I don't own these characters; Disney/ABC does.
A/N: I just want to warn you that Hook is in this chapter. He's not with Emma, but he's there being annoying.
6: Increase Heart Strength
Emma groaned as her phone went off for what had to be the hundredth time that hour. Mary Margaret kept trying to reach her. Mary Margaret refused to believe she was okay and she could understand why. She had been missing for a couple of weeks now, which was not new, but also never good. Except this time was good.
Emma had spent her time as a pet lounging around Regina's house, enjoying good food, watching television, sleeping whenever she wanted, and not having a care in the world. She was able to beat out the cold weather wrapped in fluffy blankets and relax for the first time in her life. She did not have to worry about someone trying to kill her over something trivial or someone trying to set her up for something. She did not have to think about scraping by. She could just cool out. She honestly lost track of time. Has it only been two weeks?
Honestly, it felt like an eternity in paradise. Was this how people usually lived? They were so lucky. No, they can't live like this because they don't have Regina looking after them. My luck is finally changing for the better.
Emma rolled over on the sofa to grab her phone from the coffee table. She opened the messages to see Mary Margaret, affectionately under her phone as Snow White, had left her over two dozen messages and it was not even noon yet. That was her style, especially when she was worried.
Emma flipped through the first dozen, all panicked, begging to know how and where Emma was. Scrolling down, she got to the ones that just wished Emma well and told her to call when she had a chance. Yeah, a couple of weeks of disappearance probably deserved a phone call. She bit the bullet and dialed.
Mary Margaret picked up on the first ring. "Oh, Emma, thank goodness! I'm so happy you're okay! Wait, you are okay, right? I didn't even let you talk!" There was a laugh that sounded like a sob and Emma felt like an ass for putting through this.
"Hey, I'm sorry for disappearing on you," Emma replied.
"Is everything okay? Are you still in Storybrooke?"
"I am. I'm safe and good." For once, she was telling the absolute truth when she said that.
Mary Margaret breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad. Are you doing something today?"
"Not really."
"I was calling to see if you wanted to help out with a Miner's Day Fair in the park tomorrow. You know, the one for the kids. My dad's foundation is funding the whole thing, as usual, so we don't have to hear about the town claiming there aren't enough funds to do this properly for the kids. It'll be nice. We could use another face painter."
Emma held in a chuckle. There was no way they could not hire a proper face painter if Mary Margaret's dad was funding the whole operation. "You know I love doing that stuff."
"Yes, I do know, which is why I asked. It starts tomorrow at ten by the playground area. You can't miss it. I mean, you know what it looks like anyway." Mary Margaret was so overjoyed she was rambling. "Is that good for you?"
"Yeah." She could walk up there by then. It had been a while since she had been to Fairy Park. It was a dumb name, she had always thought so, but it was a great park for children with so much cool stuff. She had been able to delight in it a couple of times as a kid, usually during the Miner's Day celebration. She had missed it when she was moved out of state with a foster family, but made her way back in her teens for a time and helped out when she was around.
"So, other than that, how's everything going?" Mary Margaret asked, taking Emma from her thoughts.
Emma could not help the smile on her face. "It's going great. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow." She could catch up with both of her best friends actually and apologize a bunch of times for falling off of the planet for two weeks.
"Can't wait to see you. Ruby's going to be there, too. She agreed to work a grill or two since Granny's agreed to cater."
"David's going to whine about that."
Mary Margaret laughed. "Oh, he's already whining about it. I told him that nepotism wouldn't get him anywhere."
Emma chuckled. No, it gets him a lot of other places, though. She shook that thought away. She liked David and did not mean anything by it. "How could you say that if Ruby ends up working a grill?"
"He'll get over it."
"I feel like he won't, but okay. So, I'll see you tomorrow."
"I look forward to it."
