Regina was cooking breakfast in the kitchen. Henry and Emma were supposed to be getting ready because Regina had only just managed to wake them, she had gotten up earlier herself to have a shower. She was already ready before she had tried to wake Emma, who had just mumbled "sleep" before turning over and dropped off again.
Regina had also tried to wake Henry. He had managed to get out of bed and get dressed but was now asleep on the couch downstairs. Regina decided to leave him be. She could hear Emma walking about upstairs, so she knew that at least the blonde was up and about.
Whilst she was in the middle of frying bacon for them , there was a knock on the door. She quickly went to answer it. Aldara stood their holding a small yellow book.
"Hey sorry to intrude. I just thought you would want to know I found the book. I couldn't sleep so I went looking for this and found it in the library at three in the morning. Oh, also I may have broken into the library at three'o clock in the morning" Aldara said smirking a little to herself. It wasn't her fault the lock was so easy to pick. She was glad that she would finally be able to get to the enchanted forest and find Mari again. She couldn't believe how dramatically her life had changed since she had found Regina.
She had spent so much time alone she had forgotten how much better it was when there was someone else to talk too.
" As long as no one can tell you were there, you never were" Regina said winking at her. Aldara grinned.
" I covered my tracks like a professional." Aldara said. They both chuckled lightly.
"Come in. I'm cooking breakfast, want some?" Regina asked her as she stepped out of the door way to welcome her in.
" Oh, I do love me some bacon." Aldara said following Regina as she lead her to the kitchen. Regina quickly went over to the frying pan and flipped the bacon. She placed a larger pan on the stove and broke four eggs into it, two at a time.
" There bacon, eggs, mushrooms, baked beans, sausages and French toast." Regina said as she pulled out an extra plate for Aldara and started to plate up the food.
" Where is my brother and his mother." Aldara asked as she walked over and started giving Regina a hand with dishing up.
"Henry is asleep in the living room and..."
" I'm up and ready, where's me bacon." Emma said sniffing the air as she walked down stairs.
"In the kitchen love, where it always is." Regina said walking over to the blonde and kissing her good morning. " Aldara found the book we need"
"When?" Emma asked Aldara who picked up the book and handed it to the blonde. Emma inspected the cover and flipped through the short book's pages." Ekh reading" Emma said, Regina tutted and took the book off her to have proper look.
" Imma go wake up Henry." Aldara said wearing a devious smile.
"Go ahead it usually takes me a while." Regina said smiling. Aldara left to go and wake him.
Emma and Regina took the plates and cutlery into the dinning room. A few minutes later they heard Aldara shout 'HENRY' followed closely by a loud shreak from Henry. Emma and Regina looked at each other and both started laughing. A confused, pillow creased faced Henry came into the dinning room with Aldara who was smirking proudly.
" I woke him." Aldara said seeing Regina and Emma laughing.
" Yeah and almost made me deaf. Geez. Oh, breakfast" he said forgetting his rude awakening and sitting down at the table.
"Defiantly your son." Regina said sitting next to Emma. Aldara sat down next to Henry and they all tucked in. Henry finished first and had to run up stairs to brush his teeth after Regina had reminded him he hadn't done it yet.
" So what's the plan today. I'm guessing you guys have work but I was wondering if you know anywhere I could start looking for a way back to the enchanted forest." Aldara asked once they had finished. Regina who was already cleaning up the plates, looked at Emma.
" I have no idea. We usually just find something. Emma do you think the dwarfs saved any beans?" Regina asked her. Emma shrugged.
"It's worth asking Grumpy. He seems to know the most about it. That and he's in tune with the towns gossip. He's bound to know something that will help. We can talk to him at lunch, he's usually at Grannies." Emma suggested as she stood up. Regina nodded and took the plates into the kirchen. Emma went to grab her jacket and holsters.
" Hey Al. Wanna come down the station, I could show you around town. There's not much happening at the moment sheriffing wise. Its kinda boring actually, but I managed to get a bullseye on the dart board the other day." Emma asked Aldara.
