Part Eleven: The One With The Mine Accident
Regina was smiling brightly while signing another document, without really paying attention to what was written in it.
How could she?
This was the happiest she had ever been in months.
The night before with Henry had meant everything to her.
Of course, it wasn't like before just yet, like when he was younger.
Before he put his hands on that damn book.
But they have talked last night, really talked about each other's day and Henry even let her tuck him in bed despite his protest of not being a little boy anymore.
But Regina didn't really care about that.
Part of her knew Henry was always going to be her little boy, even when he was sixty years old with grandchildren.
And when she kissed his forehead before leaving the room for the night, Regina felt lighter.
Happier.
She walked back to her bedroom with a smile printed on her face, one that refused to go away, even now.
The therapy was finally helping.
The Ph.D. the curse gave Dr. Hopper was finally put to good use.
Perhaps Henry was starting to believe that the whole fairy tale curse was nonsense.
Perhaps the Cricket wasn't so useless after all.
And perhaps it was time for shock therapy, something that would take those delusional thoughts out of Henry's mind for good.
And then Regina would finally have her son back.
And her happy ending would be full again.
Regina rose from her chair, completely ignoring the rest of the reports she needed to sign, and took her purse.
She left the building and drove her Mercedes to Dr. Hopper's office, ready to have a more serious conversation with him.
"Madam Mayor," Archie said when Regina entered his office.
Without knocking first.
Why should she?
Technically, everything in Storybrooke was her creation and therefore, belonged to her.
Even the Cricket.
"Dr. Hopper, may I have a word?" Regina said while looking at everything around her.
That office really needed to be cleaned.
"Yes, of course," Archie said, pointing the couch to Regina.
He was smiling at her and Regina suppressed the urge to roll her eyes.
It was one thing when she was happy and smiling but to see the joy on the faces of her subjects was not the reason why she cast the curse.
They were supposed to be miserable.
But Regina smiled back at the man and sat down on the couch while Dr. Hopper sat on the armchair.
"May I ask what you want to talk about?" Archie asked her.
"Henry, of course," Regina said almost angrily.
What else could she possibly have to discuss with a bug?
"What about Henry?" Archie asked.
"I see you are making some progress with him," Regina said.
"Not as much as I would like to, no," Archie said honestly.
"What are you talking about?" Regina asked.
"Henry is still very deep into his fantasy," Archie said "And we need to take things slow with him, gentle, to make him understand…"
"To make him understand what?" Regina asked angrily "Why is so hard for you to take those ridiculous ideas out of Henry's mind once and for all? They don't even make any sense"
"Yes, to me or you," Archie said "But Henry is a child and he has a very active imagination"
"And I'm paying you, fairily well if I may say so, to destroy this particular imagination," Regina said.
"It's not that easy, Regina," Archie said "I think it would be wrong to rip away the world he's constructed. I'd rather use it to try and get…"
"You know what is not easy?" Regina shouted before rising from the couch "Not being able to afford a roof over your head. You work for me. You're an employee, and I can fire you. This is my town. You will lose your office, lose your house. I can cut you down to size until you're a tiny, shrunken little creature"
"Madam Mayor?" Archie looked eyes widened at Regina.
"Last night Henry gave me the first sign of getting better, of what a life we could have if he didn't think of me as some evil witch," Regina said "You will do your job," Regina walked closer to Archie "You will destroy that fantasy world, you will burn it to the ground until there is nothing but ashes left, and I have my son back. You will do that, and you will do it quickly,"
Regina bent down in front of him, putting her hands on each side of the armchair, and looked deep into his eyes.
"Otherwise, I will destroy you," Regina said slowly.
Regina rose to her full height and pick up her purse from the couch before leaving the office, without looking back at the small trembling man she left behind.
"A tie?" Emma asked, holding up the hideous uniform Graham gave her seconds after she walked inside the office "You know you don't have to dress a woman as a man to give her authority"
"So you think you can get people to do what you want in that red coat?" Graham asked charmingly, pointing at Emma's jacket.
"I'm getting you to do what I want right now," Emma said, throwing the blouse on the floor.
Petulant, yes.
But there was no way in hell she was ever going to wear a uniform.
It reminded her too much of her time in jail.
"Well, at least wear the badge," Graham said, holding up the badge "Go on. Take it. If you really want to be a part of this community, you have to make it official"
Emma looked at him suspiciously but also slightly amused.
Emma Swan, part of a community.
Life can really take unexpected turns sometimes.
Emma reached for the badge on Graham's hand and looked at the star, wondering if she was doing the right thing by staying in town.
But before she could think more properly about it, Emma simply lowered her hand, trapping the badge on her pants.
And then the whole world came crashing down.
Or so it felt like when everything around her started to shake and Emma had to hold on to the desk to keep her balance.
"What a hell was that?" Emma asked looking at Graham.
He seemed as confused as her by the event.
Not to mention, the timing.
The phones started to buzz everywhere inside the room, making Emma nearly go deaf with all that noise.
"Welcome to Storybrooke," Graham smiled at Emma before going to answer one of the phones.
And Emma couldn't help but run her hand on the star wondering if these two events were somehow connected.
But she immediately shook her head, smirking at her ridiculous thought.
