"So, the general of your army back in the Enchanted Forest is a preschool teacher here?" Emma asked, standing outside of Sunnyview Preschool with Regina.
"Yes, which is why she may be holding a little grudge."
"Wait, did you make her a preschool teacher on purpose?"
"No," Regina said. "The magic was designed to take a person's traits and give them a back story that made sense. After you broke the curse Angie came to see me and demanded an explanation as to why I would make her a preschool teacher of all things. I tried to explain to her that I didn't actually do it, but she didn't want to hear it," Regina said. "No, she wanted me to give her a new job immediately."
"What did you do?"
"I told her no," Regina shrugged. "I mean if the magic put her in this position it must have had a good reason for it. Besides, I think her anger toward me is a little deeper than that."
"How so?"
Regina looked Emma and then back at the preschool.
"Let's just get this over with."
Regina strode up the concrete walkway to the colorful front door of the preschool with Emma on her heels. There was an intercom on the door they had to press to alert those inside of their presence.
A few moments later the door opened with a tall, almost Amazonian woman standing there.
"Well, if it is our illustrious mayor back from the dead," the woman said. "You know I drank a lot the night the you disappeared – and not because I was in mourning."
"Hello to you too Angie," Regina said. "Might we come in. We have something we need to discuss with you."
Angie looked over at Emma and then back at Regina and back again to Emma.
"You two sleeping together?" Angie asked.
"What?" Emma asked, then quickly recovered. "No."
Angie looked at Regina. "Are you?"
"No, Angie, we are not."
"Funny, you I believe, her I don't," Angie said, pointing at Emma. "Must mean she wants to sleep with you." Angie looked again at Emma. "Word of advice, don't get into her bed with her majesty. A lesson I learned the hard way."
She moved aside so they could come in and Emma shot Regina a questioning look, which she shrugged off.
"Welcome to Sunnyview Preschool," Angie said. "Where we ensure your children are cared for in a safe, learning environment put in place by a spell that makes a general of armies into a babysitter."
"Still bitter I see," Regina said as they followed her back into an office. "And technically speaking it was a curse, not a spell."
"Unless you are here to reverse this travesty of justice and make me I don't know sheriff, I don't really know that we have anything to talk about, but why don't you tell me why you are here," Angie said, taking a seat at her desk, while Regina and Emma sat in the chairs in front of it.
"I … we need some advice," Regina said. "We are headed back to Prydain – I'm sure at least part of that story has leaked around town already."
"Yes," Angie said. "Rumor has it they didn't want you there either so they sent you back."
"We don't have to do this," Emma said to Regina.
"Relax," Angie said. "I have never treated the queen with the respect others have – mostly because I wasn't afraid of her. Plus, I always got the impression she liked it when I was a little saucy with her."
The woman winked at Regina and Emma really didn't want to continue this conversation. She didn't want to be anywhere near this Angie.
"Now in all seriousness, what can I do for you exactly? Because my skills have been diminished to being a babysitter to a bunch of kids who produce more waste products than half of this town."
Regina went on to explain the issue they faced as quickly as she could manage while still giving Angie the information she would need to form an opinion. She could tell Angie was listening intently and already considering options. That was one of the reasons Regina had made her a general – Angie was able to consider multiple scenarios at a time and formulate best options.
Once she was done explaining, Angie asked her questions – some of which Regina couldn't answer – about things like the size of Silas' army, to the terrain they would be crossing, and the layout of the castle.
"Forgive me for asking, but why don't you use your magic to transport yourself there?" Angie asked. "Seems like it's the most straight-forward, easy approach."
Regina looked over at Emma before answering. "I don't have my magic right now. It's complicated but suffice it to say it's not an option."
"We would appreciate it if you kept that to yourself," Emma said.
"I am all about discretion," Angie said. "So if your magic is not an option, what about hers?" She glanced over at Emma.
"While Miss Swan has the power to pull off transport over great distances, she doesn't yet know enough magic to do it and we don't have the time to teach her," Regina said.
"This would be so much easier if I had a map or something to look at," Angie said. "Some way to know what would be the best route. Because you are going to need to avoid this army – and if it's a good army, they will also have patrols, most likely in some sort of rotating fashion, which means course corrections and then there is the matter of what direction you will be approaching from."
"If I can get you a map, how long for you to give us plan that will work – at least on paper?" Regina asked.
"Half a day at the most."
"Ok," Regina said, standing up. "I'll get you a map. And some more information."
They walked out of the preschool and got into the car.
"How are you going to get a map?" Emma asked.
"I'm going to have to draw it," Regina said.
"Ok, but you couldn't give her all the information in there, how are you going to be able to draw her map?"
"You're not going to approve, but I don't see much choice but to ask the guard that Silas sent over here."
"You mean use the power of the cauldron again to bring him to life?" Emma said. Regina nodded. "You're right, I don't approve."
…
"There has be another way," Emma said, as she stood there in the morgue with Regina.
"There is no other way. The information we need, he has it," Regina said, referring to the corpse of the man who had been sent here to retrieve her.
"It's just, it was creepy enough the first time you did this."
"You do not have to stay," Regina said. "This will probably take some time anyway. I need to ask him questions to be able to draw a map. It's going to be a process."
"I'm not leaving you alone with a talking corpse," Emma said.
"Let's just get this over with," Regina said. She laid her hand on the man's chest again and felt the magic flow through her. She felt it make contact with the man – make contact with a small spark of life and she fed that spark. When she opened her eyes, she saw he had opened his as well.
While his body had been in cold storage, she wondered how long an animated corpse that wasn't could last. The cartoon movie of The Black Cauldron made it seem as if the magic could even reanimate skeletons, but was that truly the case.
