A/N: Don't be mad for the delay. Vacation and then sickness got in the way. Please enjoy. Thanks to Laurathechef for beta.
It has been a couple of days since Rumple cashed in on the favor she owed them. Emma subtly tried to get Regina to talk to Rumple. Regina just waved it off, saying that she had more important things to worry about. In all honesty, Cora has been on her mind more to confront, rather than Rumple.
However, Emma was so insistent, that one day Regina became very curious why Emma seemed so…invested to get Regina to even meet the imp.
Regina reclined back in her leather office chair and crossed her arms and legs to stare at Emma. Her lunch order of chicken Caesar salad that Emma brought her was half eaten as she sat across from Emma.
"You never seem this eager to want me to make amends with my mother nor Rumple. Why are you doing this now?"
Emma winced. She tried to be as subtle as possible in her suggestive pushing for Regina to talk to Rumple. She already felt bad that she felt like she was manipulating her love to get out of a deal with the Dark One.
"Because I want you to heal your relationships, and you do that by talking to the actual people you have problems with."
Regina quirked an eyebrow. "I understand but you were never as adamant about this before. So why now?
The sheriff gulped. Hopefully Regina doesn't take this the wrong way. "Don't freak out, okay?"
She felt her heart raced but tampered her emotions and nodded for Emma to continue.
"Well, you remember when I made a deal with Rumple to give up his rights to Ashley's baby?"
Understanding clicked in Regina's mind instantaneously. "Don't tell me that Rumple came to you to collect his favor from you?"
Emma scratched the back of her head. "Well…yeah, he just wanted me to get you to talk to him. If there is any consolation, I think he is harmless."
Regina slammed her hand on her desk, startling Emma. "How can you be so obtuse? The Dark One HARMLESS?! Why didn't you come to me right when he approached you? So all this time, you were just manipulating me to get out of your deal with him?
Regina's eyes flashed with hurt and betrayal. Her heart fumed with worry. Emma knew she was in deep shit.
"It's not like that at all. You knew I was always talking about you reconciling with the guy, like I had to do with my parents. Do you really think so low of me that I will do anything to harm you?
Regina stood up in offense. "Don't try to flip this on me Miss Swan. I'm just calling you out on your actions. And your actions screamed manipulation to get you out of Rumple's debt. And instead of coming to me to work together on this issue, you deliberately said nothing and try to con your way to get me to talk to him.
You didn't even consider to let me figure out this new kinship I have with Rumple, you took all of this upon yourself for your own sake."
Emma stood up to defend herself, and also to get Regina to calm down because at this point, she was pacing. She knew Regina's dark past of people manipulating her whole life. She should have been more sensitive that she, unknowingly, was doing what Cora and Rumple did her whole life.
"I'm so sorry, you know me, and I can be an idiot."
"That's obvious!" Regina snapped.
"Yeah, and you know I am 'action first, think later' type of person. I didn't want you to worry, especially when I didn't think Rumple will try to harm me or you. I tried to resolve all of this on my own. Can you please calm down? It's not good for the baby."
In a way, she understood Rumple's need to make up to a daughter he never had just like when Emma discovered Henry. Now, he is definitely no saint, but she can't begrudge him wanting to gain forgiveness from Regina. She hoped Regina would understand.
Regina was furious and her heels dug into the flooring of her office. Regina whipped her attention directly to the blonde. Her eyes were black as tar and Emma can feel the waves of aggression pouring out of her.
"DON'T. YOU. DARE. PATRONIZE ME! You didn't care about what I want, or whether I was even ready to talk to the bastard. You were just trying to save yourself, when you were an idiot to put yourself in this predicament with that Ashley deal in the first place.
Emma was getting heated at Regina unfair assessments. She didn't think this would be a big deal at all. That is why when Regina pushed for Emma to tell her why she wanted for Regina to talk to Rumple, she decided to spill. She refused to back down from trying to protect other people's lives, especially her family's.
"Excuse me if I am actually concerned for children that just aren't my own. I did what I had to do save an innocent. But you wouldn't know anything about that, since you led children to their deaths to retrieve a freaking apple." Damn, she is an idiot.
Regina stood stock still, she flinched inwardly at Emma's jab. Her words stabbed her in the heart. Did Emma really just throw her past in her face? By the horrified look on Emma's face, she knew that her lover regretted her statement.
The room is stale with angry silence. Tears threatened to spill. She swallowed to make sure no sobs can escape her. She knew the monster that she was. How she has murdered, and ordered people to be executed in her quest for vengeance. And sometimes those people included children.
