There is cursing in this chapter, but only a tiny amount. I just wanted to warn those of you who don't like it.
Emma came down the stairs with Annie close behind. They reached the bottom just as Henry and Regina were getting up.
Henry stretched while Regina tried her best to smooth the wrinkles out of her suit.
"I'm going to have to stop by the house later to pick up some fresh clothes," she said to no one in particular.
James picked up on the hidden request. It still wasn't safe for her to go anywhere alone. "I'll go with you, if you don't mind." he said. "There are a few things I wanted to talk to you about."
"Of course." Regina nodded.
"Speaking of wanting to talk," Emma started, and everyone knew from her tone that this wasn't going to be pleasant, "I need to have a few words with you, Regina."
"Should we take this outside?" Regina had an eyebrow raised.
"I think it would be wise," Emma said sharply.
Henry looked up from where he'd been pouring his cereal. He glanced worriedly between his moms before settling on Emma.
"What are you gonna do?"
"Don't worry, Henry," Emma said. She didn't tell him what not to worry about, and she still had a hard edge to her voice, but there was enough softness mixed in that he knew Regina would not be put into any danger.
"Let's go," Emma directed at Regina.
Regina followed her wordlessly out of the apartment, pulling the door shut behind her. She was surprised when Emma didn't stop. "Ms. Swan?"
"Not far enough," was Emma's short reply.
It wasn't until the outside door shut that Emma turned.
Regina didn't even see the punch coming. She barely managed to keep herself from falling. She stood up slowly, trying to clear her vision.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Regina screeched. She put her fingers gingerly on her cheekbone and opened and closed her mouth a few times to make sure everything still worked.
"Anything broken?" Emma asked.
"No," Regina said irritably.
"Good." Again without warning, Emma reached forward and shoved Regina against the wall. "You killed Graham!" Emma screamed. "You fucking killed him, Regina!"
Regina, who'd been poised to return the assault, froze.
"How could you?! Why?" Emma was angry and was just as surprised as Regina to find herself crying suddenly. She hadn't wanted to cry in front of Regina, but it was too late to hold it in. "He was fine. He was kissing me and he was fine, and then he died! Right there in front of me! He collapsed and there was nothing I could do; he was already dead! I thought it was an accident, but it was you! You killed him!"
Having lived in Storybrooke for twenty-eight years had had somewhat of a calming effect on Regina. She hadn't had to think about all of the things she'd done. Graham had been a horrible mistake. Having everyone remember who they were meant facing up to who she was. Things had become complicated with everyone, especially Annie. Seeing Graham had been terrible, but this; this was so much worse. She'd known that Emma had been with him when it happened; everyone had. But hearing the details brought a picture of it. Only, instead of Emma, it was her, and instead of Graham, it was Daniel. The realization of just how exactly like her mother she'd become hit her like a brick wall. She leaned into the nearest bush and threw up.
Emma stood watching, still waiting for some kind of explanation.
After Regina had cleaned herself up a bit, she looked at her. "I'm sorry. It was a mistake," she whispered. "I can't explain it."
"It was a mistake?! That's it?! I can't believe you! You finally convince me that you have a soul when I see how you are with Henry, and then I find out about this. You did it because you were scared your precious curse was going to break and you'd be all alone again."
The last thing she expected was for Regina to admit in a small voice, "Yes. I was. What I did was reflex and I regretted it immediately." She paused to take a breath. "I wished I could take it back." Her expression hardened again and her voice reflected it. "And now he's alive. So you can stop worrying, Ms. Swan – this story had a happy ending. You should be grateful; not all of them do."
Done with the conversation, Regina spun around and went straight into the apartment. Emma followed a moment later. She'd wanted to argue, but something in the way Regina had said those last words made her bite her tongue. She knew discussion about Graham was over; it wouldn't be coming up again. And she was okay with that. She'd said what she wanted to say, and she supposed she'd gotten her answer.