" Finally, its only taken you five years." Regina said with a chuckled.
"Hey, this is my sixth one now. Give me some credit at least I didn't throw it in someone's foot." Emma said giving a ponted stare to regina.
" Well..." Regina said trying to defend herself.
"Don't try to denie it, it happened. I know because it was my foot. I had to get a jab and everything." Emma said. Aldara laughed at the pair.
"You guys crack me up. Seriously though, do I get to ride in the front seat...? Can I have a badge?" Aldara asked excitedly.
"You can have a job, if you promise to do my paperwork." Emma said with a chuckled.
"Yeah, I'm sick of getting it late because this one thinks Monday morning means Friday afternoon." Regina said poking Emma lightly in the shoulder.
"Bleh reading" was Emma's reply.
"I'm up for that as long as I get to do fun stuff too." Aldara said happy to have something to focus on.
" Awesome, uniform is optional and have you ever used gun before? You might not need it but it comes in handy." Emma asked her. Aldara eyes widened.
"A gun... Cool"
" I'm taking that as a no, you haven't used one before. Don't worry I'll teach you." Emma said with a smile.
"Not in the back garden Swan" Regina said giving Emma a stern look.
" I only used it to get that gross rat that was living under the house. I stopped you rat problem. You welcome." Emma said smiling cheekily.
" I never had a rat problem. It was that one rat." Regina rebuked.
" Like I said your welcome." Emma said before pulling Regina in to her arms to kiss her goodbye. "See you in Grannies at half twelve. Order me a coffee and a bearclaw." Emma said to a dazed Regina. The brunnete just nodded.
"Awee" Aldara said finding the pair adorible. Regina glare at them, her cheeks tinted red.
"See you two later." Regina said, before quickly grabbing her coat and keys. "Henry we're leaving now." Regina shouted up the stairs. Henry ran down them holding his school bag.
"Sorry mom, I couldn't find my science homework... It was in my pocket." Henry said to embarrassed, pulling his coat on.
"Of course it was. Come on, let's get you too school. Bye Aldara , bye babe have a good day at work. Don't do anything I would do" She said as they all walked to the cars.
"That doesn't really narrow it down. Bye Henry, make sure she behaves herself." Emma said. Regina threw a pen at the blonde. "Bye dearest" Emma said before quickly ducking into her car. Aldara did the same. Emma beeped her horn at Regina and Henry before driving off.
The car was quite at first. The two woman not knowing where to start. Emma turned on the CD player forgetting the last time she was in the car, her and Regina had been singing along to the Rent sound track. "La bohemian" came on and Aldara stated to sing along with Emma. When the song finished they were giggling. Emma switched the radio on.
"So I need to ask something. That Rumple guy, is he a big threat to you guys? What ever he was up to it seemed... Pretty serious. " Aldara remembering snippets of their convention.
" Your mothers on it. That's what I wanted to speak to you about. I was thinking you both go undercover. You know Regina introducing you to them. Just a heads up their not nice lady's . I mean I don't know about 'the sea bitch' as Regina refers to her, but Malificent and Cruella are nastie pieces of work. Cruella can't kill you but Malificent... Is a dragon, so... "Emma said, unsure of what Aldara would make of her idea.
"I think that sounds interesting. Does Regina know?" Aldara asked. The face Emma made told Aldara no. "So, how do you suppose I go about this?"
"She's already going tonight to try and get them to trust her. I suggest just tagging along, that's usually how I do it." Emma said with a smirk.
" Okay, I guess it could work. " Aldara agreed. Emma smiled at her before looking back at the road. They were quite for a second.
"I'm glad you have her a chance. For a while there I thought you weren't going too." Emma said to Aldara who nodded.