They disconnected the call and Emma yawned. It would do her good to go out. The weather warmed up a little the past few days. Tomorrow was supposed to be especially nice. She could make some money and buy the Bug some new parts, which it sorely needed. She would probably have to spend her entire spring working on that car, but at least she had some place to stay, so she did not have to worry over the basics. She plucked the bell on her collar and giggled. Life was funny.
-8-8-8-8-
Regina had to get out of the office before she hurt someone. The Miner's Day things were the special occasion to bother her, even though she already had everything the town would do planned out months ago. Now, everyone and their mother was coming out of the woodworks with things to do, even though the town celebration was at the end of the week. All their efforts were too little too late, but they continued to encroach on her time, as if she did not have better, more important things to do.
Honestly, being in charge of a "small" town (Storybrooke liked to pretend it was that, but it was actually a small city) should not be this aggravating, but everyone wanted to either cut corners to come under budget or go ridiculously over budget for things that did not matter. There were emergencies that were anything but, things considered "not a priority," when it was a goddamn emergency… unless the plan was to never address the huge infrastructure problems and allow the Mufasa Memorial Bridge to collapse into the river and shut down a major road in town anyway. These people are such idiots. And, of course, there was always Rumple in her ear, trying to get her to do things she should not. Whatever the case, it was just fire after fire for her to put out. Now, she needed to get out of here before she started her own fire, on someone's desk, and that would be if they were lucky.
Before she made it to the door, she was paused by Rumple of all people. It was like he knew when to make her bad day even worse. She did not want to see him, especially since he hinted at knowing what she was planning. She had to be careful not to tip her hand too early or he would ensnare her in a deadly web than she was already in.
"Going to have lunch rather early, are you not?" Rumple asked, leaning on his cane.
Regina scoffed. "Not hardly. Noon is a perfectly reasonable hour for lunch, which is why I assume you're here, wanting to have a lunchtime meeting."
He frowned. "I told you that this morning. We have matters to discuss."
She rolled her eyes. "I don't think we do. I have lunch right now and I think the entire office would prefer I take it." And she left.
The weather was warming up, but she still buried her face in her scarf as she made her way to her car, weaving through the crowded parking lot. She drove a few blocks to meet Maleficent for lunch. The cafe was quaint and Maleficent was waiting for her. Maleficent kissed her cheek and they sat down. Regina undid her scarf and took off her coat.
"How are you doing, I ask as I see your forehead vein throbbing?" Maleficent pursed her lips.
Regina sighed, as she rubbed her head, hoping to relax herself. "These people are so insane. You'd think I don't know how to do my job with the way they act."
"They probably think you'll slip eventually and they'll be the lucky person to get by you."
Regina scowled. "I will never let that happen."
"But, they don't know that. They're trying to get over. One day, you'll blink, like getting your pet."
Regina sucked her teeth. "My pet has nothing to do with it."
"Yes, she does because I'm very curious about this. When do I get to meet her?" Maleficent asked.
An eyebrow went up. "How do you intend to behave if you do meet her? We've gotten into a groove and I don't want to chance her running off." She would like Maleficent to meet Duckling, though.
Maleficent snickered. "I thought this was a ploy to get her to leave you alone."
That was true. "I want her to leave on her own, not because you made her uncomfortable." She was not so evil as to terrorize someone who had already gone through as much as Duckling.
"I won't make her uncomfortable. I just want to see what it is about her that made you decide to keep her as a pet, you know beyond her being blonde."
Regina scowled. "It has nothing to do with her being blonde."
"You keep telling yourself that, even though we know the only thing you like about Robin beyond his adorable son is that he's blonde," Maleficent replied with a smug look.
Regina did not want to consider that. There were reasons she liked Robin beyond him being blonde. He was fit, a grand specimen of men, which was one of the few reasons she dated men. After Daniel, most never measured up as far as being sweet, kind, and loving and she had a bad habit of comparing. It was so much easier with women as she never had the expectation of them being Daniel. Robin definitely was no Daniel. Hardly as sweet or gentle or kind… no, don't go down that road. Daniel is dead and Robin is fine. She should probably call Robin back sometime soon. She just was not in a mood to deal with him yet.
