Trigger Warning - rape/ abuse


Chapter 12 Truce

As the weeks passed, the only plan Emma and Mary Margaret had yet to come up with was Mary Margaret volunteering at the hospital a few times a week, so that she could earn their trust and somehow obtain the medical records from the night of the crash. They had to tread carefully. Who knows what other places Leopold had his hands in. They needed to get those records without alerting him. They also needed to come up with a plan to save Regina and get her and Henry out safely. There were so many areas with red tape they had to cross, they had no idea where to even begin. This was going to take some time with delicate planning. As painstakingly slow this process might be, Emma knew she needed to be patient in order to do this safely. In the meantime, she would just keep a close eye on mother and son.

Miner's day was quickly approaching and the whole town was getting ready for it. Emma was walking through the booths as the townspeople set up by town hall. She shivered in the cold winter air, her red leather jacket and sweater a bit too thin for the freshly fallen snow.

However, her mind wasn't on the approaching festivities. It was on Regina. She hasn't seen her since the day she collapsed after Henry was pulled out of the mines. She was worried and wondered if Leopold had done anything when he had taken her home that day. All she knew was that he had grounded Henry for a month.

That was when she saw her and Emma was about to thank her lucky stars until she noticed Leopold behind her. They were coming out of town hall together. She watched as Leopold had a few words with Mother Superior who was in charge of the festivities. Regina stood behind him, patiently waiting for him. Just as he was wrapping it up with Mother Superior, he gently took Regina's hand and kissed her cheek. An act of a doting husband. Even from her spot by the bulletin, Emma could see Regina tensing.

Shit!

Regina turned as if she could feel Emma staring. She quickly looked away and casually walked out of view to the other side of the bulletin board. She waited a few moments, hoping Regina didn't see her staring. She peeked out and didn't see her. Leopold was now talking to Sidney Glass from the newspaper. She wondered where the brunette had gone.

"These bulletins can't possibly be this interesting," a cool voice sounded behind her and Emma jumped, startled by the woman she was hiding from. She turned, facing Regina and looking into dark brown eyes. She noticed it right away. She can tell Regina had tried covering it up with make-up but it still peeked through. The right side of her cheek was bruised and she knew exactly who put it there.

"I'm actually looking into…" She pulled one of the flyers off and looked down at it. "Salsa classes?" Emma blushed, and was that a small smile on Regina's lips?

"I'm not judging," she replied. She was definitely smiling now.

"Sure," Emma grumbled in embarrassment.

"I saw you spying on me," Regina's tone grew serious and Emma sighed in defeat.

"I just wanted to see if you were ok. I haven't seen you since the day at the mines."

"I must have passed out from the stress and hit my head," she said, unable to look Emma in the eye. She was lying, they both knew it, but she had a feeling Regina was more afraid of not going along with her husband's lie than actually telling the truth. "And thank you for what you did."

Emma wasn't sure if she was thanking her for rescuing Henry or for being there when she passed out. Whichever it was, she'll take it.

"I know you had that wound before you passed out," she said right out, surprising her. Regina frowned and for a moment Emma thought she was going to lash out at her in anger as she always did. Instead, she looked a bit panic stricken and Emma couldn't tell if she was shivering just from the cold or from her confrontation. She couldn't help but notice how off she seemed today. She wasn't the hostile fiery woman she had gotten to know. She was quiet today. She seemed a bit defeated as if the fight had gone right out of her.

"I can't talk about this," she whispered, her voice trembling a bit and Emma really started to worry now. She's never seen her like this before; trembling, fearful, and so withdrawn, and that frightened her.

"Are you sure?" she asked. "I can help…"

"I'm sure," she cut her off abruptly. She didn't want to talk about this and the hard tone of her voice stated it was final. Emma didn't want to push her incase she closed herself off further than she already was. She took a breath, and decided to try a different approach. One she has been thinking about since the mine incident.