And there was something else. Like the first time she used the magic, she somehow knew that he wouldn't do anything unless she commanded it. It was like a connection had been formed and she instinctively knew that it would do whatever she said. But she couldn't say for sure that instinct was coming from her per se. It was more like a memory of something and she thought again about how this magic once came from a living being before it was in the cauldron.
Shaking off the feeling it was giving her, she took a seat and began to work.
She wasn't even 10 minutes in, when Emma who had been sitting down stood up and began to pace.
"So Angie," Emma said. "She wasn't what I expected."
"How so?" Regina asked not looking up from her sketch. She decided to start with a sketch of the castle and its layout.
"I don't know. I guess I didn't picture anyone ever getting saucy with you."
"Outside of yourself you mean?"
"No. I mean … I guess I thought when you were queen you didn't allow people to talk to you with anything but the upmost respect."
"Angie is different than most people."
"Because you two were sleeping with each other?"
This time Regina did stop what she was doing and look up at Emma.
"She and I have never had sex."
"But she said …"
"I know what she said," Regina said calmly. "She most likely said it to get a rise out of you. Angie knows how to push people's buttons."
"I don't even know her so why would she want to get a rise out of me?"
"Because you are in a position she covers," Regina said. "You are sheriff. Clearly she sees her current role as something that is not suited to her talents."
"Then perhaps she should quit and find another job."
"She doesn't believe in quitting is the problem. And frankly I can't think of anyone more suited to run a preschool because of her traits. She is disciplined, she is practical, she is organized, she handles stress well and she is highly observant which is probably how she picked up on your desire to sleep with me."
"Oh my desire to sleep with you," Emma said. "What about your desire to sleep with me? If I recall you slipped into bed with me before I ever slipped into bed with you."
"Diminished capacity," Regina smiled.
Emma smiles back, "you going to use that card a lot?"
"Depends on how many times you bring up our bed sharing," Regina said. "Now if you don't mind I need to get this done. Seriously you don't have to stay, I can tell you are bored."
Emma sat back down and at least pulled out her phone to keep her occupied. Regina continued her drawing – asking about different parts of the castle and terrain around it. Each time she asked the dead man a question she felt a sensation she hadn't felt in a while – the sensation of absolute power.
Again she wondered if this came from her or the magic.
It was another ten minutes before Emma stood back up. "I'm just going to go and see if my dad wants to spar with swords or something."
"Bye," Regina said.
"I'll check in with you. Call me if you need anything."
"I will," she said.
Once Emma left Regina was able to concentrate more fully on her task. It wasn't long before she had the castle layout done. It was easier because she had been there.
But the map was taking longer. She was learning quickly that she had to word questions very carefully in order to get answers.
At one point Emma came back to bring her some food to eat. Normally eating in a morgue would not be top of her list but she wanted to get this done. She wanted to get to Prydain and end this once and for all.
She finally got it done – well into the evening and drove it over to Angie who accepted it without comment for once. In fact, Regina got the feeling she was happy to use her skills as a general.
Finally, she returned to the Charmings' home.
"Mom and dad are already asleep," Emma said, after letting her in.
"Is it that late?"
"Yes," Emma smiled. "I thought about coming to get you earlier, but I didn't think you would stop."
"I probably wouldn't have," Regina admitted.
"And the dead guy, he's …"
"Fully dead again."
"And, how are you?"
"I'm fine," Regina said. "But you were right before. I shouldn't use this magic. I do think I needed to do it in this case to get the information that will help us, but I don't want to use it again."
"Did something happen?"
"No," Regina shook her head. "It was more of the feeling it gave me. It's hard to explain. Magic should be learned. Even though it's inside of us, we have to learn how to use it. That process helps – and believe me I know how this will sound coming from me of all people – but it helps create a respect and restraint for the magic. This magic isn't like that. It's more instinctual yet, I can't say for certain that it's my instincts that is making the magic work. I don't know. Like I said it's hard to explain."
Emma didn't like she was hearing or the unsurety in Regina's voice.
"But you are sure you are ok?"
Regina nodded. "Can we talk?" Regina asked.
"Yeah sure," Emma said, leading her over to the couch where they both took a seat. "What did you want to talk about?"
"First, I have to ask – are you absolutely certain you want to go to Prydain with me?"
"For the hundredth time, yes," Emma said. "I'm not letting you go alone. We are in this together."
"I know. I just …"
"Just what?"
"Celine. I think she was telling the truth. That she really knows what is going to happen," Regina said. "And it scares me."
"Did she say something else that you aren't telling me?"
Again, Regina nodded.
"What is it? Something bad, I take it?"
"No, it's not bad, it's just when she told me this, it was that first time I had spoken to her so of course I didn't want to listen," Regina said. "Plus, what she said at the time seemed completely ridiculous. I mean it was completely ludicrous and I walked out of her place because of what she said. Now though, now I think she might be right and after I got back here and my memories came back I was still dismissive of it – and I don't have a good explanation as to why except that I was scared. But I know that I have to tell you about it before I go back to Prydain."
"Whatever it is just tell me."
Regina took a deep breath and exhaled. "Celine said me coming back here would be an important time for me even though I wouldn't remember who I was," Regina said. "She said I wouldn't be alone, that you would be with me, that in you would I would find my match."
She looked Emma in the eyes as she spoke and she could see an expression of confusion or maybe it was apprehension in her face.
"Match as in …?" Emma trailed off, hoping Regina would fill in the blank.
"As in love," Regina said. "She predicted that we would fall in love with each other."