Maleficent continued on about meeting Duckling. "I also want to make sure she's all right, as a person. You know it's best to have an outside opinion on the people we bring into our lives."
Regina nodded. "This is true. Well, we have to have our usual meeting on the weekend, so you can come over like we usually do." She would have to talk to Duckling about how to act in front of company.
Maleficent smiled. "Sounds good. I look forward to meeting her."
Regina was not sure if she looked forward to it. Letting Maleficent witness what had been a haven for her could burst the bubble, but Maleficent was right. She needed a second set of eyes on this pet situation. Yes, Duckling had been there a fortnight, but did that mean she knew her? No. Did that mean she noticed all of Duckling's flaws? No. Did that mean she should trust Duckling? No.
Of course, Maleficent would not be able to answer all of those things either from one meeting. A second opinion was still best.
-8-8-8-8-
Emma was ready to go out and help Mary Margaret, but she could not find her warmest hoodie. While spring was in the air, it was still cold as the arctic outside for most of the day. Going through her clothes, which hung on the bar in her room, she did not see it. Then, she had a small, white dresser Regina brought her. It was not expensive, according to Regina, which Emma let go. She was the pet and if Regina wanted to spend money on her, that was Regina's decision.
She had not gone into most of the drawers. She had one of the three smaller drawers for underwear and one for pajamas, but there were two longer drawers under those she never used. She opened it to find a couple of more jeans that she recalled owning and the other drawer had shirts, two brand new pullover hoodies, and two brand new zipper hoodies. For a moment, Emma could not move, rooted to the spot with an overflow of emotion, none of them good.
"She brought me new clothes…" There was a flicker of fury. She could take care of herself, buy her own clothes. She did not need Regina's handouts. Terrible memories flooded her, people shoving clothes into her hands, ripping clothes off of her back, forcing her to dress their way or else. But, that all faded quickly.
Regina did not mean this in the same way anyone else would. Regina was just buying things for her pet. Emma could not figure out why that made it okay, but it did. Regina was still claiming her, like a possession, still acting like she could not fend for herself, making her a doll, and controlling her. Yet, somehow, it felt all right. Maybe it was because she knew Regina was still waiting for her to disappear one day.
"Okay, you don't have time for this. You've got a long walk ahead of yourself," Emma said. She pulled out each hoodie, feeling for the thickness.
The top one was nice with sherpa lining in it, guaranteed to keep her warm. It fit quite well under her red leather jacket, which was shocking. She would have thought the lining would make it too thick, but that was very wrong. Before she left, she looked down at the hoodie, actually taking it in, and shook her head. It was covered in little ducklings. It did not matter, even though it made her chuckle. The hoodie was warm and she could always just zip up her jacket to hide the very uncool birds. She had a badass image to maintain in front of her friends and those kids.
The walk was long and the kid's Miner's Day fair was already in full swing, and would be for the rest of the week. It was a simple thing, but the kids loved it. Emma loved it, too. Mary Margaret trotted up to her when she was barely in the park. Ruby was not far behind her, dressed more practical than Emma could ever recall her being thanks to the chill. She had on jeans and a coat. Emma smiled at both of them as they grabbed her into a hug.
"Emma, it's about time. I was about to come out hunting for you," Ruby said.
Emma laughed. "I'm okay, guys. Really okay."
They let her go and gave her the once-over. Emma fought down the urge to tilt her chin in the air, proud of how she looked for once rather than being nervous over it. Everything about her was clean, crisp, and fresh. There was absolutely no reason for them to worry over her.
"Damn, girl, even your nails are done," Ruby said, grabbing Emma's hand. Regina had actually clipped, buffed, and polished her nails a couple of days ago. Her hands had never looked better.