"You know, maybe we could put all this fighting and hostility behind us. Maybe we can even get to know each other a little better. A fresh start."

"You want to be… friends?" Regina asked, surprised at Emma's intentions.

"If you want to," Emma said gently, not exactly sure what Regina was thinking. Without the hostility, she was so closed off and even withdrawn from her. She's seen kids in foster care with the same emotional withdrawal. Those kids were the ones who were taken from abusive homes. She knew in order to get Regina to trust her, she needed to let her feel like she had control here. "We can just start off by being civil to one other or even just acquaintances. It's up to you."

"I'll consider it…" she whispered, unsure and then suddenly looking over Emma's shoulder. Her eyes widened and Emma could have sworn she saw fear in those dark eyes. Regina stepped back, further concealing herself behind the bulletin board. Her hands started shaking and she shoved them in her coat pocket. Emma frowned in confusion and turned, seeing Leopold passing by with Sidney and approaching a booth in the distance. Was she hiding from him?

"What's wrong?" she asked, making Regina's attention snap back to her.

"Nothing… I better get back to campus. My lunch is over in 20 minutes. Come talk to me when class is over."

She started to walk off and stopped when she noticed Emma shivering. She looked at her up and down with the ghost of a smirk on her lips. Despite this fearful demeanor Emma was seeing, she could also see that Professor Mills was still in there. She was sure she was going to throw her a scathing remark, but instead took her by surprise when she said without an ounce of sarcasm, "I'm afraid you'll need something warmer than that red leather jacket, dear. We get pretty harsh winters here in Storybrooke." She sounded so concerned for her well being all Emma could do was stare for a moment.

"I'm starting to realize that," she finally said with a grin. "Thanks."

Regina gave her a small smile and quickly headed to work.


By the time Regina got back to campus she barely had enough time to grab a sandwich from the student cafeteria. She was starving. The salad she had brought for lunch was left untouched in Leopold's office. She couldn't eat when he was sitting next to her at the conference table, his hand on her thigh. Lately he's been keeping a short leash on her. She knew it was because he was threatened by Emma finding out about his abuse.

As he went on and on about the minor's day preparations, all she could do was sit there and push her salad around with her fork. His hand felt like it was searing into her skin. Her hands shook the entire lunch hour. She had always been afraid of him as the years went by, but now lately, her anxiety around him seemed to be getting worse. She shook every time she was near him. Her heart sped up and there were times she could hardly breathe. Of course he didn't notice and if he did, he reveled in her fear.

She sat at her desk, quickly trying to finish eating before her students started arriving. She thought back to what Emma had said. She wanted to be friends… No, she wanted to be civil. Regina didn't have friends. Only Katherine, but Leopold won't let her talk to her anymore. He even monitors her phone and computer to make sure she's not messaging anyone.

The thought of being friends with Emma made her feel warm. It gave her some sense of relief that she couldn't explain. The anger she had for her upon her arrival to Storybrooke seemed to have diminished since the events at the mines. Maybe this town was big enough for the both of them after all?

She had already finished her sandwich when Ruby had rushed in out of breath. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold.

"Dr. Mills, I was hoping if you could help me understand the last question from the homework last night. I answered it, but I just want to make sure it's right."

"Of course dear," she said, getting up and approaching Ruby's desk where the young girl had plopped down and opened her book and pulled out her assignment. She knelt down beside her and after reading her answer, she nodded in approval. She explained the question to her and then proceeded to explain why her response was correct in answering it.

However, Ruby's eyes landed on the bruises on her face that she had been trying to keep covered with make-up all day. It was so dark, no amount of cover-up and blush would completely hide it. She knows there's rumors going around about the cause of her bad moods and the sudden bruises or injuries she so often hid. No one dared questioned her or Leopold, because the thought of accusing their mayor for domestic violence wasn't an option. She turned her face away, hoping she wouldn't say anything. She didn't have the energy to come up with another lie.

"You did excellent, dear, be confident in your answers," she praised her, hoping to distract her.

