Anonymous on Tumblr prompted: " I thought you loved me. " for Snow x Regina?
I can't tell her I love her
I can't tell him I love him
Cause there's too many questions and ears in the car
So, I don't tell him I miss him
I don't tell her I need her
She's over me that's where we are
He's over me that's where we are
We're as close as we might ever be again
Every other weekend-Reba McEntire & Kenny Chesney
Archie suggests a neutral place to swap. It'll lead to the less resentment.
There's enough of that already.
Snow sits in her idle car, adjacent to the park where she and Regina once took Emma to play. Birthday parties, scavenger hunts, so many memories of happiness and joy. A false reality where they were a happy family, raising a beautiful little girl.
And then the fog lifted. Emma broke the curse at just 6 years old, rather than 28. Every magic has its price and Regina's was having her own memories stolen from her. Forced to live a life with the woman she claimed to hate the most, the one she tried to kill on numerous occasions.
Regina had succeeded with killing David, or at least her guards had. Snow searched for days after the curse broke, only to find him in the morgue. Another casualty of the curse.
She moved out of the mansion at once and into a tiny apartment that overlooked the square. Emma stayed by her side almost constantly, Snow is not going to risk losing her again. She pretended Regina existed, denying her any access to the little girl she should have no right to.
And yet every night, Emma cried for her. She didn't understand Regina was an evil woman, responsible for the destruction of their homeland, trapping them in this suburban bubble of hell. She didn't understand that if not for Regina, she'd have a father. One who loved her and wanted her arrival so badly. He gave his life so Emma could live and she doesn't even remember him.
After Emma ran away yet again in an attempt to find Regina, Snow went to Archie. He delivered the hard truth: to Emma, Regina was her other mom. She had cared for her through everything over the past 6 years. They shared a bond. Severing it would only lead to lore trauma and harm.
So, with his help, they made a deal. Every other weekend, they meet in the lot of the park where they were once a family and Snow willingly gives her daughter to the woman who destroyed her life. The woman she still loves in spite of it.
Regina's Mercedes pulls into the lot and Emma fumbles with the buckles of her booster seat, whining for Snow's help. She ignores her daughter for a moment, watching Regina exit her vehicle. Long gone are the pantsuits or ballgowns. To retrieve Emma, she wears a soft black sweater paired with jeans that show off her hips. Regina's hair hugs her chin, framing those delectable lips painted in blood red.
How can she love someone that caused her such pain? Why doesn't she hate her?
Snow exits the car and helps Emma out. The little girl leaps from the vehicle and runs into Regina's waiting arms. The two cuddle as if it's been years and not a few weeks. Jealousy rips apart at Snow's belly. Her child doesn't know good from evil. All she knows is Regina is her mom. These days, it seems, the mom she prefers.
"Hola, mi nena," Regina coos. "I've missed you so much."
"I've missed you more, Mama. Can we feed the ducks?"
"Of course. Let's say bye bye to your mommy first."
Snow shields her eyes as she digs Emma's navy blue overnight bag from the backseat. Regina has been so kind and giving in this time. Snow has no more grace to give.
"Here you go," Snow says, passing it over. Regina frowns as Snow keeps her eyes trained on Emma. "She's supposed to read for 30 minutes, according to her teacher. Can you manage that?"
"Of course," Regina says with a haunted voice. "We're probably going to be busy this weekend. Movies, maybe some shopping." She tickles Emma's side and even Snow can't hide a smile as a result of that infectious giggle. "But you can reach me on my pager."
"Uh huh. She's also still recovering from that ear infection. No side effects, but she needs to finish her prescription. Twice a day, in the left side pocket."
"I know." Regina sighs off Snow's look of disbelief. "She's my daughter, Snow. I love her."
"I thought you loved me too."
It comes out before she can take it back and hurt etches across Regina's face.
"Snow, I…"
Snow blinks the tears away, cupping Emma's cheek. "I love you, sweets. So much."
"I love you too, Mommy. Can you stay with me and Mama to feed the ducks?"
Those big, beautiful green eyes look up at her with such hope. Snow runs her index finger over Emma's nose, willing herself to stay strong.
"It's your special time with Mama. But I'll see you after school on Monday, okay?"
Off her daughter's disappointed bod, Snow gives Emma one last squeeze before walking back to her car. She sits there once again, watching as the two people she loves most disappear toward the pond. What she wouldn't give to go back to feeding ducks, watching Disney movies and cuddling on the couch. To be a family just one more time.
But just like the curse, it wouldn't be real. They're not a family. Not anymore.