Henry really did have a way to get into a person's head.
"Emma, come on, we have to go," Graham said, already putting on his jacket.
"What happened?" Emma asked.
"The old miner collapsed," Graham said "We need to isolate the whole place before anyone else gets hurt"
Graham left the room and naturally, Emma followed him to the car.
Graham drove them there, lightly chit-chatting with Emma, telling her how happy he was that she decided to stay.
Emma was happy she did too.
Although part of her still thought her reasons were completely insane and that she should run away while she still could.
Graham parked the car and Emma could smell the scent of apple blossom and winter breeze before she even open the door.
Regina was there!
Her heart started to race inside her chest when Emma opened the door and that scent invaded her, becoming stronger even though Regina was far away from her.
Emma almost felt like that scent was impregnated on her now, like a perfume she had just sprayed on her skin.
"Everyone step back please," Regina's voice broke Emma out of her thoughts.
Emma looked in the direction of Regina's voice and then she notice the big crater on the ground.
And then her heart started to race inside her chest again for a whole different reason.
Regina was standing on top of a mound while talking to the people, that looked like it could give in any second under her feet.
Emma had to suppress the urge to go to Regina and pull her out of there, bring her inside her arms where she would be safe.
Instead, Emma held her breath and kept her eyes on the mound the whole time Regina was talking, and only breathed again when Regina left.
And walked in her direction.
"Sheriff, set up a police perimeter," Regina said, looking at Graham before looking at Emma "Miss Swan, this is now official town business. You're free to go"
"Well, actually I work for the town now," Emma said, looking at Regina.
Emma saw the way Regina looked at Graham as if she was ready to tear him apart, limb by limb.
Emma could almost find it amusing if she wasn't the reason why Regina gave him that look.
"She's my new deputy," Graham said.
"They say the mayor's always last to know," Regina said, still looking at Graham.
"It's in my budget," Graham said back.
And Emma almost felt like this was some petulant act on his part.
"Indeed," Regina gave Graham one last mortal look before looking at Emma "Deputy, why don't you make yourself useful and help with crowd control?" Regina said and before Emma could answer her, Regina was already addressing the people again.
And curious enough, Emma almost felt a pang of pride when Regina addressed the people again.
Yes, Regina hated her and was obviously unhappy about the fact Emma was working for the town now.
But she was a good Mayor.
She bothered to show up where the accident had happened and now was giving a speech to the people, to calm their hearts.
Emma didn't know many politicians who cared.
If only she could get down that damn mound she was so fond of steeping on top when talking, Emma could like her a little bit better tonight.
"Emma, here, take this," Graham said, giving Emma the Cruiser keys "Get the crime scene tape in the truck. We need to isolate this area"
"With tape?" Emma asked, taking the keys from his hands.
"We don't have the manpower to watch the perimeter," Graham said "And the tape sends a message"
"Okay," Emma nodded.
She walked to the car, bumping into a person or two.
Emma couldn't bear taking her eyes away from that damn mound Regina was standing on.
Even if she hated her.
Emma opened the truck and retrieved the tape from inside.
She saw Archie arrive with Henry and wondered what the heck they were doing there.
That place was dangerous, especially for a kid.
Then Emma rolled her eyes to herself because leave it to Henry to convince a grown man to take him to a place where a catastrophe had just happened.
She was kind of proud of him too.
Emma walked to the edge of the crater and trapped the tape around a tree before starting to go around it, pulling the tape with her.
She saw Regina talking with Henry, she seemed a bit upset about the fact that Henry was there, and honestly, Emma couldn't blame Regina.
Henry really didn't have any boundaries.
Regina put Henry inside the car before walking to where Graham was standing.
Emma watched them talking and felt that pang of jealousy when Graham touched Regina's elbow, and then pulled her closer.
Why did he always have to touch her and they were talking?
Perhaps Regina should teach him some boundaries too.
Regina turned away from Graham's touch and Emma involuntarily smiled at the action.
Their eyes locked when Regina turned to leave and Emma hoped Regina would walk in her direction to talk to her too.
But instead, Regina just walked to her car and drove away with Henry, letting Emma wonder if she would ever get to leave with them too.
The very next day, Regina was once again in her office doing the exact opposite of what she was supposed to be doing.
She was supposed to be evaluating a budget for the mine, she was supposed to call the infrastructure department to know how much it would cost City Hall to allocate tractors and manpower to make that area safe again.
But instead, Regina was staring at the papers without making any sense of the words written in them, thinking about Emma Swan.
Regina was furious!
Mostly because she wasn't quite sure what she was so furious about.
At least when it came to Emma.
Graham had betrayed her and she would make sure to find a suitable way to punish him for it.
He had crossed her.
And Regina was going to make sure that wouldn't happen again.
But Emma…
When Regina arrived at the mine last night, the first thing she smelled was that damn wildflowers scent.
She didn't even have to look to know that Emma was there.
And when Regina gave her speech to the people, she noticed the way Emma was looking at her.
It was almost… concerned.
Regina had no idea why she was looking at her like that but it warmed her heart, no matter how much she tried to ignore it.
So when her speech was over, Regina walked closer to where Graham and Emma were standing.