" I didn't think I would either, I guess seeing her, how she is now... She learnt from her mistakes and I realised if I killed her I would be just as bad as she once was. " Aldara said " and also a part of me refused I could do that to a person. "
"I'm glad to hear it. Regina still struggles with it. I can tell when she's having a bad day, it usually because Rumple had pissed her off or she's had a particularly bad nightmare. I try to cheer her up with flowers and a movie but to be honest it's music that calms her down. She likes listening to classical music mostly but she's recently taken to listening to ACDC whilst she and Henry play on the PlayStation and that seems to have the same effect. Especially when she beats him." Emma said chuckling.
" To be honest after meeting you guys, that doesn't surprise me. " Aldara said laughing too. " So, what's the plan today? " Aldara asked.
"I was think perhaps we should drop by the office and then we could take a walk around town. I'll introduce you to some of the locals." Emma said as she drove through the town.
" yeah I would like that... Are you meeting Regina for lunch? "Aldara asked the blonde.
" Of course, twelve thirty like always. " Emma said with smile. " Your like Grannies, it's good food and there's always town folk there. Mostly the Dwarfs but you might meet a few others. "
"Awesome, Henry raves about her pie. " Aldara said excited to meet the people she had been reading about.
"Its good pie!" Emma said agreeing with her son. Aldara chuckled. Emma pulled up outside the sheriff office. They got out the car and walked into the office. David was already sat at his desk writing something.
"Hey Dad, I brought Aldara along, I hope that's alright. Any calls." Emma asked him as they walked in. She hung her jacket up on the hook.
"Hey Emma, of course that's okay. You liking the town so far Aldara?" He asked her .
"Yeah, it's small and peaceful. It's been a while since I lived somewhere so... Quant." Aldara said with a small laugh.
"Yeah it takes some getting used too that's for sure." Emma chuckled. "It takes some getting used too, living somewhere that if you were to tell someone you ate a banana for breakfast everyone in town will know by lunch."
" You'll like it here. It may not be a big city but we're a little town with a big story. And everyone loves a big story" David said with a smile.
" That's true, especially for the people in this town" Emma remarked.
"So what do you guys do for fun around here?" Aldara asked knowing there must be something in the town to entertain people.
" There's an arcade, also game's night at Grannies but that usually ends up badly if Grumpy's there. "David told her not knowing what to say.
" That usually ends up being pretty entertaining itself. Last time I ended up having to haul him into a taxi. He even tried hitting dopey when he beat him at connect 3. " Emma said chuckling a little.
"Sound like fun. Does Regina play too?" Aldara asked.
" Only if Emma is present, her and Snow get quite competitive. Emma usually has to keep them in check. " David said making Emma chuckle.
"It's true if I hadn't been there when Snow beat her at battleships. I think Regina might have trashed the diner. Instead she just flipped the table and left for an hour or so to chill out... She really doesn't like it when Snow beats her. " Emma said with a smirk. " Which is most of the time. "
"You mother is just bizarrely really good at board games." David said with a shrug.
"So Dad what do you think about Aldara joining the team? " Emma asked David who smiled at her.
"Sounds good to me. Do you like running... This job involves a lot of running." David said with a small chuckle.
" I guess, I mean running is okay. I was kinda looking forward to the detective side of things. Oh, perhaps a good car chase. " Alarda said excited by the prospect.
" Storybrooke isn't usually the car chase kinda place. But your welcome to try help with what ever is about. At the moment were trying to keep an eye on Rumple and is band of... Witches. We need to make sure that Regina doesn't get herself into trouble. Those women know her dark side too well, if they are up to something then they'll drag her into it. I don't want her to put herself in a position where she has to do something she'll regret. " Emma told her. She was worried about Regina's plan to get Pinocchio to remember what he knew.
"I'll try to remind her to stay on the right side but I can't guarantee it will work. If she is as stubborn as me it might be difficult." Aldara told her, worried her mother might not listen to reason if she had her mind set on something.
" I know I just hope she doesn't go to off the rails. " Emma said a little scared she might lose Regina to the darkness.
