Regina took her bath that evening unable to just enjoy the hot water. She couldn't because she kept thinking about Emma being in the bath that morning. While she didn't consider herself a slouch in the looks department, she didn't think she had quite the definition of muscles she had glimpsed on Emma's midsection. She thought about Emma's arm holding on to her the night before and how when she tried to move Emma had tightened her grip on her. She could feel the muscles in Emma's arm when she did it.

"Stop it," she said out loud to herself.

By the time she was finished bathing, she was determined that when she returned to the room that she would sleep on the floor tonight. She didn't care if Emma thought it was stupid; Emma could have the bed going forward if it meant that much to her.

When she returned to the room Emma was sitting up on the bed waiting for her.

"I didn't open it," Emma said holding up the letter from Regina's mom. "But I think you should."

"I don't see where that is a concern of yours."

Emma sighed, "Didn't we just tell our parents at dinner that we would work together?"

"We did, and I agree that we need to show our parents that we can do so for them to lift this stewardship, but that letter has nothing to do with it."

"It has to do with you, which means it has to do with me, which means it affects us both and therefore our kingdom. Is that a bit of a stretch, maybe, but your father is expecting an answer to this letter before he goes. He asked me to remind you of it, so I am doing my duty in that regard."

Regina stood at the foot of the bed with her arms crossed. "I will write a short note back to her, but that doesn't require me to read that."

"Fine, I will," Emma said as she started to open the letter. Regina rushed forward trying to grab it out of Emma's hand, but Emma was faster than she was. Emma was able to keep it out of Regina's reach until Regina lunged for it and ended up sprawled on top of Emma on the bed.

They stared at each other for a few heartbeats and then Regina scrambled to her feet. "Give me the letter," she said holding her hand out for it.

Emma handed it over and then promptly got up and left the room. Regina wasn't sure where Emma was going but she heard the door to the common room close as well which mean she had left their chambers entirely. She took a seat on the edge of the bed holding the letter between two hands.

She glanced over at the door that Emma just passed through and thought about going after her, but what would she say if she did?

Regina opened the letter instead.

Regina,

I hope that since your father gave you this letter you might actually read it and respond. I told him not to force you either way, but knowing your father he will probably ignore that. I would rather you respond because you want to, not because your father is forcing you.

I assume my other letters were either not read, or else swiftly thrown away upon reading them.

Regina, please know that I have nothing but love for you. I know you either don't believe this or simply refuse to acknowledge it, but it doesn't make it any less true. You are everything I could have wished for in a daughter.

Somewhere along the line, you ceased being my little girl. It happened earlier than I would have wanted and perhaps it is my fault.

I don't wish to speak about the past with you. It will do neither of us any good. Instead, I would rather look to the future.

Although you didn't want to marry Emma, you both looked so beautiful on your wedding day. I hope in the months that have passed since that you two have finally started to get to know each other. You are a good person, and so is she, and I think you two will be good for each other. To do that, you have to let her in. You have to let her see the beautiful soul I see when I look at you.

In the time leading up to your marriage, your father and I saw the anger that seemed to consume you at times. My fondest wish is that you have even now begun to learn to let that anger go. It will not serve you well in any capacity.

We can't always know the reasons why life has taken us in a certain direction. We can't know what the future will bring, but your future can be as bright as the sun my daughter if you let it.

Give my best to your wife, and I hope to hear from you soon.

Love,

Mom

Regina read it over twice before standing and going over to a small desk that had parchment and ink. She sat there with a blank piece of parchment in front of her trying to figure out what to write. The longer she stared at it, the angrier she became.

Mother,

Father did indeed ignore your instructions and commanded me to reply to your letter so I am here fulfilling that duty.

Your assumption is correct; I didn't bother opening your past messages. I didn't see the point in it. You and I ceased having something to say to each other long ago. You claim to love me yet the one thing I needed from you, you have steadfastly refused over the years.

I am sure by the time you open this reply father will have told you that I used magic once again. I helped save a family's home because of this magic, which you have deemed to be too dangerous for me to learn. Yet a family won't have to be homeless for months because of it. You once used your magic to save me, was that another example of the dangers you fear so much from it?

Until you decide you want to have an open conversation with me about this magic, which I have inherited from you, we don't have anything to discuss with each other.

And if you want to give your best to Emma, write to her yourself, I am not your messenger.

Regina

She sealed the letter up, put Cora's name on it, and left the room, ringing for a handmaiden. The one on duty came to the door.

"See that this is delivered to my father," she said.

"Yes your majesty," the girl said before disappearing down the hall.

Regina returned to the bedroom, a headache in full force. She laid down on the bed, forgetting her earlier vow to sleep on the floor. She got up only to extinguish the lamp next to her part of the bed and then she rolled over on her side and closed her eyes.