And Regina would forever deny this, but when she told Emma to leave wasn't because she didn't want her there.
She did.
More than she would ever care to admit.
But she didn't want Emma there because she didn't want her to be in danger, she didn't want something happening to her in case the ground below their feet decided to give in again.
She had to keep the façade and she spoke in such a toneless voice as if she didn't care at all even though her heart was telling her something else.
But when Emma told Regina that she was working for the town now and Graham confirmed it, Regina felt her blood boil.
Because how dare Graham do anything behind her back?
Who the hell did he think he was to hire Emma without checking with her first?
How could she not know exactly what was going on in her town?
So Regina told Emma to do her job and help with the crowd because she was furious and that damn scent of wildflowers and summer breeze was doing a terrible job at keeping her blood boiling.
That damn scent was soothing her and Regina did not want that.
She wanted to be angry, she needed to be angry.
She needed that otherwise, she would just lose control.
And now Regina was here, spending the hours of her day once again, thinking about Emma Swan.
She should have the blonde woman killed just for invading her thoughts like that.
Because now, Regina couldn't for the life of her, decide if she was happy or angry about this.
The logical part of her was furious. She needed to get rid of Emma and her working for the police department only made that wish go further and further away.
But there was this other part of her, this part deep inside of her, this part that she buried very, very deep and only allowed Henry to enter, this part of her was… happy!
Because Emma made that part of her dance inside her chest.
Because every time Regina smelled that wildflowers and summer scent, she knew she was home.
Because that part of her was starting to break through and Regina was terrified of that.
Because what if Emma was…
No!
That was impossible!
Regina shook her head, forcing the thoughts out of her mind once again.
Emma Swan was a threat.
Nothing more.
Regina looked at the papers again and sighed.
There were so many words and none of them made any sense to her.
Not when she couldn't read a line without a certain blonde woman popping into her mind.
The phone rang in the office, and Regina smiled at the divine intervention.
Honestly, at this point, she was even willing to be nice to Mary Margaret if she could take her thoughts away from Emma Swan just for a damn second.
"Hello?" Regina said when she answered the phone.
"Regina?"
Regina rose from the chair, putting her free hand on top of her heart.
The woman on the other side of the line was desperate and Regina felt her heart clench at the tone of her voice.
"Emma?" Regina breathed out "What happened? Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine," Emma said "But Henry may not be"
"What are you talking about?" Regina asked, feeling like the air didn't quite reach her lungs.
"He came down to the mine," Emma said "And now he is trapped inside"
Regina felt her hands shaking, hardly holding the phone to her ear anymore.
Tears fell down her face, as that clench inside her heart only became tighter.
"What was he doing there?" Regina asked, her voice barely a whisper.
"Something happened between Henry and Archie," Emma said vaguely "He is down there with Henry too"
Regina closed her eyes, letting the tears fall freely down her face.
Her fault.
This was all her fault.
Regina forced Archie to be ruthless with Henry.
And now her little Prince was in danger and Regina had no one to blame but herself.
"Regina? Regina?"
"I'm here," Regina said flatly.
"Regina we are going to…"
"Call the Sheriff," Regina said promptly "Have him call the fire department and the infrastructure department to evaluate the ground"
"Okay," Emma said on the other line.
"Call the hospital and tell them to send an ambulate to the mine," Regina said pacing inside the office "Tell them to send a doctor as well and not just paramedics"
"Yeah, okay, I can do that," Emma said again.
"Control the area and don't let anyone step inside the perimeter you isolated last night," Regina said coldly "They might make the situation worse"
"Regina?" Emma called her name.
"What?" Regina asked angrily.
"He is going to be okay," Emma said softly.
"Of course, he will," Regina said in a heartbeat "I'll be right there"
Regina turn off the call and walked out of her office, stepping inside her car and driving to the mine.
She gripped the steering wheel with the same force as her feet went down on the gas.
Regina looked at the road ahead of her and swallowed the tears away.
Henry had to be okay.
Because she was sure this world was not ready for what she would do in case he wasn't.
After driving for twenty minutes, Regina arrived at the mine.
Her nose was immediately assaulted with that scent of wildflowers and summer breeze but there was something else mixed with the scent this time.
Something that left Regina with a bitter taste on the back of her throat.
Fear!
Regina opened the car door and saw Emma with her back to her on the phone.
And before Regina could even close the door, Emma turned her head to look at her.
Regina wondered again if Emma could smell her too?
"I have called everyone," Emma said running more than walking towards Regina.
Regina nodded at Emma before walking past her, going straight to the mine entrance.
She stared at the entrance her features hard and her eyes full of tears.
And then she gave one step forward and started to pull the rocks from the entrance with her bare hands.
"Regina, what are you doing?" Emma asked behind her.
But Regina didn't bother to answer her.
The only thing she cared about was pulling the rocks that were trapping her son inside the mine.
No matter how heavy they were, or how they didn't move an inch no matter how much Regina pulled them.
She would cut her skin and break all of her bones if she had to.
She would do anything for her son.
"Regina, stop," Emma said putting her hands on Regina's shoulder.
Once again, Regina didn't quite listen to Emma.