Mary Margaret grinned. "You look great. Is this new?" She rubbed the hem of Emma's hoodie.
"Yeah, it is," Emma replied.
"So, what's your secret? You got a sugar daddy?" Ruby snickered.
Emma sucked her teeth and pulled her hand away from Ruby, even though she was not far off. Maybe that was it. They knew there was no way Emma could look this put-together if she was on her own. "Where's the damn face painting table?" She scanned the crowd. There were games and bouncy houses and even a ball pit with the usual playground equipment. Kids zipped by, blowing bubbles, holding kites, and all other sorts of things. It was like they did not notice the cold at all. Lucky. Not that Emma really felt the cold either.
"Over by the picnic table. Not too far from the hot chocolate since I know you'll be gulping it down while it's free," Mary Margaret said. This was quite true, even though Regina probably made it way better. "But, you're not getting rid of us that easy. You have a lot of explaining to do." Mary Margaret wrapped her arm around Emma's and led her off.
Mary Margaret was one of the few people who could get away with touching Emma without Emma initiating it. She was Emma's dearest friend, helping Emma through very difficult times. Funny enough, for most of their friendship, they had never actually met. Mary Margaret had become her pen pal while she was in prison. Mary Margaret had been her only visitor and that had not been very often. But, when it did, she was like sunshine on a series of dreary, cloudy days.
When Emma got out, Mary Margaret offered her a place to stay, sleeping on her couch. Emma took her up on it, but had to leave eventually. She just did not want to drain Mary Margaret.
While living with Mary Margaret, she had been introduced to Ruby, who had quickly befriended her. It was hard to believe Ruby was Mary Margaret's best friend, as they were both so different, but they were like sisters and they treated Emma like a sister, too. She never knew how to handle it, but they let her go at her own pace. It was something she quickly learned to treasure and they were her favorite people. They helped her not lose faith in all of humanity, as most people were walking garbage.
Mary Margaret walked Emma to the face painting table, which had everything she and Ruby would need, including tip jars. Emma looked at Ruby. "I thought you were working the grill."
Ruby shook her head. "Nah, the second M&M said you were going to be doing this, I jumped on it as well. I figured you'd like the company."
Emma smiled. "You were right."
They got right to work, a line forming the second they sat down. Emma would never consider herself the artist type, but face painting was not very hard and it relaxed her. She loved the way kids grinned at her all the way through and ran off happy afterwards.
"So, you've really been okay, right?" Ruby asked as Emma focused on making a little boy look like a fierce tiger. Too bad he was so adorable, he was going to look like a calico kitten instead. His mom approached and shoved a couple of dollars in her tip jar.
"Yes, I'm good. I promise I'll tell you and M&M all about it. You probably won't believe it," Emma replied as she made a bold stripe, hoping it would somehow make the kid look more like the scary tiger he wanted.
Ruby nodded. "As long as you're not staying with that as—" She glanced at the little girl who's face she was halfway into turning into a butterfly and chuckled. "With that butthole Hook, it's fine."
Emma cringed. "No, I'd never make that mistake." Ruby leveled a glare at her and she shrugged. "I'd never make that mistake again." Technically, Hook — real name Killian Jones, but apparently no one called him that, which was definitely a sign she missed — was her making the mistake again. Surely she would not make the same mistake a third time. Oh, wait, would Lily count as the first, which means I did make this mistake three times?
"Good to know because he's probably somewhere around here. You know David thinks the world of the guy for some reason."
Emma curled her lip. "I'll never figure out how a guy you all nicknamed Prince Charming — which I can totally see — has this great bromance with a guy you've all decided to call Hook to his face, knowing how he has to feel about it." She let her kid go and started on a new one. He wanted to be Batman. She had no clue what that meant, beyond putting a big bat symbol on his face. His dad dropped a few dollars in her tip jar, as if he knew this was going to be a challenge.