She knew Ruby and Granny saw a lot while working in the town's most popular diner. She was sure they had seen the way Leopold would sometimes grab her when she said or did something he didn't approve of. Sometimes he'd drag her into the hall by the bathroom and yell at her, calling her despicable names. The way he spoke to her when he was angry and drinking was despicable. Once Ruby had walked in on them in the hall, her eyes looking concerned and angry as Leopold waved her off and ordered another drink. Regina avoided her gaze as she pulled her arm from her husband's tight grip and walked past them and back to their table, trying not to show the fear on her face.

"Do you have any more questions?" she asked softly, suddenly nervous that Ruby was going to say something like, Did your husband put that bruise there? Her hands shook, her eyes pleading with her student to just let it go. Ruby shook her head, her eyes suddenly shining with unshed tears, and Regina knew she was fighting against everything she believed in to not say anything.

"Do you think we could set up a tutoring session at the diner?" she asked instead and Regina sighed in relief. "I just feel like I don't know what I'm doing. Breakfast on me?"

"Of course," she smiled, unable to stop the tremble in her voice as she stood. "Is this Saturday ok?"

Ruby nodded and watched as she set up the projector. Student's started trickling in at the last five minutes before class was supposed to start. As usual they had gone over the homework first before slipping into the lecture. She was able to distract her mind, the only good thing about this job, and she was able to forget for just a moment about the bruise on her face or the confrontation she just had with Emma and had nearly avoided with Ruby. Leopold was getting sloppy and she was blaming it on the drinking. When he was sober, he always made sure not to mark her face, but when he was drunk, he was sloppy, and that meant she would be sporting a black eye, a busted lip, or a bruised cheek.

Since the incident at the mines, she had laid low and done what Leopold had asked. She avoided Emma and made sure to keep Henry out of trouble. She played the perfect wife, doing everything he asked without fighting him, even when she didn't want to. Last night, he came to bed after drowning himself with the bottle all evening and started ranting on how she'll never be Eva and how it was her fault Mary Margaret didn't talk to him. He had gotten too loud and too vulgar in his words, and when she bravely asked him to lower his tone in case Henry heard, he slapped her hard in the face and threatened her to shut up.

She fearfully curled up under the covers after that, hoping he would leave her alone as he grumbled about how much trouble she was and how she made him hit her. Despite his vulgerness towards her, he got into bed as well, and snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her close to his body, trapping her against him. She didn't dare move as he passed out snoring loudly and reeking of whiskey. She couldn't move. Her cheek was swelling and painful to the touch, and all she could do was cry herself to sleep.

She was so exhausted from last night, she didn't even have the energy to goad Emma like she usually did. In fact, after Emma had stood by her at the mines, she didn't have the heart to. Emma had earned some kind of respect from her.

Just as the end of class was nearing, Emma slipped in and sat at the back in a desk closest to the door. She couldn't help the small smile from gracing her lips as Emma caught her eye and winked.

When class was dismissed, and the last of the students had exited the room, Regina walked up to the deputy. It looked as if she had taken her advice about bundling up because now she was wearing a black windbreaker over her leather jacket.

"Do you want to grab some coffee?" she asked, wanting to be able to talk to Emma without the fear of Leopold seeing her. She had been too nervous to fully comprehend what Emma was proposing, but once she had made it to the safety of her lecture hall and away from Leopold, she realized maybe some kind of truce wouldn't be so bad. In fact she had been thinking a lot about her feud with Emma and how maybe it wouldn't be so bad to reconcile and start fresh, at least for the sake of Henry.

After she had passed out at the mines, and Leopold brought her home, she realized she wasn't able to protect Henry as she listened to him scold him. She wouldn't be able to shield him from figuring out about the abuse as he got older and more aware. Leopold was quickly losing his patience more and more each time Henry continued to act out. She needed to be able to trust Emma if it ever came down to her giving up her adoption rights. She hoped she wouldn't have to, but she'd do anything to keep her son safe.