" I don't think my mother would ever do anything to hurt your relationship. She loves you Emma more than I thought possible. I don't think she would have accepted me, if she hadn't had you there to help her. We would of just ended up killing one another. " Aldara said to the blonde.
" I-I... Your probably right. " Emma said with a chuckle. "Okay, let's go for a walk around town." She said. "If you hear anything Dad, radio me in. "
" ,Sure thing, just... Remember to take your radio with you this time. " David said with a chuckle. He handed her the radio and she fixed it into her belt.
"Right, that would be useful. Thanks Dad, see you at lunch." Emma said with an embarrassed smile.
" Hey David, thanks for giving me a chance. I won't let you down. " Aldara said as she followed Emma out.
"Bye girls." David said with a chuckle as Aldara almost skipped in excitement out of the room.
They had walked around town and Emma showed Aldara around. She even told her stories of what happened in different places. Aldara particularly liked Gold's shop. She had spotted a few things there she recognises from the Enchanted forest. It was strange to see how the fairy tale characters integrated themselves into living in Storybrooke.
"Okay so the last stop is Grannies for lunch. Chances are Regina's beat us there." Emma said as they walked towards the diner. " just a heads up people are going to stare at you, just ignore it and well... Just ignore it" Emma told her as they came up to the door. They walked into the diner full of people, who all turned to face them as they entered. Regina sat at a table with Snow and David. It was still a surprise to Emma to see them getting along. Sure there were a few tense moments between Snow and Regina but they were usually when Emma or David had to step in.
"Hey, your earlier than usual." Regina said looking at her watch. Emma took a seat next to her and kissed her cheek. Aldara sat next to Snow and David.
"Yeah it turns out this town's pretty small, I like it though. Its... Peaceful. I like peaceful." Aldara said with a chuckle.
" That it is, your be surprised at how fast things can turn from peaceful to complete and utter chaos. " Regina said as Grannie came over to take their order.
" Hey guys, I see you have a guest. " Grannie said as she held out her hand and shook Aldara's hand. "Willow, but everyone calls me Grannie. " The older lady said to Aldara with a smile.
" I'm Aldara, Regina's daughter. " She said nervously looking at Regina who smiled at her encouragingly.
"Regina's daughter?! But how? I thought you couldn't..." Grannies said a little confused.
" I can't but Aldara was born sometime before I took the potion. " Regina said the entire thing still sounded bazaar to her.
"Regina can't remember having her. We think she took a memory potion to protect Aldara from Cora." Emma told the order woman.
"Oh that woman was a piece of work. Regina probably had the right idea. I'm sorry lovely but your grandmother was a monster. You should count yourself lucky you didn't have to grow up in the castle. That woman destroyed everything she touched. Even her own daughter. I remember meeting Regina as a child and wondering how such a sweet girl was brought up by such a despicable mother. Sure as time moved on and Cora sunk her teeth in deeper, Regina was forced to hate everything and everyone, but she was never as beastly as that woman. Regina has a heart, Sure it got blackened but it was still there. Cora was ruled by the black void in her chest and would have turned you into a monster of her own making. " Grannie told the young brunette. Emma turned to smirk at Regina when Gramnie called her a sweet girl. Regina just pretend she hadn't noticed and took a sip of coffee. "Any who, orders everyone?"
" I'll take my usual please Willow. " Regina said smiling at Grannie. She remembered meeting her too. She had been playing with some of the local children. Grannies had been baking whilst keeping an eye on them all. Cora had dragged Regina away by her ear. Regina had tried to forget the rest because it hurt her to much to think about what her mother had done to her after. She never played with any one again. She isolated herself and started to spend more time with the horses. That was when she and Daniel became closer. He was the one person she could talk to about how her mother treated her.She found comfort in his arms and to this day was the only person she had talked to about her punishments. Even Emma had only heard doctored memorys of Regina's childhood.