Emma went down to the kitchen even though she could have easily sent a handmaiden down for her. She waited as one of the scullery maids heated some milk for her to drink. Her parents used to give her warm milk when she was younger to help her sleep. Usually, sleep wasn't a problem for her, but she was so frustrated at the moment that she wasn't sure she would be able to sleep tonight.

At dinner, where they had agreed with each other, Emma thought maybe that was it, maybe that was the corner they needed to turn to begin working together. Apparently, she was wrong in that regard.

She tried to remain focused on that as she waited, but her mind kept slipping to the feel of Regina on top of her in bed. They had been so close to each other and at that moment Emma had thought of kissing the other woman. She wasn't even sure where the thought had come from. They hadn't done anything remotely intimate with each other since being married. They had kissed at the wedding and at the ball afterward, but those were forced kisses that were completely unnatural. With Regina's body on top of hers though Emma had the sudden desire to press her lips to Regina's and feel what they felt like.

It was a crazy thought to have she told herself. They didn't even like each other, so why would she even think of kissing Regina. Yet she had and that was what had her mind running a million different ways right now.

The milk was finally done and Emma carried it back up to the room. She entered and saw that the lamp was out next to Regina and the other woman was lying in bed in a way that she wouldn't have to look at Emma.

She sat down on her side of the bed and took a drink of milk.

"What is that smell?" Regina asked turning over and sitting up.

"Warm milk. It helps you sleep."

"How?" Regina asked, her face showing her skepticism.

"I don't know how, it just does. Do you want a taste?"

"No thank you."

"Then don't turn your nose up at it if you aren't willing to try it," Emma said in a huff. She had had enough of this. "I am going to take the blankets from under the bed and go sleep on the couch out there."

She put the milk down on the bedside table and stood up.

"You can't do that. If someone sees you…"

"Do you think that people in this castle don't know that you and I aren't sharing a bed? Are you that naïve about how people talk and gossip in the walls of a castle?"

"I would hardly consider myself naïve."

"No I doubt you would," Emma said. "You think too highly of yourself for that. Where I come from we have a phrase for that, it's called stuck up bitch."

"How dare you!"

"Don't act so shocked. From the moment I met you, you have held your nose up in the air like you are better than me. You aren't better than me, any more than I am better than you. Like I said earlier, we are going to be stuck with this stewardship and it's going to be your fault."

Emma bent down and grabbed her blankets and a pillow. She didn't say anything else before storming out of the room.

Regina sat there stewing in anger over Emma calling her that. She was out of the bed and ready to confront her a moment after the door closed, but she stopped herself. She didn't want to fight with Emma. As angry as she was, she didn't want to do it because she knew that if she did she may very well end up telling Emma why she had to marry her. She had felt the words on the tip of her tongue already but hadn't said them.

Telling Emma that could have unknown consequences and even though their marriage was a disaster she didn't want Emma to die.

She sat back down on Emma's side of the bed. The best thing she could think to do was to go to sleep and deal with it in the morning where maybe both of them would be less angry. She didn't think she would be sleeping anytime soon though. She glanced at the glass of milk that Emma had left behind and she reached over and took it. She sniffed the milk and wondered if it did help with sleeping. She had never heard of such a thing and it seemed odd to her that something like that would work.

She took a small sip. The taste wasn't bad, so she drank the rest down. She wouldn't be surprised if it did nothing for her. She extinguished the lamp on Emma's side and got back under the covers. She was lying there in the center of the bed just staring up at the ceiling. If that milk trick was supposed to work quickly, it certainly wasn't working quickly on her she thought as she continued to look up at the dark. Sleep crept up on her and she didn't realize it when she did fall asleep.

Emma woke, feeling uncomfortable. It took a moment of wakefulness to realize she was sleeping on the couch.

"Almost as bad as the floor," she mumbled sitting up.

After a big yawn, she stood and stretched. Yep, she thought that is not a comfy couch to sleep on. She grabbed her blankets and pillow and went into the bedroom. The bed was empty and she figured Regina was already up and starting her day. Emma stuffed the blankets under the bed and only after standing did she see the empty glass on her bedside table. She picked it up to examine it, wondering if Regina had dumped it out somewhere. She had remembered leaving it there the moment she had reached the couch the night before. But she was so angry at Regina she refused to come back in there to even retrieve it.

The door to their changing room opened and Regina entered their bedroom, stopping almost immediately. Emma noticed she was dressed to go riding and that's when she remembered that they were both supposed to be going out today with Regina's father to survey some of the land.

She put down the glass and walked past Regina into the changing room, closing the door behind her.

She rushed to put on her clothes, figuring that they were probably late. She was surprised Regina hadn't woken her earlier and also glad that she didn't. The last thing she wanted to do was be around the other woman. She didn't even feel bad for calling Regina out on her bitchiness.

Once she was dressed and pulled her hair back to keep it out of the way, she returned to the bedroom. Regina was still there. Emma had hoped the other woman had made her way down to the stables already. It didn't matter, she thought as she walked toward the door.