She was pulling on the main rock in the mine entrance, and she had to focus all of her energy to remove that rock.
If maybe she could pull that rock out of the way she could squeeze her way inside the mine and then bring Henry out.
"Regina, you are going to hurt yourself," Emma said.
Regina kept on pulling the rock and didn't stop when she felt a sharp edge breaking her skin, drawing blood.
"Regina, stop," Emma said firmly and pulled Regina away from the rock.
"What the hell you think you doing?" Regina shouted angrily.
"Your hand is bleeding," Emma said, pointing at Regina's hand.
"I don't care," Regina said and gave a step in the direction of the rock.
But Emma blocked her way.
"That rock is too heavy," Emma said "You will never be able to pull it out"
"I have to try," Regina gave another step only to be blocked by Emma again.
"Regina…"
"Get out of my way," Regina said angrily.
She looked at Emma deadly, the kind of look she hasn't really given to anyone since her years as The Evil Queen.
Because right now, Regina was taken over by anger and fear and nothing in this world would calm her racing heart.
Not even that scent of home.
Because what was a home without Henry?
"We are getting him out, Regina, I swear to you," Emma said giving a step closer to Regina until they were face to face "But this is not the way. You hurting yourself is not the way"
"I need to save my son," Regina said, not caring about the tears falling down her face.
"We will," Emma whispered, taking Regina's face between her hands and brushing the tears with her thumb "I promise"
Regina looked into Emma's eyes seeing the sincerity behind her words.
Because at that moment, Regina knew that Emma would do anything to bring Henry back to her.
And it was the weirdest sensation having her heart so full of fear but also, so full of hope.
Regina closed her eyes unable to look at Emma's anymore and nodded.
And then she let herself be enveloped by that wildflowers scent and that summer feeling that was warming her heart and calming her nerves.
"They are here," Emma whispered, forcing Regina out of her thoughts.
When Regina opened her eyes again, she saw how reluctantly Emma was to pull away from her and how she smiled apologetically at Regina before giving a step back.
And when Regina didn't have Emma's touch anymore, everything came crashing down.
All the noises, and movements, suddenly took over everything around her.
And Regina gave herself five seconds to recompose, before turning around and doing what she did best.
Lead!
"Madam Mayor," Graham said when Regina came closer to him "Your hand is bleeding"
"My hand is fine," Regina said firmly "I want the map of the tunnels down the mine"
"It's right here, Madam Mayor," A man shouted from the other side.
Regina walked past Graham and followed the man who opened the map on top of the Sheriff's Cruiser.
She started to examine the maps, tracing with her fingers the old tunnels, calculating the damage that they could do without having the whole thing collapsing on top of her son.
And the cricket.
All Regina needed was a hole.
If she could just break through the rocks she could get inside and pull Henry out before the whole thing came crashing down due to the rotten wood pilasters.
"Regina?" Emma asked beside her.
Regina looked at Emma, feeling her nerves get slightly calm again and her hands less shaking.
"We need to find some way to punch through the ground," Regina said looking at Emma "We need something big"
"Like what?" Emma asked.
"Explosives," Came Marco's voice behind them.
Both Emma and Regina turned to look at the man, who walked closer to them and explained the plan.
He wanted to use explosives to blow up the rocks.
But Regina was reluctantly about the plan because without the proper calculations they could end up doing exactly the thing they were trying to prevent.
They could collapse the mine.
"I don't know," Regina shook her head when Marco stopped talking "Maybe we should use a bulldozer"
"Madam Mayor, I have experience with these things," Marco said "I will not use enough to make the mine collapse, only to open a hole on the ground"
"You can not guarantee that," Regina said.
"Regina, we may not have a choice here," Emma said "There is no bulldozer around here right now, plus if they go in too deep they might make the mine collapse just the same"
"She is right Madam Mayor," Marco said.
Regina crossed her arms looking between Emma and Marco.
Right now, she felt exactly like she did so many times before casting the curse.
She was between the cross and the sword.
One plan was equally as bad as the other and none of them could guarantee the safety of her son.
Regina had gambled with many things in her life.
But she would never gamble with her son's life.
"Regina, you need to make a decision," Emma said by her side.
"Okay," Regina nodded "Okay, we'll use the explosives"
Marco nodded at Regina and then asked Emma if she could help him get them out of her car.
Regina walked to the cruiser again, examining the maps and trying to find a last-minute solution.
And wonder why the hell Marco had explosives inside his car.
Half an hour later Emma was coming up with Graham and Marco after putting all the explosives at the entrance of the mine.
Emma stood beside Regina, all of them just waiting for her command.
"Blow it," Regina said, closing her hands into a fist.
They all crouched behind the vehicles, and when the explosives were blown out, Regina found herself holding on to Emma, safely enveloped inside Emma's arms.
Emma had moved during the explosion, protecting Regina's body with her own.
And Regina had pulled Emma's arms lower on the ground, making sure she was completely covered by the car.
Emma looked at Regina and smiled before getting up from the ground.
She ran in the direction of the mine before the smoke even cleared and Regina felt her heart clench inside her chest.
She couldn't see Emma.
And for a second, Regina panicked thinking she had lost her too.
But the smoke cleared slightly enough for Regina to see Emma at the entrance.
