Regina howled, running at Ruby's side through the forest. Zelena and Belle were just behind them. Over the last few weeks, everyone had sort of established their roles in the pack. Ruby of course was the alpha. Regina was her mate and her partner, the greatest leaper out of all of them. Zelena and Belle shared the roles of beta, and while Zelena was the fastest, Belle was the most clever and the best Fisher. They hardly left their lagoon sanctuary nowadays, and when they did, they simply holed up in Regina's mansion usually sleeping the day away so they could be well rested by the night. They was no other world, other than their world. There was no other people other than those in her pack. Storybrooke hardly seemed to exist anymore. However they did go back every now and then to visit Granny and helped her in the diner when she needed it.
Regina hardly saw Emma, Henry or Robin, but she knew the peace wouldn't last long. She and Zelena were laughing as they waded through the dining tables, serving food to the patrons.
"The Evil Queen and the Wicked Witch waiting tables?" Leroy said as he walked in.
The sisters smiled and lead him over to a table. "And who can they say they have been served by a witch and a queen?" Regina asked.
"Such beautiful women waiting hand and foot on a single handsome dwarf." Zelena added with a smirk.
"You're lying through your teeth, sister." Leroy laughed.
"You're damn right I am. Everyone knows Dopey is the cutest dwarf." She grinned and sauntered off while Leroy pretended to be offended.
When Emma walked into the diner with Henry, to say she was surprised was an understatement. Two of the biggest former villains in Storybrooke were waiting tables, smiling and laughing like she'd never seen them do before. Regina lead her over to a table.
"What can I get you?" She asked.
Henry looked a bit confused, but ordered a burger with everything on it, a soda and some fries and onion rings, a clear test to see what his brunette mother would say. But Regina only smiled and wrote down his order. Emma just ordered her usual grilled cheese and fries.
"Emma, before you leave, remind me to talk to you about something important." Regina said.
"Sure." Emma said, watching the brunette strut away. Belle and Ruby were busy working the cash register and the bar to pay much attention. It was a surprise as well, seeing Belle out of the library. The good natured beauty was laughing at something Ruby said and Granny threw a dish towel at them and told them to get back to work.
Regina and Zelena returned with their food and placed it front of them.
"Hey, Ruby said to be ready to go by 8 if you want to see if there's enough room in the caves."
Regina nodded and turned to Emma. "Do you think you'll be able to come back then, Emma?"
"Um, sure. I need to talk to you anyway."
Regina smiled brightly. "Great." She turned back to go do her job and left Emma and Henry alone while they are, hardly even acknowledging her son in any other way. They finished their dinner and left, but Emma returned around 8 to talk to Regina. Zelena and Belle were wiping down tables and Ruby was counting the money in the register. She gave the blonde a disdainful look before turning back to her task. Regina came in out of the back and smiled at seeing Emma again.
"Good, you came." Regina said, conjuring a stack of papers to place on a table. "I need you to sign these."
"What is it?" Emma asked, flipping through the small stack.
"Adoption dissolution papers."
"What?!"
"What?" Regina asked.
"You're giving up Henry? Regina, this thing he's going through is just a phase, I promise. I'll get him to come over more."
"That won't be necessary, Miss Swan." Regina smirked, conjuring a pin as well. "Besides, I haven't seen Henry in over 3 months. He won't even acknowledge my presence anymore so why keep this little tether between us. Then you and him will be free of me. You, Henry and Neal can be a family."
"I don't want to be a family with Neal, I want to be a family with you, Regina." Emma said. She glanced up at the others, but they clearly didn't care. "Regina, I love you. I took that darkness into me to save you because I love you. I have for a long time."
Regina shook her head. "I think we've had this conversation before, Emma. And I'm kinda already in a relationship right now. I'm sorry to hurt your feelings, but I did tell you that the feeling wasn't mutual."
"I tried to save you." Emma said softly. "Because I love you, I really do love, Regina. Can't I at least have a chance? You're still giving Robin one and he's married with a kid."
"Miss Swan." Regina sighed, flicking her hair over her shoulder. She smiled. "Why is what I do so important to you? Can I not have a life? Or am I doomed to play the part of lady in waiting for all time? Is my purpose only here to serve you and the heroes?"
"No, Regina-"
Regina raised a hand and smiled. "Everything is in the past, Miss Swan. I don't even care. However my future will be what I make it and I don't really want it to include you. So...will that be all?"
