Early in the curse, Regina had taken 'Mary Margaret' to see 'John Doe' - asking, probing, 'Do you know this man? Does he look familiar?' She'd only intended it as proof that the curse had worked, evidence of her victory. But Mary Margaret had taken it in a way Regina didn't expect.
It seemed that she read Regina's curiosity, the fervor with which she pulled Mary Margaret from her classroom to inquire about Storybrooke General's new ward, as shared concern.
After all, Regina as mayor was John Doe's de facto emergency contact. Of course she would do everything her position allowed to try and help him…
So after that first visit, at least once a week, Mary Margaret came to Regina's office at town hall so they could go and visit him together.
At first, Regina enjoyed it. She liked going, liked watching the way Mary Margaret would squirm and stress and subject herself to torment.
They would drive over in Regina's Mercedes, and Mary Margaret would fidget the whole way over - caught between an unplaceable nervousness to see John Doe and an ever present fear of Regina. Though never quite enough to keep her away.
Once they got to the hospital Mary Margaret replaced the flowers beside John Doe's bed with fresh ones, fretting over their arrangement. But just like the ones before them, these new flowers would wither and die before he would ever wake to see them.
Then, she would stand over him, looking down. Her brows furrowed as if she knew he were part of some puzzle, one where she hadn't yet pieced anything together.
And as she stood there looking at the face of her husband, unfamiliar and too familiar all at once, Regina would stand at a distance and watch the slow creep of confused pain settle over her.
Because Mary Margaret, just liked Snow White, refused to give up.
She kept coming to Regina's office, despite the fact that Regina was…less than polite. She kept going to the hospital, despite Dr. Whale making overt advances every time they were there. She kept visiting a man whose coma showed no signs of ending, stuck in time just like Storybrooke's clocktower a few blocks away.
She was so sure, as she sometimes told Regina, that John Doe would wake up. She felt in her heart that he would open his eyes one day and remember who he was, and the people who loved him (who surely must be out there) would come and they would find each other again.
Regina wasn't so sure.
But Mary Margaret's ill placed hope in John Doe's happy ending just made her disappointment more plain, her heartache worse. And that made Regina's delight in her suffering even stronger.
But weeks went on. Months went on. Years went on….
Even the glee of watching Snow suffer beside her bedridden prince turned to routine as time passed.
So, when Mary Margaret stopped at her office for what felt the thousandth time, flowers already in hand to take to the hospital, Regina's patience finally broke.
"I won't be going with you today Miss Blanchard. If you want to go voyeur a coma patient, be my guest. But I have other, more useful, ways to spend my time."
Mary Margaret's face fell.
"Oh."
She started to turn away, and for a moment it seemed that she would leave without another word. But of course she didn't. Some things in Mary Margaret could not be severed from Snow White.
"Maybe…Would you like to do something else instead?"
"Excuse me?" Regina asked.
Mary Margaret blanched at the sharpness in her voice. Her own coming soft, timid as she spoke again.
"I, I just thought that maybe if you had time we could-"
"We could what Miss Blanchard?"
Regina leaned forward, resting her forearms on her desk. Mary Margaret was doing her best to keep their eyes from meeting.
"I just meant that we don't have to go to the hospital today. We could do something else, if you're not too busy?"
Her voice pulled high and tight as she finished, pinching off at the end as if she wasn't sure that there was a question there.
But there was one. And that alone kept Regina from saying that yes she was too busy and would be too busy from here on out for anything Mary Margaret could possibly want from her. Instead, the silence grew heavy between them as Regina's eyes narrowed.
"Why?"
"Why what?" Mary Margret responded, sounding genuinely confused.
"Why would you want to do anything with me?"
There was still an edge to Regina's words, but an underlying sincerity was there too. For all that the curse had done, she didn't understand this, had no hand in it.
But the curse was composed of many things that were outside of her control, beyond even her ability to predict - uncovering and shaping old lives and memories and feelings into new parts wholly unexpected.
Because Mary Margaret's cheeks suddenly turned bright pink, darkening to a light red at the tops of her ears. For a moment she looked straight at Regina, eyes wide, as if she'd been discovered doing something she shouldn't be. Then she looked away, but not fast enough. And in that moment a puzzle piece even Regina hadn't seen slid into place.
It appeared that Mary Margaret was not the only one who had been misreading their time together.
Regina felt a pulse of excitement flash through her, a dark smirk working across her face.
Things suddenly made so much sense.
After all, it was such a lonely life that Regina had made for her. And it wasn't just John Doe. Everything was empty, vacant of meaning and matter. Surely Mary Margaret felt, even in some small way, that everyone, everything around her, was just a hollow facade…
All of course but Regina.
So of course she sat too close in the car as they drove to the hospital. Of course she reached for Regina when Whale winked at her. Of course she stammered and blushed even when Regina was cruel.
And how must she have felt looking at the husband she couldn't remember? Did she feel something? Know what it was she felt? Did she look for some way to explain the sudden quickening of her heart?
How would she make sense of it when she didn't know that the man she visited every week was her true love lying comatose? Or that the woman who had put him there was only a few feet away?
Because as far as she knew John Doe was a stranger. She didn't know him. But Regina…Regina was right there, standing at her shoulder week after week.
And besides, Snow always had been as invested in Regina as Regina had been in Snow. Again, it seemed that Mary Margaret could not be severed from even the deepest most secret parts of Snow White.
So of course it made sense. Too much sense. Perfect sense.
Regina stood, walking around the front of her desk, purposefully stepping into Mary Margaret's space.
As she did Mary Margaret looked up at her, her green eyes wide and shining.
"Maybe, Miss Blanchard, you'd like to spend your time with someone with a little more life in them, a little more fire."
Raising a hand, she traced the curve of Mary Margaret's jaw with the tips of her fingers, watching them as they trailed along pale skin.
She whimpered a little at the touch, and Regina thrilled at the sound. Then, looking back up, their eyes met.
There was trepidation on Mary Margaret's face. Her brow was knit, chin quivering. Maybe she realized that this too was a piece of the puzzle. Though how it might fit with John Doe remained unseen. Still, that wasn't all that was clear in her expression. Because while her eyes were wide, they were dark too - pupils dilated and gaze drifting down.
Regina smiled, watching as Mary Margaret stared at her dark lips curving upwards.
"Well, Miss Blanchard?" she asked, voice low.
"What?" Mary Margaret answered, voice trembling and tight, lost in the moment.
But Regina was patient, letting her hand drop and follow along the collar of Mary Margaret's blouse.
"Is that what you want, dear? A little fire in your life? Visits with someone a little livelier?"
Mary Margaret averted her eyes, glancing off to the side. But before she could turn her head away, Regina cupped her cheek, coaxing her back so they still faced each other.
A moment passed in silence, their eyes not breaking from each other.
Then, at last, Mary Margaret swallowed and nodded.
"Yes."
And as soon as she said it, Regina leaned in and pressed their lips together.
She'd only intended a light kiss, a taste, a tease. But Mary Margaret surprised her again, opening her mouth and drinking in as much of Regina as she could, eyes closed and body shaking slightly.
How terrible it must be, Regina thought, to fear the thing you want.
And when Mary Margaret moaned as Regina sucked hard on her bottom lip, she thought again-
How wonderful it was to find a new way to hurt the one you hate.