Hannah wasn't sure what she was going to do as she took the elevator up to the penthouse where Regina made her home. Leave it to a former queen to set herself up in one of the most luxurious places in the city. Hannah had even made a comment about it one of the first times she was up there, but Regina just gave her one of those smiles and explained that she had chosen it because it was in the center of the magical bubble that allowed her to use her powers.

That was one of the first things Regina had to explain to her – how she was able to use those powers.

This was after all supposed to be a land without magic.

Of course, Hannah knew that wasn't the case. Still, she had asked Regina about this bubble, and Regina had explained that it wasn't a perfect circle or anything like that. There were pockets throughout the city where she couldn't use her powers so she tended to avoid those.

Where she lived not only could she use her magic, but she had several routes she could take when leaving this place that all allowed her use of her magic.

She knew Regina's magic was important to her, which is why she rarely ever went into areas where she couldn't use her magic. Hannah knew part of that was just who Regina was, but there was another part to the story – a part that Emma didn't know.

Secrets, she thought, it always came down to a person's secrets. She certainly had enough of her own, but when Regina had confided in her, she found she couldn't reciprocate – at least not fully.

Knowing about the betrayals that Regina had faced in her life, Hannah wasn't sure if Regina would merely add Hannah to that list of betrayals if she knew the full truth.

But she had to do something.

Emma showing up here had changed things, or rather the news that the Home Office had discovered Storybrooke and were now actively trying to invade that small area of fairy tale land had changed things. Regina was needed back there, of that Hannah didn't doubt, but getting Regina to see it that way would not be easy.

Regina had created this life here in Florida, turning her back on the past, and recreating herself once more, but it was all a façade. As much as Regina may say she didn't care about that little town in Maine, Hannah knew that wasn't entirely true.

The elevator stopped and Hannah nodded at the two men on guard just outside of it. No matter who was on guard duty, they all knew that Hannah had free rein to come and go as she pleased on any of Regina's properties. Since meeting Regina, most of their interactions had taken place at the orphanage or here at the penthouse.

She had been to the club only once. Given what she knew about what Regina did, she didn't feel comfortable being around Regina's business affairs. Yes, Regina was funding the new orphanage and Hannah knew where that money was coming from, but she wasn't going to turn down the chance to better her kids' lives. The new center would allow them to do so much more for the children and so Hannah was willing to accept the gift from Regina.

And it was a gift. Regina was expecting nothing in return for it, a fact Regina had made clear from the very beginning and Hannah had accepted her at her word. That was one thing about their relationship – trust.

Now she feared she was about to tear it all down.

She knocked on the door and a moment later Regina was there smiling at her. Not for the first time, Hannah thought about how easy it would be to fall in love with this woman before her.

Maybe in another life, Hannah thought as she entered.

It's not that she didn't have feelings for Regina – she did, but she couldn't say it was love. Part of the reason was that she wasn't being 100 percent truthful with her and she also knew Regina wasn't being truthful to herself. They made an odd pair – the Evil Queen and … she didn't know how to describe herself – not anymore. She had worked hard to become Hannah, pushing her real identity far, far away. Meeting Regina had changed that though. Here was another person from a realm other than this one. While Hannah's homeland wasn't the Enchanted Forest, there were similarities, such as the existence of magic.

It was why the Home Office had taken an interest in both women, but their experiences with it had been different.

As Regina shut the door behind her, Hannah thought that perhaps it was time she told Regina the whole truth.

"So, to what do I owe the surprise visit," Regina asked.

"We need to talk."

"That sounds ominous."

"Sorry, I didn't mean for it to sound like that," she said. "But we have an issue."

"Is something wrong at the orphanage?"

"No, but Emma came to see me."

Regina moved further into her place and Hannah followed her. "Sorry for that," Regina said. "If I had known she would do that I would have ensured she left town. I will make sure she doesn't bother you again."

"She needs to go back to Storybrooke," Hannah said.

"That is the goal."

"And you need to return with her."

"What?" Regina said a smile on her face as if she thought Hannah was joking.

"It's the Home Office," Hannah said. "That is the danger facing Storybrooke. The entire village is under siege and they will break through the barrier soon if you don't get back there."

Regina moved over to a side table where she kept a decanter and she poured herself a drink. Taking a sip, she turned back toward Hannah. "No."

She hadn't expected this would be easy, so Hannah decided to slow down the pace. It was already a mistake to have started as she did, but she was nervous about having this conversation. The one thing she was hoping not to do – make Regina feel like she had no choice – she had done from the very start.

Hannah moved over to the decanter and poured her own drink. She took it over to the couch and sat down and waited until Regina joined her, knowing she would.

"Why didn't you change your name when you came to this world?" Hannah asked her.

The question took Regina by surprise. "I saw no reason to," Regina said as if it was the only answer in the world. "I was queen, why should I have?"

"I don't know. You were creating a whole new life. You could have been anyone."

"Is that why you changed your name?"

"Well, Rosha isn't exactly a standard name in this world," Hannah said. "And certainly not a fairy tale character of such note as yourself."

"Is that how you view us – as fairy tale characters? As myth?"