And the sight of the blonde woman made her heart feel a little less heavy.
"Did it work?" Regina asked Emma when she started to climb up.
"It didn't open," Emma said, looking desperately back at Regina.
"Then what did it do?" Graham asked beside Regina.
And just like that, Regina felt her heart drop to her stomach.
Because fear had once again crawled under her skin and Regina swore the whole world would pay if something happened with her son.
Regina walked back to the cruiser examining the maps again.
She knew she should have gone with her original plan and brought a bulldozer to remove the rocks but it was too late now.
With the explosion, it was simply too risky.
Emma was nearby, Regina could tell by the scent of wildflowers around her but the fear mixed with Emma's scent was making Regina even more fearful for her son.
It was too much, Regina felt like she was connecting with Emma, feeling everything that the blonde woman was feeling and it was overwhelming her, making it impossible for her to think clearly.
"If we knew exactly where they were, we could drill down to them," Marco said beside Regina.
"I am not taking another advice from you," Regina said angrily, looking at Marco.
"Regina," Emma walked closer to her.
"They could have killed my son," Regina shout at Emma.
"I know," Emma said softly "But that was the plan and we all agreed to it"
"What if he is hurt down there?" Regina asked.
"I don't think he is," Emma put her hand on Regina's arm "The explosion did not break the rocks outside, I doubt that it did anything on the inside"
"There is an old mine down there," Regina said "The structure holding up the mine is made of woods, not stones. If one breaks, everything can come crashing down"
"If it had, we would have heard," Emma said looking deep into Regina's eyes.
"Maybe, maybe we can make something to bring them back up," Marco said.
"Like what?" Graham asked.
Graham and Marco started to argue about this or that idea and Regina did her best to pay attention to each one of them.
Who knows?
Maybe something useful would come out of it.
But her focus was torn away from them the second Emma let go of her arm and walked away.
Regina notice two things when that happened.
One, was that Emma's touch was the only thing keeping her steady at that moment. And two, was how much she missed it when it was gone.
Regina watched Emma walk to the fire department truck where Pongo was barking and then she opened the door letting the dog out.
Emma started to follow Pongo and Regina immediately started to follow Emma.
"What are you doing?" Regina asked behind Emma.
"I think Pongo knows where they are," Emma said, quickly looking behind her.
"What are you talking about?" Regina asked, catching up with Emma.
"He has been barking for a while now, always looking this way," Emma said "Maybe he can sense something that we don't"
Suddenly, Pongo stopped walking and started to dig the ground, sniffing and crying at the same time.
"Look," Emma looked at Regina.
And then she kneeled on the ground and started to dig too. It didn't take long for Emma's hands to make contact with a wooden cover that she quickly pulled out of the way.
"What is this?" Emma asked.
"I think it's an air shaft," Regina whispered.
"Does it lead to the mine?" Emma asked looking up at Regina.
"Yes, I think it does," Regina smiled at Emma, "I think we just found a way to save Henry"
Emma rose from the ground and smiled brightly at Regina.
"I'll let everyone know what we found," Emma said, before walking away.
A few minutes later, Regina saw Emma walking in her direction with Graham and Marco behind the wheel of a toe truck.
Marco quickly put the hook on the grid and then turned on the machine, pulling the grid open.
Now they finally had a way down to the mine.
Now Regina could finally save her son.
"We need to lower someone straight down, or the line would collapse with the sides of the shaft," Marco said.
"Lower me down," Regina said to the man.
"Oh, no way," Emma said quickly "I'm going"
Regina looked at Emma feeling the anger get the best of her.
"He's my son," Regina said angrily.
"He's my son too," Emma said softly "You've been sitting behind your desk for ten years. I can do this"
Regina looked at Emma feeling her heart race inside her chest as that overwhelming scent of wildflowers enveloped her.
But there was something else mixed with the scent again.
It wasn't fear anymore.
It was pure determination and… protectiveness.
Regina gave a step closer to Emma, feeling the air get caught in her throat as she stared at Emma's eyes.
Shining in them was the same sincerity she saw earlier.
She could trust Emma.
She wouldn't break her word.
Much like Regina, Emma would do anything to keep their son safe.
"Just bring him to me," Regina said finally, a silver line shining behind her eyes.
Emma nodded at Regina and took her wrist between her hand, softly running her thumb around.
"I will," Emma whispered "Trust me"
"I trust you," Regina nodded at her.
"I've got the harness," Graham said forcing Regina's attention out of Emma.
Emma let go of Regina's wrist and removed her jacket, giving it to Regina.
Regina wasn't quite sure why but she felt like that gesture meant something. That the jacket meant something to Emma. And she vowed to herself to keep it safe until Emma was back with Henry.
Graham and Marco hooked the harness around Emma and then, they lowered her down the shaft.
And Regina was positively sure that her heart was either on the back of her throat or the pit of her stomach because that unsettling feeling couldn't possibly be normal.
She was breathing fast, concentrating on that scent of wildflowers and summer breeze that got further and further away from her.
But at least while that scent was around her, while that warm summer feeling was enveloping her body, she knew Emma was safe.
Regina kneeled in front of the air shaft, looking down.