"Yeah, well, if he wanted to be respected, he would learn to treat others with respect."
Emma nodded, all too aware of how Hook acted. She had to keep an eye out for him now. And, the moment she looked for him, she spotted him, him and his hook, which he did not bother to take off as he helped children with some kites. But, that was Hook. And, as if he knew she was looking at him, he glanced in her direction and she turned away as quickly as she could. She did not want him wandering over.
"You made eye contact, didn't you?" Ruby asked.
"Damn it. He's coming over?" Emma replied, still not looking up, trying to focus on the boy's face as much as she could.
"Swaggering all the way. You better pretend to be sick while you have the chance."
"Don't worry. Once he gets over here, I won't have to pretend," Emma said.
"Swan, fancy seeing you here," Hook greeted her with a purr, pouring on his charm and immediately making her fed up with him. He waved his hook around, as if waving, but he was so careless with the thing. Yes, she understood it was his hand, but he had to be aware he could hurt someone with it. He was dressed in all black as always, refusing to let go of goth even in his twenties. Dark eyes marked with eyeliner scanned her up and down, making her skin crawl.
Emma frowned. "Is it really? We both know I always come to these things." Anything Mary Margaret threw, she would show up and so would he, being such a good friend of David's. It was how they met. Hmm, maybe I should stop coming to M&M's stuff.
"Yes, as you're usually with me and we know how I love to give back." He wiggled his eyebrows.
Emma groaned. "Can you go be gross away from the six-year-olds?" She turned her attention back to the bat symbol she was painting. She would outline the black symbol with yellow and hope that it worked for the little boy.
"And both of us," Ruby added, pointing to herself and Emma.
Hook chuckled. "Always playing hard to get. I'll talk to you later, Swan. When all the kiddies are busy." He strolled away.
"The cringe never stops with him," Ruby said.
"No, it doesn't and he doesn't get that it's not cute," Emma replied.
"Well, someone encouraged him."
Emma rolled her eyes and focused back on her work. Ruby let the subject drop. Eventually, she and Ruby had to take a break. Their hands cramped up. They wandered over to David, who was helping serve food. He could spare a moment, passing his apron off to someone. There were smiles and hugs. David always gave her a full on embrace, as if they had known each other all their lives, and he missed her whenever she was away. It used to creep her out, and then it scared her, but now she had learned to enjoy it. He was a sweet guy.
"Glad you made it out here," David said with a bright smile.
"Wouldn't have missed it," Emma replied. "I love these things." She looked around. "One of the few things I was ever able to look forward to as a kid."
David nodded and gave her a sad smile. "Well, look forward to some awesome hamburgers and hotdogs before you get back to work. Everything is being kept as warm as possible. There's drinks and everything." He pointed to the coolers. "But, you'll probably fill up on hot chocolate."
Emma laughed. "It's almost like you know me or something."
"Yeah, there's cake and other junk, too. Mary Margaret's dad did some nice things for this first day. More than the mayor did," David said.
Emma shrugged. She did not know anything about that and did not care. Emma and Ruby spoke with David for a little while longer and then grabbed some food, small cans of soda, and found a quiet spot under a tree to be away from the children for a moment. Mary Margaret came over to join them before they got any conversation going.
"So, Emma, where have you been?" Mary Margaret asked, opening a bag of potato chips.
"Okay, so, first I need you both to not freak out when I tell you this," Emma replied as she squeezed several packets of ketchup onto her cheese burger with the works. Her mac and cheese almost slid off of her plate as she tried to get herself together.
"Unless you say you moved back in with Hook or your ex that got you thrown in jail in the first place, I don't think this can get worse," Ruby replied.
"Hook was a low point," Mary Margaret agreed.
That said a lot about her life. "He was that." Or maybe this was the low point. It did not feel that way, though. Being Regina's pet was not nearly as degrading as being Hook's girlfriend, even though that lasted a very short time. "Hook is the reason I lived in my car for those months. That lets you know how bad that was."