"Of course," Emma nodded, looking at her as if she couldn't quite comprehend what she was seeing. Regina started to get uncomfortable.

"What?" she asked, impatient and a bit rudely.

"You're just so confident during your lectures," Emma observed, unfazed by her harsh tone. "It's just such a difference from when I saw you earlier at town hall." Regina sighed and headed back to her desk to gather her things. Yes, she was more confident and more herself when she wasn't with Leopold. Her husband reduced her to a fearful shell, afraid to move or speak in any way that might anger him. Of course Emma had picked up on it.

"Regina…"

She turned abruptly, not expecting Emma to follow her. The blonde woman was standing right behind her with worried green eyes. She must have seen the momentary panic because she immediately took a step back as if giving her space.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you."

"You didn't," she denied, her tone not as sharp as she meant it. She packed her laptop and briefcase without looking at her and slipped on her jacket and scarf. "Ready?" she asked, keys in hand and heading for the door. Emma nodded, increasingly making her more and more nervous. She could feel Emma thinking and she suddenly felt as if she was being backed into a corner. She hadn't even realized her hands had been shaking until she tried putting the key into the lock.

Emma didn't say anything, but she knew the observant deputy had caught it.

"Leopold isn't expecting you?" she asked as they walked through campus to the closest coffee shop. Regina took a deep breath, the fresh air calming her anxiety.

"He doesn't know I canceled my office hours," she said, deciding to just tell her the truth on this one. There was no point when she already knew about the abuse.

"What happens if he comes looking for you and you're not there?" Emma asked, a bit of apprehension and fear in her tone. Regina was a bit surprised. Was Emma really concerned for her well being? After everything she had put her through since she arrived?

"He won't," she said confidently. "He won't waste his time coming to campus to check on me, not when he's busy with the miner's day preparations."

"Right." She didn't sound convinced, and Regina didn't bother to reassure her. They walked in silence for a few more minutes until they arrived at the campus cafe. Emma didn't even question her when she selected a table in the back corner after ordering their drinks. She felt safer, with a clear view of the door.

"Now Deputy Swan, there's a few things I'd actually like to discuss with you if you want to go forward with our… acquaintance." She slipped so easily into professor mode, masking her emotions and closing herself off. Emma frowned.

"Emma," she interrupted her, taking a sip from whatever surgery latte she had ordered.

"Excuse me?"

"Call me Emma," she elaborated. "I insist."

"Emma," she went ahead and complied. "I believe I owe you an apology…" The words were bitter on her tongue, but after seeing Emma stand up to Leopold for her at the mines, despite how much they hated each other, she realized she may have let her fear of losing Henry cloud her judgment. Maybe she had overreacted, especially when she involved hurting Henry.

"I'm sorry too," Emma said, her hand twitching as if she was about to reach out, but then thought better of it. "I was out of line at times."

"Henry is everything to me, Emma. He is all I have, so when he went missing and then showed up with you… I…" She couldn't admit the panic she had felt that night. She couldn't describe how afraid she was of losing Henry even more than she already has. She didn't know how to express this and somehow Emma seemed to know exactly what she was trying to say.

"Hey, I get it," she assured. "You were afraid of losing him and you reacted, but believe me when I tell you you're not losing him. You're a good mother, Regina. I could see it, even if Henry doesn't."

"I guess I have to accept that you're in his life too."

"It doesn't make you any less of his mom. I gave up that right, and now I have to live with it. You'll always be mommy to him, but me? He'll just see me as the cool older sister."

Regina smirked, appreciating the attempt to cheer her up. Emma was actually quite sweet when she wasn't trying to run her out of town.

"Well, since you're going to be in his life, I think we should discuss boundaries. I'm starting to trust you Emma, but I'm still hesitant on trusting you alone with my son. I just need to get to know you a little more before we cross that line. Until then, I'll only approve supervised visits. I hope you can understand where I'm coming from."

