"Turn her back," Charming demanded of Regina. After extricating herself from Snow's hug, Regina had moved off to the side as far away from the child as possible. Young Snow had appeared hurt by the gesture, so Emma had stayed there beside her while Charming went toward Regina.
"I can't," Regina replied.
"Why not?"
"Because I have no idea how it happened."
"We're here in your place with your stuff, how do you not know?" Charming asked.
Regina sighed. "I don't know because the potions and items on that shelf weren't mine. They were my mother's. I was in the process of … of divesting myself of these things, which is why they were over there. Those items in particular were ones which I didn't know what they did so I needed to determine that first so I could ensure that they could be disposed of safely."
"So you think leaving dangerous items out for anyone to pick up was the safe way to handle that?"
"Don't lay this at my feet. Perhaps if you had taught your daughter not to touch things that don't belong to her this wouldn't be an issue."
"Maybe I would have gotten the chance if someone hadn't robbed me of the chance of raising my daughter."
Seeing that this wasn't going to end well, Emma told Snow, who was on the verge of tears, to stay put and went over to them.
"Would you two cut it out," Emma said as quietly as possible. "You're upsetting her."
Charming glanced over at Snow, but Emma noticed Regina kept her eyes anywhere but on the now young girl.
"I will try and figure out what was in the vial so we can reverse this," Regina said. "Just take her somewhere so I can work."
"We'll take her home," Emma said to her father. "I'm sure Regina will figure this out."
Emma and Charming approached Snow, but as soon as they did Emma could see the fear in the girl's eyes. Emma knelt down in front of her. "Come on, we're going to go um…we're going to take you somewhere to get something to eat."
"No," Snow said, rushing past them and again clinging to Regina. Emma stood and she could see that Regina felt more uncomfortable than even her father was at this moment. There was another emotion flashing through Regina's eyes that Emma was unsure about.
Regina pulled the young girl's arms from her.
"Where's father?" Snow asked.
Regina took a step back from her as if she had been physically struck. It was clear that Snow wasn't just a young child, she was the young child she was back in the Enchanted Forest and she had no idea who anyone was but Regina. She must also be young enough that she didn't know her father was dead.
"Go with them," Regina said pointing to Emma. "I have work to do."
She turned from Snow and moved away once more.
Snow eyed Emma and Charming with no recognition and with confusion as to who they were and why she should go with them. She backed away from them again.
"Regina," Snow said. "I want to stay with you."
"Not an option." Regina said as she knelt down next to the broken vial. She wouldn't even look at Snow. "Go with them."
"Who are they?"
Regina looked up at them and smiled. "That is David. He is the new captain of the guard. You can trust him. He will make sure nothing happens to you. She is merely an attendant, feel free to tell her what to do. Her name is Emma."
"I don't want to go with them; I want to stay with you. Please, I'm scared. Where is this place?" Snow said, looking around the mausoleum.
"Will you just give us a minute," Emma said, and she walked over to Regina, pulled her up and led her over to a corner where they could speak.
"I don't think she is going to go with us without you."
"Then take her by force," she responded.
"Look she doesn't have a clue where she is at," Emma said. "What happens when we go outside and she sees cars and everything else that is clearly not home?"
"Not my problem," Regina responded. "Unless you have some knowledge of magic you have been hiding away from me, I'm the only one who can figure out what exactly this is that you spilt. The sooner I can do that the sooner the less annoying version of your mother returns."
Emma was surprised that Regina would say the adult version was less annoying than the child her mother was now. "Seriously," Emma said. "What would you suggest we do?"
"As I said, take her by force if you have to," Regina said. "Now leave me to figure this out."
Emma moved back to Snow while Regina returned to the vial.
"Let's leave Regina to her task and we'll just um go."
"Queen Regina," Snow said. "My father would have you turned out of the castle in a second for not speaking with respect to the queen."
Emma glanced over at Charming who was just as shocked as she was.
"I meant no disrespect," Emma said begrudgingly. "But the queen wants to be left alone so we should do as she wishes."
"Why are you dressed like a man?" Snow asked.
"Um …"
Snow walked over to Charming, looking him over from head to toe. "Where is your sword? If you are to be a protector of the royal family you should not be without your sword."
"I'm sorry your majesty," he said bowing.
"Well," Snow said, crossing her arms. "Go get it. I will not go anywhere with you if you aren't properly armed."
"Of course," he said, bowing once more. He motioned to Emma to follow him to the entrance way.
"Was she like this back in the Enchanted Forest?" Emma asked immediately.
"No," he said. "Albeit I didn't meet her until she was older. I have no idea what she was like as a child. I just sort of assumed she was a lot like she is now."
"Yeah, not so much," Emma said, running her fingers through her hair. "What are we going to do? Regina doesn't want her down there, but if we bring her up here with us we are going to have a lot more explaining to do."
"Do you believe that Regina doesn't know exactly what happened?"
Emma considered the question a moment even though she knew the answer immediately. She glanced over at Snow who was inching closer and closer to where Regina was. "Yes I do," Emma said. "She's right I shouldn't have been touching something especially when I had no idea what it was. I believe her. She has no idea what caused this and I think she would just as soon find out and reverse it. I don't think she is a fan of young Snow."