Ruby snorted. "We saw how bad that was while it was going on. So, come on, out with it. Where have you been?" She shoved a forkful of potato salad into her mouth.
"Okay, second, you both can't mention this to anybody." Emma pointed at both of them. Then she zeroed in on Mary Margaret. "Not even David."
Ruby winced while Mary Margaret yelped. Mary Margaret stared at her with wide eyes. "I can't tell David?" This was now Mission: Impossible for her.
"This isn't your thing to tell. If he asks you what's up, you tell him I'm staying with a close friend," Emma said.
"And where are you really staying?" Ruby asked.
"Okay, I'm gonna give you a little bit of backstory, so you don't think I'm completely crazy. But, after I left Hook, I spent a lot of time scoping out houses over in the Mist Haven section of town. Don't worry, I didn't do anything too serious. I just kinda stole food…" Emma answered with a shrug.
"Oh, Emma. If you need help, you know we'll help you," Mary Margaret replied. She would never get it and Emma had stopped trying to explain it to her a long time ago.
"Anyway, I got into one house and got caught. The lady was really understanding about it and I just kinda flipped out on her, like she was wrong. She didn't call the cops on me and then, remember that big storm two weeks ago?" Emma asked and they nodded. "My car broke down and I couldn't stay in it and I wouldn't have been able to make it to either of you guys before freezing to death. I made it to her house and she let me in. She let me stay. I've been staying there ever since."
"That's nice," Mary Margaret replied.
"As her pet," Emma added. Maybe they would not notice.
Mary Margaret's brown wrinkled and Ruby looked like she had a brain freeze. "Excuse me?" Ruby gawked at her. "I don't think we heard you right." She pointed to herself and Mary Margaret.
"You heard me right and before you say something, Ruby, it's not sexual. She's not a sugar momma or anything. I'm seriously like a cat. A big cat." The way she slept throughout the day, this seemed accurate.
"How the hell did that happen?" Ruby asked, putting her plate down, food forgotten. Good thing it was cold, so she did not have to worry about bugs being out.
"I'm almost certain she was trying to get rid of me and didn't expect me to accept and it's been weird, but nice ever since," Emma replied and then took a bite of her burger before it got cold.
"Why did you accept?" Ruby arched an eyebrow.
Emma laughed as she chewed and then swallowed. "To call her bluff." She chuckled even more. "It sounds really stupid to say aloud."
"Glad you realize that," Ruby remarked.
"And that's where you've been since you disappeared?" Mary Margaret asked.
Emma nodded. "Yup."
"Well, is she treating you right?" Ruby inquired.
Emma smiled and nodded. "Really good. It's kinda weird, for both of us, I think. But, it's nice. She got me this hoodie." She pressed her hand to her chest, enjoying the feel of the simple cotton against her palm. It was really nice and she might have to thank Regina for it.
"And you're sure it's not sexual?" Mary Margaret asked. "She's not going to take advantage of you, right?"
Emma shook her head. "I don't think so. I think she likes the company, but doesn't want to admit it to herself."
Ruby pursed her lips. "And what about you?"
"What about me?" Emma frowned. There's no way she knows I like Regina in a little more inappropriate way than I should.
"Well, do you at least like the company?" Ruby asked.
"She's okay." Emma looked forward to when Regina came home and they could chill on the couch, watching whatever nonsense she put on or a movie Regina really wanted to see. It was during that time hair was brushed, nails got clipped, and other "pet" grooming things were done. It was calming. No, they never really talked about anything, but she did not need that right now. She just needed quiet and Regina offered that.
"Well, as long as you're all right, I guess," Mary Margaret said, but her face did not match that. Her expression was pinched.
Ruby snorted. "Are we sure about this? I mean, Emma, come on. You don't like if one of us hands you a tissue if you sneeze. Now, you're living with some stranger as her pet?"