She gripped the concrete hard until her knuckles turned white, waiting and waiting and waiting.
She heard noises down there and then Emma shouting before a loud crashing sound made its way up.
And Regina almost panicked thinking that something may have happened to her but the second that the agony of that thought invaded her mind and fear wormed its way to her heart, Regina was enveloped by that scent again, only stronger.
And once again the scent was different.
There was no fear mixed with it anymore.
There was just relief.
"Regina, we have to pull," Graham said kneeling beside her.
He put his arm around Regina and guided her up again while Marco and the others started to pull on the metal carefully.
And Regina could have melted in tears at the sight of Henry hooked around Emma's body as they emerged from the air shaft.
"Henry," Regina whispered between tears.
She threw her arms around her son the second they were both on land, pulling him closer not caring about who was there to watch her tears soak Henry's shoulder.
"Mom, I can't breathe," Henry half said half choked.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Regina said, only pulling away slightly "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Henry said "Emma saved me"
Regina looked at Emma who was still right next to Henry and nodded at her.
"Thank you," Regina said sincerely.
"Not for this," Emma smiled at Regina.
Three hours later, Regina walked with four boxes of pizza to the dining room.
After Emma rescued Henry from the mine, they were attended by two doctors.
Henry was fine, he didn't have a single scratch on him.
Regina had to clean her wound, which hurt like hell even though the damn thing was nearly close.
In the end, she didn't even needed a band-aid on it.
After all that, Regina took Henry back home. His first statement when they entered the mansion was that he was hungry and Regina laughed so loud that even Henry looked at her puzzled.
They both decided that it was better to wash the day off first but not without Henry warning her not to take too long.
When Regina was finished, she was positively exhausted.
She asked Henry what he wanted for dinner and when he asked if they could have pizza she said yes on the spot.
And when Henry couldn't decide which flavor of pizza he wanted the most that night, Regina threw caution into the air and ordered all the flavors he wanted.
"Henry," Regina knocked on his door "The pizza is here"
Regina entered his room, smiling at the image of her son reading a comic on his bed.
He was home and he was safe.
That was all that mattered to her.
"I'm sorry I went down there," Henry said, looking at Regina.
Regina sat down on the bed, gently running her fingers on his hair.
"Why did you go there?" Regina asked.
"I wanted to prove to Archie that I was telling him the truth," Henry said.
"Henry…"
"I knew you were hiding something down there," Henry said, "I thought that if I could find it, I could prove to him that I was telling the truth"
"Henry, I am not hiding anything in that mine," Regina said.
"Yes, you are," Henry said "You were worried when the mine collapsed"
"For the safety of the people," Regina said desperately.
"You hate the people," Henry said back.
"Henry, you have got to stop this," Regina said defeated.
"You and I both know it's true," Henry said.
"Henry…"
"But I don't think everything is exactly as the book says it is," Henry said before Regina could finish "Not anymore"
"What?" Regina asked.
"I know you are not as bad as the books say you are," Henry said "Because you are my mom. And… And I think you love me"
"Henry you are everything to me," Regina said softly.
"Yeah, Emma says the same thing," Henry said.
"Miss Swan?" Regina asked.
"Yes," Henry nodded "You… You care about me. I'm sorry I stopped believing that"
"I love you, Henry," Regina whispered.
"So tell me the truth," Henry pleaded.
Regina opened her mouth but before she could say anything, the sound of the doorbell echoed inside the house.
Emma was shifting her weight from foot to foot as she waited outside the white door.
She was restless inside the loft.
She knew Henry and Regina were okay, she saw them leaving together and she stood close by as the doctor examined Henry and then Regina.
She was desperate to go home with them which was the strangest feeling she have ever had in over ten years.
When Emma arrived home and showered she told Mary Margaret what happened.
Her friend kept on calling her a hero, sounding so much like Henry that the clench on her chest only grew bigger.
She needed to be close to them.
She needed that apple blossom scent and that winter feeling that felt so much like home.
Just for tonight anyway.
So when Mary Margaret asked Emma what she wanted for dinner, Emma just rose from the couch and told her there were things she needed to take care of at the Sheriff's Station.
And then Emma drove straight to the mansion.
"Miss Swan?" Regina asked surprised when she opened the door.
"Hi," Emma smiled at Regina.
"What are you doing here?" Regina crossed her arms.
"I just…" Emma bit her lower lip before looking into Regina's eyes "I guess I just wanted to make sure Henry was okay"
"He is fine," Regina arched an eyebrow.
"Can I see him?" Emma asked "Please?"
"Miss Swan, this is highly inappropriate," Regina said.
"Just tonight, Regina," Emma said defeated "Please?"
"Emma?" Henry said behind them.
Regina turned to look at her son, letting enough space for Emma to see him too.
Emma smiled brightly the second her eyes landed on the boy.
"Hey, Kid," Emma said.
"What are you doing here?" Henry asked confused.
Emma opened her mouth to answer him, but before any words came out, Regina's voice interrupted her.
"Miss Swan came for dinner," Regina said.
"Really?" Henry asked hopefully looking between Emma and Regina.
Emma looked hopefully at Regina too.
