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Mary Margaret was even more awful than Snow was. At least Snow tried to fight her. Mary Margaret would just accept that she was powerless. She would yield to her without Regina asking. It was nice, until she actually sunk her teeth into her.
It was hard not to suffocate her with one of her ugly throw pillows decorating her even uglier loft. Instead, she strung her along, she shut her down, and made sure that she was accepting every bit of her unidentified torment. Soon would come the real fun.
Snow was being isolated from the independent society of their little town. People turned the other way, cringe in disgust, and even shame her if she was dealing with someone of the sort; if she wasn't developing a relationship, she would've done it herself. Her kids didn't seem to mind, only the stray few of them would've known anyway from angry parents.
The small part in her brain untouched by magic and evil felt bad for her. She could understand what it felt like to have everyone collectively hate her. And over someone you were dating. It wasn't unusual to see a couple like them, but not exactly common.
Mary Margaret refused to leave her home when she didn't have to. She thought she was being dramatic, but she heard the voicemails of people complaining, shaming, and threatening to take her job.
Regina knew she was feeling down, and as a one-time thing, bought her a pie. When she entered her loft, she was sat on the couch sideways with her knees to her chest and her head in her hands, with an empty mug on the table. Something was seriously wrong with Mary Margaret if she didn't immediately put a dirty dish into the sink.
"I'm sorry people are being so shitty," Regina said. Mary Margaret looked up to her with red, puffy eyes made more green with tears. She picked up the mug and put it in the sink, all while staring at the woman on the couch. "You don't deserve this."
"I know. That's why it hurts so much. Everyone in town hates me because I'm dating a woman." Regina nodded and took a knife from the knife block to cut the pie. "No one's saying anything to you about it. They're too afraid." Regina would've dropped the knife if it was any other day, no matter how true it may be.
"Are you afraid of me," Regina asked.
"…I think people I see something in you that others don't," she said cautiously. She took her irrelevant answer as a yes. Regina brought her plate of pie to her and sat down under the blankets with her. Mary Margaret eyed her skeptically, but welcomed the added warmth.
Sitting closer to her, she could now see the sweatpants and pajama shirt she was wearing. Regina reluctantly slid closer to her and held her hands.
"I got you pie. Berry."
"Did Granny drug it?"
"If she did I'll have her heart on a platter." Snow smiled weakly at the strange act of endearment. Regina took a bite from her own slice of pie.
Mary Margaret didn't know she could care even slightly about her. It was minuscule in contrast to her blunt rudeness, but she would take it. She would take anything at this point. Even if it was possibly-drugged pie and an awkward silence when she held her hand.
"I'm sorry, I understand if you don't want to do this anymore," Mary Margaret apologized.
"I'll be fine, dear. I worry about you, though." Mary Margaret nodded.
"I know. I'll be fine."
"That's what they all say until they have eyes as dried from tears as yours."
"…they're not dry," Mary Margaret whispered to herself. Regina chuckled lightly.
"Why don't we do something other than feeling sorry for ourselves," Regina suggested. Mary nodded and wiped a stray tear falling from her eye.
"Thank you." Regina nodded
"Do you have any card games?"
"Well, I have Monopoly…"
"Then let's play Monopoly." Regina wanted to groan at her game choice, but she wouldn't complain, at least for now.
"Fine, but I'm banker." Mary Margaret nodded and got out from the blanket smothering her.
They played the entire game, a feat in Mary Margaret would brag to her few friends left. Sadly, she couldn't also say she beat Regina.
Soon after, they were sitting on the couch watching some rom-com they found in her little basket of VCR's. Regina was bored out of her mind, while Mary was asleep against her shoulder, sleeping peacefully, in spite of the consuming stress.
Regina wanted to push her head off her shoulder and storm out, but she was stuck in Mary's tight and burning embrace. She longed to be held like Mary holds her. She wanted to be loved like Mary wanted to. But she knows, no one can ever love a monster as ghastly as her.
She shut off the tv and carried Mary to her room. She grappled onto her blouse like a small child would, and when she put her down, she wouldn't let go. She pried her fingers off the shirt and Mary Margaret stirred.
"Goodnight, dear," Regina uttered. Mary Margaret sleepily muttered something unrecognizable and Regina left quickly.
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They had dates in her apartment now. They couldn't go out to eat at the diner without someone shooting a menacing glance at them, or have someone "accidentally" spill a drink on Mary Margaret. If she wasn't so mild, someone would be seriously injured by now.
Instead, Regina made lasagna sure to make Granny jealous and Mary Margaret rented a movie she wanted them both to watch without falling asleep.
Instead, they made out on the kitchen counter with cookie batter covering their clothes and the movie playing in the background.
Snow was breathing heavily close to Regina's ear, just as the kitchen timer went off. She giggled before hopping off the counter to grab oven mitts and check on the cookies.
"Two more minutes," Snow declared.
"Must you be so loud," Regina complained.
"Yes. Now we should watch the movie, I rented it to watch it, not kiss you with it playing in the background."
"And why not? I have the right to kiss you, you know." Mary rolled her eyes.
"How about after," she whispered. Regina thought mockingly for a minute, then nodded.
"Have people been better," Regina asked.
"I think so. Our time in the gossip mill has run it's course with some new story, brought to us by none other than Sidney Glass."
"What's so wrong about Sidney?"
"He writes the articles in the newspaper, but it's never any actual important news. It's always just gossip or small news stories. Plus, he's in love with you."
"Is someone…jealous," Regina mocked.
"No, he just gets on my nerves is all."
"I see…" Mary Margaret heard the timer go off once more and she went to the kitchen to check on them, while Regina sat in an armchair watching the movie. Mary Margaret came back with two cookies in her hands. Regina took one.
"So what even is this?"
"Have you not been paying attention," she asked in a voice she clearly used when teaching.
"No, I've been busy." Mary laughed.
"Do you want me to rewind it?"
"Yes please."
She didn't even pay attention even after Mary started it. She would stare off somewhere, or look at Mary Margaret watching the show.
After it was over, she immediately pounced her from the armchair on the other side of the coffee table, pressing her into the chair's cushions while biting at her neck and bottom lip. She carried her to the bedroom and deposited her down on the edge.
"My, someone's eager tonight," she murmured. Regina only grinned and slightly growled in response, while pulling off her rosy pink cardigan, kissing down the trail of skin being uncovered.
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The next morning, she immediately phoned Sidney once she got home.
"I don't want you writing about me and Mary Margaret in your paper. Find something, anything else.
"Why, you told me to write about it just two weeks ago?"
"Yes, well that's for me to know and you to mind your business." She hung up and collapsed onto her couch in the study, pouring herself a glass of whiskey.
She didn't have to ask Sidney twice, nobody was dumb enough to even give a second thought to Regina's orders. That's probably what she liked most about being mayor, the power over the town of hers.
She didn't always want the power, she tried to fight it. To fight the darkness, the magic, the pull they both had on her. She wished she could have a pull on Mary Margaret like that.
She was so close to having her in her manicured clutches. She was already isolated and ashamed by the other town's residents, all she had to do was make her believe anything she tells her. It won't be hard, that much is clear. She just has that one part of her brain -The one that told her to feel bad for Mary Margaret- still talking. She didn't know what was right and what was wrong. All she knew was to obliterate Snow White, if it was the last thing she'd ever do. but maybe it didn't have to be like that, the small and steady voice in her brain said. maybe they were right, but you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Same goes for Evil Queens.