"I no longer know how I view myself," Hannah said. "I have been so many people in my life that I don't know which one is the true me. Do you know which is the true you?"

"The real me is sitting right here beside you."

"No, she's not," Hannah said. "I suspect the real you misses her son very much. And don't bother lying about that, you know I won't believe you. You know, when I was coming here I was thinking about how easy it would be to fall in love with you."

"I …"

"Don't. You don't need to respond."

"But I do care for you, you know that, right?"

"I do," Hannah said, putting a hand on Regina's leg. "Just as I care for you. But we both know why you left Storybrooke and why you feel you can't go back. And why you tore your heart in two."

"I'm not going back," Regina said, taking another drink. "I don't care if the Home Office is involved. All the more reason for me to stay clear."

"Normally, I would agree with that," Hannah said, taking her own, larger drink. "And please believe me when I say I wish you would never have to go anywhere near those people again, not after what they did to you."

Regina got up and moved away from Hannah, emptied her glass in two quick shots, and then went to refill it. Hannah knew that Regina didn't want to talk about what had happened. The night she had told Hannah about it had been difficult. It had been difficult for both of them – Regina in the telling and Hannah listening to it and never saying a word about what she knew.

That had to end tonight.

"If you don't wish for me to go anywhere near them, why would you even suggest I should go back?"

"Because the Home Office has to be stopped," Hannah said. "If they get into Storybrooke, what's next? What do you think will happen to the people there? What will they do to them?"

"I don't care," Regina said.

"Yes, you do. Don't sit there and try and claim you don't care because you ripped out half of your own heart. We both know you are still capable of feeling," Hannah said. "You just admitted as much to me."

"Perhaps I should clarify," Regina smiled. "I care about you, I don't care about Storybrooke or the people there. Why are we even having this discussion? I will not go back there. I can't go back there. I don't care what notions Miss Swan put in your head, but if you wish to stay here I suggest you find more palatable conversation."

Hannah knew she had now reached the point where Regina was not only done with the conversation, but Hannah was risking any further contact with her next words.

"I was part of the Home Office."

There it was – the truth of how Hannah knew about the Home Office.

Regina put the glass down and faced Hannah. "Explain."

For the first time since knowing Regina, Hannah felt like she might be in some danger. The expression on Regina's face had no warmth in its expression. Instead, Regina looked at her like she was a second away from exterminating her.

Hannah couldn't help but wonder if she was for the first time facing the Evil Queen.

…

"So, what do you think is going on between the two of them?" Lily asked. They were once again sitting in the rental car, this time outside where they hoped Regina was living. They had followed the woman Hannah there after Emma decided it may be the only way for them to find Regina.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean like, do you think the two of them are together, like girlfriends?" Lily said.

"No," Emma replied, although she didn't look at Lily when she said it, keeping her eyes on the building trying to think of their next move.

"You rejected that rather quickly," Lily said. "You maybe want to give it 10 seconds of thought first. Because I'm telling you, I was getting the whole vibe from Regina the other night – the vibe that says she may like the ladies. And then I started thinking about her and my mom being friends and I'm not sure that is a thought process I should take any further. Still, Hannah is not unattractive."

"She's not in love with Hannah," Emma said forcibly. This time she did look at Lily before turning her attention back to the building.

"I didn't say anything about love," Lily said. "Jeez, I was just wondering if they were sleeping together. What's gotten into you? You've been tense since we got into the car."

"I'm just ready for this all to be over," Emma said.

"Yeah, I don't see that happening anytime soon. Even if we get Regina to come back with us, we still have a battle ahead," Lily said. "I don't think these Home Office sons of bitches are just going to up and leave because the queen is back on her throne."

"I wasn't referring to all of that," Emma said almost to herself. Her gaze wasn't leaving the upscale apartment building that they had tracked Hannah to. Once they saw Hannah go inside Lily thought they would too, but so far they were only sitting there.

Lily wasn't sure if she wanted to open that door to whatever was now on Emma's mind. But she was trying to rebuild a friendship with this woman who she once thought of as a sister.

"What do you mean then if you weren't referring to what is happening with the Home Office?"

"All of it," Emma said. "Sometimes I wish I never knew these fairy tales were real."

"You wouldn't trade knowing your son, your parents."

"No, but the rest of it, I could do without," Emma said. "All this bullshit. I mean why can't Regina just for once not be who she is."

Lily wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean and again wasn't sure she wanted to know.

"I mean why couldn't she just speak to me," Emma said. "We had finally gotten past all of that animosity that defined us from the moment I stepped foot in that town and it's not like Regina is a shy person. She knows how to speak her mind, but no, she would rather run away and leave me a God damn letter."

Well, this was one part Lily did want to know about.

"What was in that letter anyway?"

Emma shifted in her seat and pulled the letter out of her back pocket and tossed it on Lily's lap. "Here, read it."

"Are you sure?" Lily asked even as she picked it up and began unfolding it.

Emma didn't say anything so Lily went ahead and started to read it. She read it twice before looking at Emma who had unbeknownst to her been watching her read it.

"Oh," Lily said. "That wasn't what I was expecting."