Emma held up a finger. "A stranger that didn't call the cops on me after several B&Es that she had on film." That was still crazy.
Ruby blinked. "Oh, damn."
"But, Ruby's right. She is a stranger. What if she does something to you?" Mary Margaret said.
"I've been there two weeks and no one knew. I think she would've done it by now if she was going to do anything. Unless of course this is some fairy tale stuff and she's fattening me up to eat me later," Emma replied. It would work and I'd probably die happy if it happened. Regina's cooking is so good!
Ruby smirked. "Is she hot enough where you'd let her?"
Emma sucked her teeth. "Not everything is about hot." Even though, she is super hot, no matter what she's wearing or what she's doing. "She's just really cool and she's being nice, even though she didn't have to. Besides, beyond her not calling the cops, I owed her because she was aware I broke in a bunch of times, even though she has a security system and I freaked her out."
"So, you're doing this out of guilt and obligation?" Mary Margaret asked.
Emma sighed and ate some more of her burger. "I don't know." She spoke around the lump in her cheek before swallowing. "I'm just doing it and I wanted you guys to know because you're my best friends and I don't like worrying you."
"You know what, until she skins you and eats you, she's better than Hook." Ruby threw her hands up and then picked up her plate.
"I hate that I agree with that," Mary Margaret said.
"I think we all hate that we agree with that. I'll never understand how Neal is somehow the second worst decision of my life," Emma replied. They had to murmur their agreements. Maybe Hook was worse because she was older, there were warning signs she ignored, and her friends outright told her to not let his stalking break her down. She let him break her down, though, and she was more ashamed of that than she was for taking the wrap for Neal and going to prison. At least she had been a naive teenager with Neal and had hopes and dreams with Neal.
-8-8-8-8-
Regina groaned as she came in, but the day melted away when she saw Duckling laid out on the couch. She seemed as exhausted as Regina felt. Regina did not bother her, going to take a hot shower and then going to start dinner. Once dinner was on, she flopped down onto the sofa. Duckling crawled into her lap, keeping her eyes closed as she settled her hand on Regina's lap.
"Long day?" Regina asked with a chuckle.
Duckling yawned and stretched. "Yup. What about you?"
"I got interrogated at lunch and then after lunch and then had to remind way too many idiots that I'm not an idiot," Regina replied.
"You have a lot of drama going on at work."
Regina nodded. "I think it's because there's a lot of men around and they seem to think I'm an idiot by virtue of my gender and then I have the man who helped get me there lurking around, thinking he can push me around because it's thanks to him I'm in this horrible position in the first place. It's all so insulting and Rumple is the worst of them all, surprisingly enough."
"He's the one who helped you?"
"I think at this point 'helped me' is a stretch. He makes my life more of a hell than the others combined."
Duckling frowned. "Because he thinks you owe him."
"Yeah."
"You should know you don't owe anyone your peace of mind. People can do stuff for you all they want, but you don't owe them your comfort."
"You make an excellent point, Duckling."
Duckling smiled. "All that being said, I'm really sorry about before all of this." She gestured vaguely around the space with her hand. "I'm sorry I stole your peace from you. I never meant to."
"I know." Regina ran her fingers through Duckling's hair. She had a much better understanding of Duckling and how it would never occur to her what it meant to come and go from someone's house in secret as she did. Duckling had no sense of home. Regina knew how that could be, as she had sought that feeling for a long time and just had to make her own. Now, she had to piece it back together, and maybe piece Duckling back together if possible. "And what about you? How was your day?"
"It made me happy to be here."
Regina was not sure what that meant, but she smiled. "Hopefully, you have more days like that."
Duckling only smiled and that made Regina happy to be here. Hopefully, that would last long past her being the mayor. And, hopefully, Duckling will still be happy to be here after Maleficent came over for the weekend, bursting the little bubble they had created.
-8-8-8-8-
Next time: Maleficent meets Duckling.