Across town, things weren't going much better for Rumpelstiltskin. He'd managed to appear as if he took joy in the idea of having to bring back the curse. Maybe, just a small part of him was happy about it. These people had not been his friends; he didn't hate watching them squirm. Mostly, though, he'd relished being the owner of the town and wouldn't mind that feeling again. The greater part, however, was thinking only of Belle. What would happen to her when the curse was recast? He hated the idea of once again putting the ball in Regina's court, but it looked like he was going to have very little choice in the matter. He would have to ask for her help; he couldn't let Belle suffer through that again, even if only for a short a time. They'd just been reunited; he certainly wasn't about to change that.
"Rumpelstiltskin?" he heard Belle calling him from downstairs. "Breakfast is ready. Are you coming?"
"I'll be right down," he yelled back. On his way out, he glanced at his reflection in the mirror. He couldn't say he missed the imp that he'd become. He still felt the power of the Dark One inside him, but in this world, the balance was tipped in his favor. He had control over the Dark One, not the other way around. But he still made deals.
Yes, he was going to have to have a chat with Regina, and it was definitely not going to be enjoyable. Unfortunately, there were a couple of things to be discussed, and he couldn't put them off.
He reached the bottom of the stairs and Belle leaned her head around the corner, smiling brightly. "There you are! I was afraid I was going to have to go up there and get you myself."
"Didn't mean to keep you waiting." He smiled lightly. "Breakfast smells wonderful."
They sat across from each other at the table, a comfortable and familiar routine setting in. Belle looked up as she buttered her toast, "What happened yesterday? You came home after I fell asleep, so I never had a chance to ask."
Rumpelstiltskin stilled his fork for a very brief moment, not long enough for Belle to notice anything had bothered him. "Nothing interesting. Just town meetings."
Belle sighed. "I wish I could go. It's been such a long time since I've seen anyone." She looked up quickly, realizing how it had sounded. "I don't mean that I don't love your company, it's just—"
"Don't fret, dearie, I understand what you meant. You won't be cooped up in here for very much longer, I promise." Rumpelstiltskin continued to eat in silence. Guilt weighed heavily on him. He'd wanted to start fresh with her, be honest, and tell her everything. Just as always, however, things were not going according to plan. Telling her what was coming seemed cruel, and he wasn't sure she was ready to handle it. It wasn't as if he had lied; his promise was real. If the curse was cast, he would see to it that she was free to roam the town. If it wasn't – well – there would be nothing left to be cooped up in. And so, he kept silent, and thought about the best way to approach Regina.
James, Henry and Annie all looked up from their cereal when the front door opened. Regina came in first, looking very upset. As she drew closer, James stood, frowning. "Regina, you're bleeding."
There was a bruise forming under a small cut on the side of her cheek. He recognized it immediately for what it was.
Apparently, so did Henry, because as Emma came through the door, he pushed back his chair angrily. "What did you do to her?!"
Emma stayed silent, cradling her hand just a bit, but Regina spoke up. "It's nothing, Henry."
Everyone – Emma included – was surprised to hear the dismissal in her tone. She hadn't spoken like that to him since before the curse had broken.
"But," he stammered. "You're bleeding. She hit you!"
"Henry, I said it doesn't matter!" Regina sounded angry, and Henry took a small step backward. She passed him on her way to the bathroom, not giving him another glance.
Once the door was shut, Henry turned to Emma. "Why did you do that? She was getting better, and you just made everything worse!"
Emma bent down, shaking her head, her voice cracking with emotion. "Henry, I know everything seems black and white, good and bad, but sometimes there are things in between; they're really, really confusing, but we have to find a way to deal with them. I'm sorry I can't explain better than that, but you're just gonna have to talk to your mom about it sometime. Not today, though, okay? Give her some time."
Henry finally nodded, but he was still angry. He stomped off to sit as far away as he could get. Annie, having watched wordlessly, followed.
Regina appeared a moment later, face freshly washed, with a tiny bandage over her cut. "I'm ready," she told James.
He nodded, and led the way out of the apartment. It seemed like a good idea to keep everyone apart for the time being.