"Can we talk?" Regina asked.

Emma stopped and paused before turning with her arms crossed in front of her to face Regina. She didn't bother speaking.

"I'm sorry," Regina said. "Last night … I was upset over my mother's letter. It wasn't about you."

Emma turned to leave once more.

"Wait," Regina said. "I apologized."

"So," Emma said facing her again. "Do you think that makes it all ok? It doesn't. Perhaps you could start by stop saying things like it's not my concern, or it's not about me. What don't you get about the fact that we are married? If it concerns you, it concerns me. Now maybe that's not the way you view marriage, but it's the way I do."

"I don't want to fight with you."

"I don't want to fight with you either, but that's all we seem to do and all we will ever do if things continue like this."

Regina bit her lip, knowing Emma was right but not knowing what to do about it.

"Maybe we should talk to our parents about ending this failed experiment," Emma said. "Dissolve the kingdom and let it go back to the original property lines and dissolve this marriage."

"You can't do that," Regina said quickly.

"Why not? Even if our parents say no, we can take it to the other kingdoms. It was their decision in the first place. I am not going to live like this with you. If you want to be miserable, fine, be my guest but that's not how I intend to live my life."

Regina knew she couldn't let Emma go to the other kingdoms. Their parents would never agree to it, but what if the other kingdoms did, she thought. If the marriage was over, so was Emma's life.

"I … I've made a mess of this," Regina said. "I see that. I just …I don't know what I am supposed to do. I can do better though. I know I can. Just give me a chance."

Emma seemed surprised yet skeptical. "Why should I give you a chance? You don't want to be married to me; you have made that clear."

Regina walked over to the small desk and retrieved the letter from her mother. She walked over to Emma and handed it to her. "Here. Read it."

Emma took the letter and opened it. Regina took a step back while she read it, keeping her eyes on anything but Emma.

"I take it your mother and you had a falling out over something," Emma said.

"I love my mother, but I can't forgive her."

"If you love her, I don't see why you can't forgive her. What did she do?"

Regina had never told anyone else about the magic. She had always been forbidden to.

"The fire the other day …" She paused not even sure how to explain this.

"What about the fire?"

"You said it yourself; it was like magic that it got extinguished. It was magic. My magic."

"Your magic. You know magic?"

"No, I don't. That's the problem between me and my mother. I have this magic inside me, but I don't know anything about it or how to use it. What I did the other day was an accident. I can't control it. Sometimes it happens like that where it comes out in unforeseen ways. I've known I've had this ability since I was a child, but my parents always went out of their way to discourage its use. Then one day I found out my mother too had this magic, yet she knows how to use hers. She can use it consciously and can control it. That's all I have ever wanted – to be able to control it. But when I found out, she refused to teach me. It's not something I was even allowed to bring up in conversation. My parents have always said magic is a dangerous thing and I am better off ignoring it. I can't just ignore it though. It's there inside me all the time and if I even let myself concentrate on it, I can feel it. I try hard not to though because I don't know how to control it. It …it scares me. If she would just teach me … but she won't. So ever since then, there has been this distance between us. When I said it had nothing to do with you, I mean that this rift between my mother and me is about this magic, not about my marriage to you."

Emma didn't say anything at first and Regina thought she had made a mistake in telling her.

"Is there someone else you could learn from besides your mother?"

"I don't know," Regina said. She was surprised by Emma's reaction. "My parents, they would never let me have anything to do with knowing about it. I have begged my mother and have been rebuffed. They believe that the magic is dangerous and the best way to handle it is for me not to know how to use it."

"Do you think it's dangerous?"

"I think it can be yes," Regina said, looking away from her. "I know it can be. Not all my accidents have been good things like with the fire. I don't think it's dangerous in and of itself, but it can be put to dangerous uses. If I knew how to use it though, then I wouldn't have to worry about something bad happening because I couldn't control it."

"Ok then, we find someone who can teach you."

"You would do that?" Regina asked.

"Yeah," Emma shrugged. "This obviously means a lot to you so I think we should find someone. We will have to be secretive about it and not openly pronounce we are looking for a magic teacher, but I don't see why you shouldn't learn how to control it."

Regina didn't react at first. She was stunned that Emma could make such a suggestion and it meant the world to her that someone finally understood.

"Thank you," Regina said.

"You're welcome. Thanks for telling me about this," Emma replied. There was a few seconds of silence as they merely looked at each other. "We should probably head down to the stables. We're probably late."

"Yes," Regina said. "We should."

They started to walk out together, and Regina stopped Emma by grabbing her hand. "We will have to be secretive about this, which means you can't tell your parents either. It's not that I don't trust them …"

"Hey, don't worry. I am not going to tell anyone about it. You shared this secret with me and I am not going to share it with anyone else. It's one of the perks of marriage; you get an instant secret keeper."

Emma couldn't help but smile as Regina gave her one of her real smiles.