"Sure thing Dear. Snow, Emma , David, your usual too?" She asked they each nodded. "So darling what will it be?" She asked Aldara who was looking at the menu.
" I highly recommend her cheese burgers. They are incredible. " Emma said to Aldara with a smile.
"Yeah sure, why not can't beat a decent burger." Aldara said remembering the first time she had eaten one. After having to hunt her food for years it was strange to come to a world that had so many options. Her first time eating a burger she had thought it was the most genius thing that she had ever tasted.
The gang chatted a little before Grannie brought out their food. Aldara had to admit it all looked delicious. Emma watched as Aldara took the first bite. Aldara was a little self conscious as everyone watched her for her reaction.
She bit into the burger and it was like her mouth exploded with flavour. She made a involuntary groaning sound, and grinned at Emma and Regina who were smiling at her.
"Told you so. Grannies food is always on point." Emma said taking a note of her own. She hummed happily. "Taste better every time ."
" This could possibly be the best thing I've ever eaten. I'm definitely going to become a regular here. " Aldara said once she had swallowed. She took a another bite and hit the table. "Damn, that's so good" she said forgetting her manners a little and talking with food in her mouth. They chuckled at her
"If you like that wait until you try Regina's Apple crumple. It's beyond incredible." Snow said with a smile, She and Regina swapped a few recipes but that one Regina wouldn't give up.
Really? " Aldara asked Regina, surprised at how domestic the Evil Queen had become.
"That doesn't even come close to her lasagne." Emma said putting her arm around the now embarrassed Regina. The blonde kissed the blushing brunette softly. " No used in getting shy now baby. " Emma said with a giggle. "Your secret is out, Our regal Queen the master chief... You'd give Gordon Ramsay a run for his money." Emma said as she pulled her in closer. Regina chuckled at Emma and kissed her lips lightly.
'I'm glad you like it 'cause your stuck with it forever now. " Regina said and stole one of Emma's fries. Emma have her a mock shocked face and Regina poked her tounge out at her before taking a few more.
"Get your own fries lady. These are mine." Emma said but pushed the plate closer to her and Regina chuckled. "You owe me cheesecake."
" Done, " Regina said as she and Emma shared the fries.
"Hey, why don't you take Aldara to see your office after lunch. I'm meeting you there after work anyway and I'm pretty sure it's the only place left on our tour" Emma said with a smile and went to feed Regina the last fry. Regina just raised an eyebrow at her, Emma continued to hold it up to her and wiggled it a little. Regina just rolled her eyes and bit it. Emma ate the other half and grinned at her. Snow and David just stared at them, dazed. Aldara just chuckled and sipped her drink.
"Awe" Snow said suddenly. Regina, who had been looking anywhere but at the other couple, turned her head quickly to look at her.
"Did you just say awe! Hope your happy Swan, This is you doing." Regina said facing Emma trying to look stern but couldn't when she saw Emma smirking at her.
" What did I do? " Emma said trying not to laugh. Regina chuckled and shook her head.
" I used to be feared all over the Enchanted Forest. I've been with you for less than a month and now I've gone soft. " Regina said. Emma chuckled a little.
"You started going soft way before we got together. Your just good at hiding it." Emma said to her.
"No Swan, I was just trying to do good, your the one who's tricked me into trusting you all" Regina said with a smirk. Emma grinned at her.
"Yeah but ain't ya glad I did?" Emma said with a chuckle.
"Eternally so, but now I have that to contend with!" Regina said pointing at Snow. " I swear if people start thinking it's okay to awe at me, I'm going to revert. You do not awe at the Evil Queen! Even if I have gone soft. " Regina said trying to be serious, Emma just chuckled.
"But baby, were adorible. Can't blame Mum for noticing." Emma said chuckling lightly wearing a grin. Regina just shook her head.
" Mum you two are unbelievablely cute together, I'm sorry but I'm taking Snow's side on this." Aldara said laughing at the pair. "Awe"
"You lot will be the death of me," Regina sighed and chuckled. They chuckled at Regina who just shook her head at the group. "So Aldara you want to come with me to pick Henry up after school too." Regina asked her, wanting to surprise her son when he came out.