"What about Henry then? Is he a part of that too?" Emma asked, looking like she was on the verge of tears.
"I haven't decided yet. It's really his decision." Regina replied thoughtfully. Sure, she could've spoken tactfully to not hurt the other woman's feelings, but she didn't really care at this point. The blonde could love her all she wanted, but Regina just didn't want a relationship with her at all. The only good memory she could associate with the Savior was Henry. But now, he was almost a distant memory. He'd treated her like some evil woman always out to get him, distant and cold and always making some mention of her terrible past to hurt her. Then over the last few months, that had stopped altogether. Nothing. Not a phone call or visit. Nothing. And then she, poor little Regina, tried her hardest to get him to spend time with her. After all, she was his real mother. But Baelfire seemed to have taken her place. He rarely even spent time with Emma anymore. So, Regina had given up, and devoted herself to her dark isolation, hoping against hope that he would come back to her. He hadn't.
"You're still giving up on him?" Emma asked.
Regina sighed. "Would he care if I did?"
"Yes! He would care, because you're his mother."
"Only because a piece of paper says so." She countered, holding out the pen. "But it soon won't anymore. The big bad lady will be gone, never to intrude on your happy ending again."
Emma slowly took it and Regina gave a reassuring smile. "But what if he changes his mind and misses you?"
"He has my number. Personally, I don't see what the big deal is. It won't be any different than the way it's been for months. Let me go, Emma."
Emma looked up at Ruby, who was watching out of the corner of her eye. "She put you up to this."
Regina sighed again and turned Emma's head back to the paper. "Of course not. This was my decision."
"Well I'm not signing this." Emma said.
Regina simply waved her hand, adding Emma's signature next to hers. The papers disappeared a moment later. "They're already filed. Henry is now your son, and only your son."
"If you could just do that, then why did you want me to sign it?"
"I wanted your cooperation, but…" She shrugged. "It doesn't matter now. Thank you. Now, what did you need to talk to me about?"
Emma sat down and sighed. "After all you've done to keep Henry, how can you just let him go like that?"
Regina raised an eyebrow. "To give us both our best chance." She replied simply.
"But how?" Emma asked, looking up at her. "Your love runs so deep, you would've given everything for Henry."
"I will still protect him when necessary. That's an instinct that just won't go away. As for my love, Miss Swan, let's not pretend like you really know me because you don't. You don't know the innocent girl in love with a stableboy, the Evil Queen or the Mayor. You don't know what all of those people, all of those experiences, come together to create, which is me."
"Then give me a chance to find out."
Regina shook her head. "I don't want to. For so long, I've just wanted to be someone's first choice. I've always been the second wife, the second mother, the second lover, second queen, second daughter, and I've never been good enough for anyone. Not my mother, my son, my 'supposed' soulmate. Now, I am someone's first. Someone who cares about me." She glanced at a blushing Ruby and smirked. "You can love me, Miss Swan, all you want, but it will change nothing. One day, maybe you will know me. But it is not this day nor anytime soon." She helped Emma stand again and escorted her out onto the sidewalk. The rest of her pack followed and Ruby started to lead them away. "Good night Emma." Regina shifted to follow her friends out into the forest, leaving behind a heartbroken savior to go home and tell her family the wonderful news. Ruby paused to give her mate a lick on the nose. Belle nuzzled her neck and Zelena even gave her ear tip an affectionate nip. With that, they were off again, dashing through the moonlight towards their isolated home. They waded through the lagoon to the caves above it and Regina made some torches as they went about, exploring the caverns.
"I found a great place for a workshop." Zelena said, leading her sister down into a large cavern. It was dark, but after a bit of magical intervention, the room became lavishly furnished with thick red carpets, lots of potion making equipment, braziers and a fireplace for light, a few couches and worktables and plenty of herbs hanging from the ceiling. "I think we can make this work." The witch said with a smirk. "But we'll definitely need to add in some green."
Regina rolled her eyes with a smirk. "The largest cave is big enough for the house. But it'll be seen from below."
"Won't matter. Who's gonna come here? They won't be able to get up here anyway without magic or knowing the path around back." They headed back up to the main cave where Ruby was shifting the rock, creating a room for a library for Belle.
"This place will be wonderful once we finish." said the bookworm.
"We should move the house tomorrow." Regina said.
"What about starting a garden?" Zelena asked. "Maybe even an orchard."