"I think that is an understatement," Charming said. "Regina hated her for what she did as a child in telling about Daniel. This is a nightmare."
"Unfortunately, as I told Regina, I don't see Snow going with us without Regina," Emma said. "Look at her, it's like she is gravitating to her."
Charming turned and saw that Snow was now standing next to Regina, who ignored her, while she stood up and went to one of the chests with Snow on her heels. Regina bent over to grab something from it and when she turned there was Snow. Regina was clearly annoyed but she continued to ignore Snow as she went back to the vial and began collecting the pieces of the vial and putting them in a small, velvet bag.
"You should have the servant do that," Snow said to her.
"I am capable of doing it myself," Regina replied.
Once she had the pieces collected, she went back to the trunks and began pulling out several books, which she left sitting there in a pile. She then walked over to Emma and Charming, again with Snow right behind her. Regina opened her mouth to speak, but Snow chimed in first. "Are we going home now?" she asked. "I'm tired. And didn't I tell you to retrieve your sword, Captain?"
"Yes Captain," Regina said putting emphasis on the title. "Why don't you retrieve your sword and meet us back at my place?"
Charming was about to say something back, but held his tongue when Emma put a hand on his forearm. "Yes your majesty."
He bowed and took the stairs two at a time to hurry.
Regina now turned to Emma. "We have some other items we need to take with us. Books. I placed them over there if you can grab them."
Emma went over and picked them up and through how long Regina expected her to play the role of attendant.
"Let's go," Regina said to Emma.
"Are you sure about this?" Emma asked. "The whole going outside?"
"Don't question your queen," Snow said forcibly.
"She's going to have to learn at some point that we aren't in Kansas anymore."
This time it was Emma's turn to sigh as she knew Regina was right. There was no way they go through this without young Snow learning they weren't in the Enchanted Forest anymore. Emma nodded to Regina and led the way up. With her back turned to them she didn't see how Snow reached for and grabbed Regina's hand as she began to walk up. Regina paused and looked down at where Snow was clinging to her, but she didn't force the issue, instead continued the walk upstairs.
….
Emma stood at the bottom of the stairs watching Regina try and get Snow to come back up the stairs. They had no sooner gotten out of the mausoleum and Snow had stopped and looked around her. Here in the cemetery, there really wasn't much for her to see of the modern world except for Regina and Emma's cars which were sitting out there.
Snow had immediately pointed and asked what they were and Regina's explanation did them no favors. And when Regina suggested that they would be getting into these "horseless carts" and leaving in them Snow had freaked out and went running back down the stairs.
"We have to go," Regina said to Snow. "We don't have time for this."
"What is this place?" Snow said as she was crying. "I don't understand."
Emma could see that Regina was getting frustrated as she had walked away from Snow. Emma took that time to approach the little girl who she was struggling to see as her mother.
Again she knelt to talk to her.
"I know all of this probably seems very scary to you," she said. "But I also know you can handle it because you are one of the bravest people I know."
"I don't know you."
Great, Emma thought. She glanced over at Regina who appeared to be in her own little world at this point, but seeing her there it gave her an idea.
"Um … well yes we don't know each other but you see I feel like I know you because Queen Regina speaks so highly of you."
"She does?"
"Oh yes, all the time. She is always telling me how you are such a brave little girl. In fact she told me about the day you two met, about the runaway horse and how you weren't even really scared."
"But I was scared," Snow admitted. "The horse was out of control and all I could do was hang on. Then … then Regina was there. She came out of nowhere and she saved. She's really brave."
Emma could see that Snow spoke of Regina as if she was in awe of her and she wondered how old was Snow right now. How old was she now and where did she fit into the timeline? Since she referred to Regina as queen it was after Regina had married King Leopold, yet before his death.
Was this how Snow had been? Had she idolized Regina growing up?"
"She is brave," Emma said. "And you probably want to show her that you can be brave too, just like her, right?"
Snow sniffed and then her eyes went to Regina, whose back was toward them. She nodded to Emma.
"Ok, then let's go." She stood and offered Snow her hand but Snow ignored it and walked up to Regina instead.
"I'm ready to go," Snow announced, some of the confidence returning to her voice.
Regina's eyes went to Emma first as if to ask what it was that she said that got the girl to change her mind, but all she said was "come on."
This time Regina took the lead with Snow following and Emma bringing up the rear. Once outside again it was Regina's turn to pause as she realized with both of their vehicles there Snow would most likely insist on riding with her and not Emma. Again her eyes went to Emma but again she said nothing and simply began striding toward her car.
When she reached the passenger side, she opened the door and instructed Snow to sit. Snow hesitated a moment and then did as she was told. But she didn't understand Regina when she was told to put on the seat belt and Emma was about to put down the books she was carrying and do it for her but Regina ducked into the car and quickly fastened it before shutting the door and walking quickly to the driver's side door.
"The mansion," was all she said.
Emma hurried to her own car, not wanting to be too far behind them.