Emma nodded in approval and maybe even relief. Maybe she thought that Regina would keep her from seeing Henry all together. "I can respect that," the deputy smiled.

"I have dinner with him at the diner every Thursday after his session. You're welcome to join us." Leopold never bothers to join them and usually stays late at the office. He'd probably never catch them together at the diner. She was hesitant to invite her, because that was her alone time with Henry where she wasn't anxious or fearful with her husband's presence. It was just the two of them, and for a moment she could forget about what waited for her at home. Even Henry always seemed just a bit happier during those Thursday dinners than he usually was in her presence.

"I would love that, thank you," she whispered, her green eyes suddenly big and teary with some kind of emotion Regina couldn't quite decipher. She tilted her head in concern, suddenly caring for the woman that she swore she hated. Emma cleared her throat and then took a sip of her latte as if she were pulling herself together.

Regina couldn't help the sudden interest from growing within her. Suddenly she was interested in learning more about Emma and her past. All she knew was that she was a foster kid that had moved a lot throughout her life and gave birth to Henry in prison. She wondered about silly random things such as her favorite food, any hobbies, her dreams? Her goals? What was the story behind the yellow bug or the red leather jacket? Was there even a story to tell? And what really happened that landed her in prison?

She wanted to ask her, but she couldn't bring herself to do it because it would only lead to Emma taking an interest in her and asking her questions, and her past was something she couldn't share no matter if Emma knew about the abuse.

She had been gripping her coffee cup with both hands and staring into the dark liquid mixed with almond milk. She hadn't realized she had been zoning out until Emma was calling her name.

"Regina?"

She raised her chin to look at her, the movement sending shooting pains through her bruised cheekbone and jaw. Emma had seen her wince from the pain, a dark look flashing in her green eyes for a moment before being replaced by concern.

"I want you to call me, if you ever need me." Those words were final and she couldn't protest. Emma's protectiveness ignited something deep within her heart that she couldn't describe.

Hope?

No.

She's forgotten what hope was a long time ago.


When Regina got home, she was relieved to see Leopold was still at work. After her meeting with Emma, she picked up Henry from school, on foot of course. Leopold had taken away her car after the first time she tried to run away. She had started dinner a bit late, but luckily Leopold never cared about what time she had dinner on the stove. Although, he loved to criticize her cooking and remind her that she will never cook as good as Eva. Something that she used to love was now a task full of anxiety and worry over whether he'll like it enough not to punish her for it. She was nearly done, standing at the kitchen island with a cutting board and knife, when she heard the front door open and the sound of him putting his things away. She could hear him talking on the phone and she tensed, waiting for him to come in and start harassing her. Her hands shook and she had to focus to keep herself from cutting her hand with the knife she was chopping vegetables with.

Leopold walked in and she held her breath and focused on her work. He was still on the phone as he took a seat at the island across from her and suddenly started snapping his fingers at her. Annoyance at his rudeness flared up, but she knew better than to not comply. She put down the knife immediately and rushed to the minibar in his study.

Her hands were shaking as she fixed him a drink, the smell of the whiskey hitting her nostrils and reminding her of last night. She nearly sobbed at the memory of his drunken banter and the way he held her too tightly as he snored loudly in her ear. The alcoholism was getting worse after years of him managing it. The loss of his precious daughter is what triggered it. The thought of that woman sparked up a flame of anger as she roughly set down the bottle of whiskey and brought out his glass to him. He was still on the phone when she had come in, so she set it in front of him without looking at him. She checked the baked chicken in the oven and resumed her spot in front of the cutting board. She picked up the knife and started chopping, tuning out his phone conversation.

She had barely even noticed him getting up and standing behind her as he ended the call. It wasn't until he set the phone down beside the cutting board did she suddenly become hyper aware of his presence behind her.

"You've been very good today," he commented, leaning against her back. She could feel his warm breath on the back of her neck. She was shaking so hard, she had to put the knife down.

