. ,,Please don't. You just made a mistake, alright?"
,,More like a magnificent screw up."
,,Okay, so you screwed up," Regina shrugs. ,,It could just as well have been me who screwed up."
,,Unlikely," Maleficent sniffs.
,,Stop it. No more self-loathing, alright?"
,,Yes, ma'am."
,,And don't ever call me that again," Regina says gravely.
Maleficent sniggers and then Emma, Snow and Killian comes up to their table.
,,Hey," Emma says and smiles mischievously. ,,Are you two done making out?"
,,Emma!" Snow says and muffles a giggle.
,,Up," Emma corrects herself. ,,Making up. Are you done making up?"
,,No," Maleficent says plainly. ,,We were interrupted."
,,Again," Regina adds with a sigh.
Snow chuckles as they all three sits down. ,,You threw a fireball at her."
,,It wasn't my proudest moment," Regina admits and ignores Killian's sniggers.
,,But very well deserved," Maleficent says without batting an eye.
,,I could have killed you."
,,Please," Maleficent smirks. ,,You weren't even aiming. I don't think it was your intention to kill me. Your aim is better than that."
,,You're right," Regina agrees. ,,I was aiming for the window. You just happened to be in the way."
,,It's lucky I know how to duck," Maleficent quips. ,,Otherwise I might just have ended up dead."
,,And it wouldn't be the first time someone tried to kill you, wouldn't it?" Killian smirks.
,,No it wouldn't," Mal replies sternly and gives Emma a dragon stare.
,,Hey, I didn't kill you," Emma defends and holds up her hands.
,,No, you just stabbed me in the chest and left me with a scar," Maleficent mock-sneers.
,,Really?" Killian says and raises an eyebrow. ,,Are you sure you're not just being dramatic?"
,,I most certainly am not!" Maleficent huffs indignantly. ,,Regina, back me up!"
Snow splutters a little.
,,Scar confirmed," Regina says without looking up from the table.
There is indeed a scar just above Maleficent's left breast. Not a big scar, but still big enough to be visible.
,,I'm sorry," Emma shrugs.
,,Wasn't very pleasant," Mal muses. ,,But then again, I would rather be stabbed in the chest repeatedly than making Regina cry."
,,Now you're definitely being dramatic," Regina says rather flatly.
,,Not as dramatic as hurling a fireball after your wife," Snow deadpans. ,,What was your argument even about?"
,,Maleficent was worried that I preferred Angelina Jolie's version of Maleficent instead of the real deal," Regina says completely toneless.
Emma bursts out laughing. ,,Seriously? That's what it was about?!"
,,Excuse me for being concerned," Maleficent snips. ,,I mean, she looked very… good."
,,I'm sure nobody wants to hear about your self-infatuation, dear," Regina says flatly.
,,Between you and me, I am more infatuated with you than with myself," Maleficent smirks.
,,I'm pretty sure that's not true."
,,Yes it is!"
,,Anyway," Regina says and waves Mal's comment off. ,,That movie didn't get your story right at all."
,,No? What happened?"
,,Well, for starters you were best buddies with Aurora."
Killian sniggers.
,,How terrible," Mal huffs.
,,And in love with Stefan until he betrayed you."
Maleficent gapes. ,,King Stefan? The one you and I once messed with?"
,,The very same," Regina smirks.
,,That is absolutely vile," Maleficent sneers. ,,They didn't get it right at all!"
,,So you weren't in love with King Stefan?" Snow asks curiously.
,,No!" Maleficent says and shudders in mock horror. ,,The thought alone."
Emma chuckles. ,,Wow, you really don't like Stefan much, do you?"
,,No," Mal says firmly. ,,He stole from me."
,,Bold man," Killian observes. ,,What did he steal?"
,,A Rose."
Emma blinks and shares a confused look with her mother. ,,Just to sum it up, you hate Stefan because he stole a rose from you?"
,,Yes."
,,How can you hate a man for stealing a flower?" Snow asks.
Now it's Regina and Maleficent who shares a knowing look, and Maleficent shakes her head, rather irritated.
,,I'm not talking about a damn flower. I'm talking about a person."
,,A person?" Killian questions and frowns.
,,Yes. Rose. Briar Rose."
Snow's eyebrows raises towards her hairline. ,,Briar Rose as in Aurora's mother?"
,,Yes," Maleficent scoffs.
,,How could he steal her from you?" Killian asks. ,,Did you hold her captive or something?"
,,Watch it pirate," Regina says sternly, and Maleficent gives her hand a light pat.
,,No, pirate, I didn't hold her captive. Believe it or not, she was with me voluntarily."
Emma gapes. ,,So you and she were…?"
,,In love? Yes," Maleficent confirms without hesitation. ,,Until king Stefan showed up out of nowhere and convinced her that I had bewitched her to force her to be with me. He turned her against me."
,,Shame on him," Regina mutters under her breath.
,,Shit," Emma says. ,,No wonder you hate him."
,,I don't," Mal says and shrugs. ,,Not anymore. But I will always find it unfair that he took her away from me. I had never bothered him before. There was absolutely no reason to do what he did."
,,He was obsessed with her," Regina says darkly. ,,He had probably wanted her for years."
Maleficent's lips curls into a smile. ,,Now that sounds very familiar."
Emma and Snow chuckles warmly, and Regina shakes her head.
To Be Continued..