"You are late, Miss Swan," Regina said moving to the side "You are lucky we haven't started eating yet"
"Sorry," Emma smiled at Regina giving a step inside the house and mouthing thank you.
Regina nodded at Emma and moved to close the door.
"Henry, why don't you show Miss Swan to the bathroom so the two of you can wash your hands before dinner," Regina said "I'm going to set the table"
"Emma, you are so lucky tonight. We are having pizza," Henry said excitedly "And one of them is loaded with bacon"
"Bacon, huh?" Emma asked looking at Regina.
"It is mom's favorite," Henry said before pulling Emma with him.
When Henry and Emma returned to the dining room, Regina had set the table for three and there were four boxes of pizza on top of the table.
"Wow, you guys really like pizza, huh?" Emma laughed.
"We couldn't decide which one to order and mom said I could have anything I wanted tonight," Henry smiled "But don't eat everything because I want them for breakfast"
"You are most certainly not having pizza for breakfast," Regina told Henry.
But Henry just smiled, the kind of smile of someone who knew he was indeed most certainly having pizza for breakfast the next day.
The three of them sat in their respective seats while eating the pizzas.
The talk was mostly filled by Henry who told them both a little of what happened when he and Archie were down in the mine.
And then he promised he wouldn't do anything like that ever again.
Emma could hardly take her eyes off Regina the whole time she was there.
The way Regina looked at Henry was so loving, so tender, and so very different from what the brunette woman usually shows to the world.
When they were at the mine, Emma could sense Regina's desperation, her anguish, and her… wrath.
It was mixed with her apple scent to the point of making Emma's own fear grow wider.
She had no idea what the hell that was but she knew she never wanted to feel that way again.
And now that they were here, the scent was different again.
It was that smell of apple blossom and winter nights that Emma stupidly started to associate with…home.
Because the more she looked at Regina, the more she felt that pull towards the brunette woman.
And the more Emma felt that pull towards the brunette woman, the more her brain told her to run.
Even when her heart was telling her to stay.
"Mom, can I have ice cream?" Henry asked.
"You done eating the pizza already, kid," Emma asked.
"I think I only have enough space for ice cream now," Henry said "Hey, Emma, do you want to stay for a movie?"
"Oh, Henry, I don't know," Emma said, nervously looking at Regina.
"Come on stay," Henry pleaded "Please?"
"Miss Swan, if you are done eating why don't you go to the living room with Henry," Regina said rising from the chair "I'll bring the ice cream to you"
"I'm done," Emma smiled softly "But I can help you clean"
"There is no need for that, dear," Regina said.
"Come on, Emma," Henry smiled.
"Okay," Emma smiled back before following Henry to the living room.
Once they sat down, Henry turned on the tv before looking serious at Emma.
"We need to do some adjustments in Operation Cobra," Henry said.
"I'm sorry, what?" Emma asked confused.
"My mom is the Evil Queen," Henry said.
"Henry…"
"But she is not like the book said," Henry said "When you break the curse and the final battle begins… I can't let you hurt her"
"Henry, I am not fighting any battles," Emma said tired "And I have no desire to hurt your mother"
"Good," Henry said "I think… I think we need to find a way to bring her to our side"
"Kid…"
"Maybe you two could be friends," Henry wondered.
"Friends?" Emma asked.
"Yes," Henry said "That's the best way to gather intel for Operation Cobra. If you and mom became friends maybe she can tell you how to break the curse"
"So you want me to trick your mom into believing that we are friends?" Emma asked.
"No," Henry made a face "I know you like her"
"What?" Emma swallowed dry, looking eyes widened at him.
"Henry, have you chosen a movie yet?" Regina asked, entering the living room.
She stopped in front of them on the couch giving one bowl to Henry and another to Emma.
Emma felt that familiar and yet strange little shock wave when their fingers quickly brushed when Regina gave her the ice cream.
And then Regina moved to sit right next to Henry who was now between the two women, eating his ice cream.
"You didn't want any?" Emma asked.
"I have no interest in clogging my arteries any further tonight, Miss Swan" Regina said without looking at her.
"I'm sure you would live, Regina," Emma rolled her eyes playfully.
"You let me know tomorrow, dear," Regina said sarcastically.
"Haha, very funny," Emma said, shoving a spoonful of ice cream inside her mouth.
Half an hour later, the ice cream was gone and Henry was slightly snoring, half on top of Regina and half on top of Emma.
"I need to put him in bed," Regina said, gently running her fingers on Henry's hair.
"I can do that," Emma said.
"There is no need for that, dear," Regina said "I can carry my son to his bedroom"
"I know you can, Regina," Emma said softly "But Henry is heavy and you hurt your hand at the mine today. Let me do this"
Regina looked at Emma for a long time, staring into her eyes as if she was trying to read Emma's… soul.
And Emma wasn't sure why being held under Regina's gaze wasn't leaving her nervous.
It wasn't uncomfortable. If anything, it was welcomed.
So it was a surprise when Regina just sighed and nodded at Emma, lifting Henry's torso and gently putting him in Emma's arms.
"Do you know where his room is?" Regina asked.
"The end of the hallway to the right," Emma said simply, adjusting Henry more properly in her arms.