He pressed up against her, kissing her neck and she stiffened under his touch. He held her wrists down against the island counter where they stood. He pinned her with his weight and she whimpered at the discomfort.

"Leo…" If she fought him, he would beat her. If she took it, then she might just be able to avoid another bruised cheek. "Henry might see," she attempted in an effort to get him to stop on his own.

"Well then," he said between sloppy kisses under her ear. "We could move this somewhere else."

"What about dinner?" she tried again.

"It can wait," he grunted in frustration and she suddenly felt him grinding himself against her thigh. He tightened his grip on wrists, making her whimper from the pain. She struggled a bit, but he only tightened his hold as he backed away and started to drag her from the kitchen.

"But the stove!" she protested, glancing at the timer to see it would go off soon.

"It'll be quick," he brushed her off and continued to pull her out of the kitchen and into the study. She started to panic as he pushed her inside and shut the door, making sure to lock it.

"Come on, I've been stressed out all day," he said, taking off his belt. She could only stand there, frozen and unable to make herself move. She could barely breathe as he noticed her hesitance. He was on her in less than a second, grabbing her by the hair and throwing her down on the couch. "Hurry up!" he snapped, and with shaking hands, she sat up and slowly removed her blazer leaving her in a black thin camisole. This was happening whether she liked it or not.

"All you have to do is stay still and take it. As your husband, is that too much to ask of you?" He reprimanded her, not caring about the tears streaming down her cheeks or the raw fear in her eyes as she slowly removed her heeled boots. "Stop crying!" he snapped impatiently, suddenly pushing her hands away and pulling down her slacks himself.

He pulled her up further so she was lying on her back. He climbed over her, a hand splayed out on the cushion beside her bruised face while the other hand unbuttoned his pants. She felt like she was suffocating beneath him as he tore off her panties and started to prepare himself. She was too terrified to move, so she let her mind haze over like she usually did when he became too much and she needed to block him out.

Pain snapped her mind back to focus and before she knew it, he was painfully thrusting inside of her. She couldn't help but sharply cry out in shock.

"Shut up!" he snapped, the hand that wasn't supporting his weight, reached up to grab her face. He forced her to look at him.

"You're hurting me," she whispered, hoping he would at least slow his pace. He sneered in response, and all he did was change his angle that caused an even more agonizing pain. She was full on sobbing now and he was too far gone in his pleasure to care. She tried so hard to not scream. She couldn't risk Henry hearing her, so instead she closed her eyes, desperately trying to separate her mind again.

The thought of the Evil Queen from Henry's book came to mind. She thought about the beautifully drawn but dark illustrations. The Evil Queen in all her glory, plunging her hand in the huntsman chest and ripping out his heart. She imagined it was Leopold instead, and she was the one ripping out his heart and crushing it to dust. She imagined watching him fall to the ground as he took his last pathetic breath. She thought about the kitchen knife she had left on the cutting board. Maybe she should have used it to carve out his heart.

"Get up!" his harsh words suddenly pulled her from her dark murderous thoughts, and her mind snapped back to the deep agonizing pain and wetness between her legs. He had pulled out of her and was getting up and pulling up his pants. "The timer went off a while ago."

Dinner was the last thing on her mind as she shakily got up and pulled on her panties and slacks, ignoring the mess between her legs. She'd have to turn the oven off first and then go clean up and lick her wounds. The smug son of a bitch looked satisfied as he grabbed her blazer and threw it at her. He loved seeing the fear in her eyes.

"Make sure the chicken isn't burned."

Of course the chicken was overcooked, and she had angrily shut off the oven and slammed the pan right down on the stove top. Her rage was flaring up, her hands trembled as she tried to gain control of her anger. She wanted to go back into that study and make him regret ever touching her. She wanted to make him feel just as hopeless as she did underneath his suffocating weight. She wanted to hurt him, just like he has hurt her in so many ways.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, because if she went back in there and started a fight, he would be the one finishing it, and she was already hurting enough as it was. So she suppressed her emotions, pushing back the anger and pain behind her walls and closed herself off, just like she always did.