She is disgusted with herself, and is trying to become a better person then one that only sought blood and not peace. As much as Emma said otherwise, Regina believes that Emma does have a certain view of her when it comes to her past, and she never hesitated to bring it up when it suits her. It is like a permanent stain that she can never get rid of, a reputation that she cannot distance enough away from her.
Emma was disgusted with herself. She understood there was a pattern, how people's pasts is something she referenced when certain topics trigger her. She feels hypocritical that she told Regina that she has forgiven her for the horrible deeds done in the past yet she keeps bringing it up again, and again. That was not fair to Regina.
"Regina, damn. Look, I love you and I didn't mean to hurt you or bring up your past."
"Just stop!" The former queen held up her hand. "You always say that but yet it happens over and over again. You say you are sorry and I forgive you. And you know why I forgive you, it's because I don't even feel like I deserve you. That I have done such horrible things, that I should be grateful for anybody to even be with me."
Emma looked at her in offense. "So basically you are saying that you are with me because of gratitude." The sheriff shook her head. "No… I know what this is. This is self-loathing. We share true love. I know our love is more genuine then what you are expressing."
"Ha. Really? So are you genuine in saying that you truly put my past in the past? Because you manage to always bring up my shortcomings."
Emma ran her hand through her hair in frustration. "It's crappy for me to do that, and it is not fair to you to do that. I'm not perfect. Can we just put this behind us?"
Regina backed away from her. "I try to but the one person that should love me continuously pushes it in my face. I was a horrible person that had little regard for life, including children. You say sorry and that I am no longer that person and you shouldn't have said what you said, but that only reason you did was because my violence even towards children influenced me to be callous towards your boneheaded deal to save Ashely's daughter.
I don't understand your sacrifice because I never shown the same to other people that I didn't love. I get it, I am the Evil Queen and I should be eternally grateful that the valiant savior came to my rescue. It is more than I truly deserve," she delivered in a flat, resigned tone.
Regina's pain that she caused is breaking Emma. She didn't mean for today to ever become like this, and her monologue is heartbreaking.
"Regina, please…"
She stoically straightened her blazer. "I'll go and talk to Rumple to free you from you deal. It's the least I can do for my terrible misdeeds. I'll see you later. Remember, we have dinner with your parents at 6."
Regina walked past Emma to leave her office. Emma tried to touch her to get her from leaving. The brunette glared at her. "Don't touch me." She left Emma in her stupefied state. She told her secretary that she is leaving for the day, and to cancel any appointments she had.
The mayor got in her car and placed the keys in the ignition. She stared ahead and placed a hand on her small belly. This should prove Emma's love of her but all she felt was sorrow. Her face flooded from tears. Even her true love sees her as the Evil Queen.
Regina slammed the door of Rumple's shop. The slim man looked up as Regina stomped her way over to him. She pulled back her hand and slapped his cheek, the sound vibrated throughout the store.
Rumple looked shocked but Regina settled her hands on the counter, leaned over, and seethed at him.
"How dare you use Emma to talk to me?! Do you think threatening her with the deal she owed would have won me over to actually talk to you?"
Rumple opened his mouth but Regina cut him off. "No! You don't get to speak until I want you to."
Rumple looked chastised but he kept his mouth closed, it looks like his deal has backfired.
Regina crossed her arms and glared at him, she wanted to calm herself down. Stress was going to be no good for the baby. Once she controlled her breathing, she gave him a command.
"Now speak."
"I didn't threaten any harm to Emma, I just reminded her that she had a debt to pay. I wasn't planning to do anything malicious, all I want is to talk to you since you give me no time of day."
Regina snarled. "And what gives you the right to force yourself on me to talk to you at your whim? All my life you have manipulated me and you still haven't learnt to let me live my life. Just because you are a sperm donor to me, doesn't mean I'm going to be jumping in your arms.
So…I will leave like this. Your deal with Emma has been fulfilled. You are to stay away from me, Emma, and Henry. Stay the fuck out of my life, and have a good day."
With that she walked out of his shop leaving him feel like an utter failure. He had only managed to piss Regina off more. Why does his best intentions seem to fail continuously?
Regina's lips quavered as she knocked on the wooden office door. Archie opened it and gave her a smile in surprise. But it quickly downturned as he looked at Regina's slumped figure.
"Can we talk?"
He opened his door wider with no hesitation. "You don't even have to ask. Come on in."
A/N: I know it is short, I'll make up for it in the next chapter. Just wanted to get something out to you guys. Feedback is appreciated. You are allowed to yell at me, lol.