"I'll be at my study," Regina said leaving the room.
Emma carried Henry upstairs, fiding his bedroom with no trouble at all.
She gently deposit him on his bed and tucked him in, kissing his forehead before looking around his room.
He was a lucky child.
She wished he could see that.
Emma left his bedroom, closing the door behind her.
She walked down the stairs, trying to pull by memory where Regina's study was, from the first time she came to the town.
Oddly enough, it felt like a whole lifetime ago.
Emma entered the study and saw Regina sitting on the couch, staring at nothing.
She was so lost in thoughts that she hardly acknowledged Emma's presence in the room.
"Hey," Emma said lightly, not to scare Regina.
"Miss Swan," Regina turned her head to look at her "Henry?"
"Completely out to the world," Emma smiled "He didn't even stir"
"Good," Regina rose from the couch "Would you like a drink?"
"Sure," Emma nodded, walking closer to the couch.
"Whiskey?" Regina asked already at the liquor corner.
"Actually, I wouldn't mind a glass of your cider," Emma said before sitting on the couch "I must admit it has a very unique flavor"
"That's because my apples are special," Regina said pouring a glass "You remember my tree, right? You destroyed it after all"
"I didn't destroy it," Emma said defensibly "I took down a couple of branches"
"There were apples everywhere on the ground," Regina said.
"So I helped you!" Emma said cheekily.
"Careful, dear," Regina said walking back to Emma.
Emma smiled cheekily at Regina as she handed Emma her drink.
But Emma's smile did not last long once she saw the painful expression on Regina's face once she took the drink off her hand.
"Your hand is hurting," Emma said, pointing at Regina's hand.
"My hand is fine," Regina sighed, sitting right beside Emma on the couch.
"Let me see it," Emma said.
"Why?" Regina asked.
"Because I asked, Regina," Emma said, putting her drink on the coffee table.
"So what?" Regina asked.
"Okay, now I know from who Henry's stubbornness came from," Emma rolled her eyes.
"Excuse me?"
Emma smirked and took the drink from Regina's other hand and put it on the coffee table as well.
She took Regina's hand between hers, gently tracing the red mark on Regina's palm with the tip of her finger.
"It tickles," Regina said softly.
"I'm sorry," Emma said "Why isn't covered?"
"The doctor said there was no need," Regina said, "He said it was best to let it breathe or some bullshit like that"
"Does it hurt a lot?" Emma asked, gently tracing her thumb around the wound now.
"Not as much as it should but it is still a good reminder," Regina said.
"What?" Emma asked, lifting her head to look into Regina's eyes.
Regina looked at a spot behind Emma, not meeting her eyes.
"What happened to Henry… it was my fault," Regina said.
"Regina…"
"The reason why Archie pushed him was because I threatened him," Regina said "If I haven't done that Henry wouldn't have to feel like he had something to prove"
"Regina, this isn't on you," Emma said softly.
"Yes, it is," Regina said looking teary-eyed at Emma.
"The way Archie confronted Henry was his decision to make," Emma said "He could have chosen a better path, regardless of what you said to him"
"You don't know how I get, Emma," Regina said seriously.
"Actually, I do," Emma laughed a little.
And so did Regina. With an eye roll.
"This isn't your fault," Emma said softly "If it wasn't Archie, Henry would probably have found an excuse to go down that mine anyway"
"Maybe," Regina said.
"I'm telling you, he got that stubbornness from you," Emma smiled.
"Damn right he does," Regina smiled at Emma.
"He is home now, Regina, and he is safe," Emma said gently.
"I was terrified," Regina cried.
"I know," Emma nodded "I was too,"
"If something had happened to him…"
"But it didn't," Emma interrupted Regina.
Regina closed her eyes, letting the tears fall gently down her face.
Emma reached for her face, softly cleaning the tears while holding Regina's face with both her hands.
"Thank you for bringing him back to me," Regina said when she opened her eyes.
"You don't have to thank me for that," Emma said back, "I think we were more scared than he ever was"
"Oh, I have no doubt about that," Regina laughed between tears.
"He is a brave kid," Emma smiled "He got that from you too"
Regina looked into Emma's eyes, her chest moving fast up and down.
Emma knew her own breathing rhythm matched Regina's.
Because suddenly, everything seemed to disappear from around Emma until there was nothing but herself and Regina.
The pull was there, awakening every single cell of her body.
The scent of apple blossom and winter nights enveloped her like a blanket.
The electricity on her skin was desperate to make more contact with Regina.
Telling her that she needed more.
She would always need more from Regina.
She wanted Regina everywhere, she wanted to crawl under Regina's skin and became one with her.
She wanted that feeling of peace that settled inside her heart even though it was beating so fast, Emma was sure it would leave her chest any second now.
"Regina…" Emma whispered.
"Yes?" Regina whispered back.
"I'm going to kiss you now," Emma said.
"Okay,"
So Emma leaned forward, capturing Regina's lips with hers, savoring the faint taste of cider on Regina's tongue, pulling her closer and closer until not even air could come between them.
She kissed Regina with all that she had inside of her poring everything she didn't even now exist in her heart into the kiss.
She kissed Regina until her soul danced the purest of the music telling her she had finally found her home.