After cleaning herself up and changing into some fresh clothes, some yoga pants and an oversized sweater that covered up her body, she came back into the kitchen to finish dinner and set the table. She could hear Leopold talking on the phone again in his office. He sounded so professional and business like, the person on the other end would never suspect what he just did to his wife.

She called Henry and then started to set the table just as Leopold walked into the dining room. He took one look at the plates of overcooked chicken and vegetables she set down and scoffed. He took his seat at the head of the table and started stabbing the chicken with his fork, pulling it off the bone.

"I told you not to burn the chicken," he reprimanded her. Her hands shook as she nervously took her seat beside him. The words, It was your fault, died on her tongue and all she could do was stare down at her plate submissively. She couldn't touch her food, not when Leopold was sitting beside her after what he just did. He was being a smug son of bitch, and all she could do was tremble in her seat and push her food around with her fork.

When Henry came in, he must have seen how shaken she was, because he took his seat beside her and kept looking at her in confusion. He could see the way her fork trembled in her hand and the way she flinched each time Leopold reached for his drink. He could see her fear.

"Eat your food, son," Leopold grumbled.

"Mom, what's wrong?" he asked, completely ignoring his father. Regina panicked, immediately raising her gaze to see her husband glaring at their son. Henry stared back defiantly, almost as if he were challenging him. She could see Emma in him, the fierce protectiveness she had seen at the mines.

"Don't make me ask you again," Leopold said coolly, his voice threatening and Henry had the sense to back down. He started taking slow bites of his food, but she could feel him glancing at her. She hated herself for letting him see her like this. She hated herself for not being able to suppress her fear just like she was taught so long ago. She hated herself for letting Leopold force himself on her.

She felt like she couldn't breathe. Her stomach felt like it was twisting in knots, and the smell of the overcooked chicken was making her nauseous. She needed some air.

She excused herself suddenly, not seeing Henry's concerned face or hearing him asking his dad to be excused as well. She tried not to walk so stiffly, but it hurt too much. She practically threw her dish in the sink and couldn't stop the sob from escaping her lips.

She stepped out into the backyard and walked over to her apple tree Eva had planted when she found out Cora was pregnant with her. She had taken such good care of it since Eva passed, the leaves were green and alive and the apples were bright and almost ready to be picked soon for cider. She looked up into the leaves and closed her eyes, breathing in the cold night air in an attempt to calm her anxiety. She wrapped her arms around herself, feeling so vulnerable.

So much has changed since she was a little girl being bounced in Eva's arms and reaching up with little hands to grab an apple. Tears streamed down her cheeks at the memory. Eva would be so heartbroken if she knew what Leopold had just done to her.

"Mom?"

Her eyes snapped open and she turned in an instant, horrified that Henry caught her in this state. She dried her tears and knelt before him.

"Henry…" She didn't know what to say.

"Was dad being mean to you again?" he asked. "Is that why you're crying?"

"Let's not worry about that," she said, evading the reason she had been so emotionally shaken up during dinner. She lifted his chin with her finger, looking into his worried hazel eyes. No child should have to worry for their parents like this. She knew the feeling all too well. "I love you,

you know that, right?" she asked, because she couldn't bear the thought if he believed anything less.

He hesitated, and her heart shattered. Did he really believe that she didn't care for him, just because he was adopted? Was it because he believed she was the Evil Queen, incapable of love? Of course he did.

She stood, watching the concern on his face turn to confusion. She tried not to let that break her, because after all, he was just a child, confused by a fantasy he created in his head.

"Mom…" he started, but she wouldn't let him finish. She closed herself off to him, unable to handle another rejection from the one person she loved unconditionally.

"Go inside, and finish your dinner," she said, turning to face her apple tree once more and not giving him a chance to say anything else.