"Sounds great." Ruby stepped back as the sisters set to work, building the place to Belle's like, filling the newly made room with wall to wall bookshelves, filled with books. They added in some braziers and tables, carpets and chairs all over the room, making a cozy home for a bookworm like Belle.
"The house is gonna need some expansion too." Zelena said as they walked back out to the belt of sand.
"I know." Regina sighed, giddy with excitement. "This is going to be awesome." She looked at Ruby and kissed her lips. "A den for our pack is just what we need."
"We need to make Granny a magical shortcut so she doesn't have to walk here. Don't tell her it was my idea. She might shoot me for thinking that she's weak or something." Ruby said, kissing her back.
"As you wish." Regina smirked. "The sun'll be up soon, we should head back. I want to catch Henry before he gets to school." Ruby nodded and shifted, leading them back to Storybrooke at a leisurely pace. The others went into the house while Regina waited on the sidewalk, arriving just as Emma and Henry were rounding the corner. "Henry." The boy stopped, looking confused.
"Yeah?"
"After school I need you to come over and get your things out of your room. Anything you might want or need."
"Why?" Emma asked.
"Because I'm moving and I need his things out by the end of the day. As soon as possible preferably."
"Moving?" Henry said. "Moving where? Why?"
"Because I want a change of scenery." Regina replied with a smile. "That reminds me, I need to move my tree too." She said thoughtfully. "Definitely can't forget that."
"Where are you moving?" Emma reiterated. There weren't many places in Storybrooke available and she didn't believe Regina would move out of her mansion just to move into a tiny apartment.
"West." Regina grinned. "Zelena picked the direction as you can imagine."
"What about your magic?" Henry asked.
"What about it?"
"You're still going to use it?"
"Of course I am."
"You're not supposed to be using your magic." He said.
"Henry, I can do whatever I want." Regina answered. "I don't have to follow rules anymore. They're beneath me." She turned to go back into the house. "If you don't come get your stuff, everything's going to be waiting in boxes."
"Regina!" Emma called, but the queen was gone.
Regina ran her fingers through her hair as she headed upstairs where Ruby was already in their bed. The werewolf opened her arms and Regina fell into them with a content sigh. "We'll need to take a trip to my vault this evening and clean it out."
"It shall be done." Ruby replied, nuzzling her neck. "Are you alright?"
"Just fine."
"I want to kill Emma."
"No you don't."
"I do. She keeps looking at you like some lovesick puppy. I don't want her looking at what's mine like that."
"She can never have me, Ruby. And do you know why?" Regina said, looking her in the eye.
"Why?"
"Because I am yours. I am your mate. And nothing is going to change that. i love you."
"I love you too." Ruby smiled.
Regina leaned up and pulled a small box out of her bedside table and handed it to her. "Darkness like yours bears a heavy weight on the soul." She said, watching as Ruby pulled out the necklace with Daniel's ring on it. "This has gotten me through a lot of bad times, reminding me that there is goodness in the world, innocence and beauty. That everything isn't all bad, and the future can be brighter depending on what I make it. I'd like you to have it." She took it from Ruby and put it on her neck. "You don't mind the darkness. I don't either, but if it ever gets to be too much, then just let me know, because I will do everything in my power to get it out of you. To make everything better again."
Ruby nodded. "Thank you, Regina. And I'm fine, but...thank you." She looked down and Regina kissed her cheek and buried her face in the neck of her wolf. They embraced one another and lay down for the day, content in the other's arms.
xxxxxxxxxxxx
That afternoon, after picking up Henry, Emma practically had to force him to go to Regina's house.
"She's not moving." Her son scoffed. "Where is she gonna go? She's just doing this because she knows what she's doing is wrong. She promised not to use her magic, we told her she couldn't use it and she kept using it."
"We don't have the right to tell your mom what to do, Henry." Emma said. "She's right about that. She's been good for a long time now."
"Magic makes her evil. She only uses dark magic. And, she's not my mom anymore, you are-" He paused at seeing a bunch of boxes sitting in Regina's driveway. All of them had his name written on the front, but the oddest thing was that the house was gone, as well as Regina's tree. "She did leave." Henry gasped.
"And took everything with her." Emma added.
Read and review! A/N: I'll be bringing in Lily in the next chapter and maybe someone else, but I haven't decided yet. Then the pack will be complete and we can get to the good stuff. Thoughts and suggestions?