"Yeah that sounds like a plan." Aldara said. " I actually have something to give him. Is it okay if I pop over to my house just before to pick it up? " Aldara asked Regina who smiled at her.
"Of course, what do you have for him" Regina asked her . Aldara smiled warily at her mother.
"A guitar, it's one of my old acoustics. It's nothing special but I think he'll like it. He mentioned wanting to learn and so I just thought..." Aldara said unsure that Regina would approve of her gift. Regina could see her hesitation.
" I think he'll love it. " She said with a soft, reassuring smile. Aldara smiled back.
"Okay, awesome" Aldara said excited to have something to bond with Henry.
"We should probably be off then," Regina said standing up and grabbing her bag. Emma grabbed her wrist.
" Aren't you forgetting something. " Emma said with a cheeky smile. Regina rolled her eyes affectionately and kissed the blonde. "bye baby have fun"
" Yes fun. That's what I always experience whilst working through the town's insurance forms. " Regina said with a light chuckle. " You just... Stay out of trouble. " Regina said smirking at her and brushing her hand through Emma's hair.
"Yes ma'am" Emma said with a soft chuckle. "See you guys in a bit. Don't forget you got to get your Evil Queen on tonight. We need to work out what Rumple is after." Emma reminded her. Regina nodded softly.
" I just hope I'm as good at acting as I am throwing fireballs. Gold is not an easy man to fool. As for the other three, I think it's fair to say their idiots, but Malificent will be harder to convince than the other two. " Regina said a little apprehensive of her plans to infiltrate the small group of villans.
"Prehaps I could come along and help you, I mean you could use me turning up as an excuse. We could come up with a story. I mean they know you and Emma are dating. It might make it a little less believable that your suddenly back on their side. We could however pretend you and Emma fell out and we joined forces. Just drop some spiel about Emma not liking me and that caused a rift between the two of you. " Aldara explained, knowing it would be a long shot. Regina pondered her daughters words. Unsure if was willing to put her daughter in danger.
"I- " Regina started in a waving voice.
"Mom together we would be formidable. I'm sure even the dark one wouldn't be able to pull one over on us. I just... Want to make sure your safe." Aldara reassured her. Regina smiled softly and nodded. Emma shot a surprised glance at her parents who were also shocked at Regina's acceptance of help.
"Okay, but if they try anything funny I'm not going to hold back." Regina told the table. She kissed Emma and took a deep breath. " Come on, I better get back to the office. I have a lot to do before I visit my old friends. " she said as she and Aldara went to leave.
"Will I see you later." Emma asked her nervous about Regina having to pull their plan off.
" Yes, I'll drop Henry off with you before we go" Regina told her anxious looking girlfriend.
"This is going to suck." Emma said sadly. Regina nodded in agreement.
"You two are worse that me and your father" Snow said to Emma as Regina and Aldara left Grannies. Emma just chuckled at her.
"I don't think anyone is as bad as you two." She said sipping her coffee. Regina befriending Rumple and the others meant her and Regina were going to have to stay apart for a while. Emma knew it was necessary but she couldn't help but dislike the plan.
Regina sat at her desk doning a pair of reading glasses that Emma had gotten her to help with her headaches. Aldara strolled around Regina's office admiring the womans choice in decor. She picked up a small golden box and opened it, curious of its content. Inside was a delicately, handcrafted bracelet with a small horse pendant hanging from the carefully crafted leather wrist band. Regina notice her looking at it with a confused expression.
" Daniel gave it me the day my mother killed him. It was an early... " Regina 's voice broke a little, remembering the moment vividly. " engagement gift. He was saving up his small wage to buy a ring. " she informed her daughter with a lump in her throat.
" it's beautiful " Aldara said as she gave her mother a soft smile. Regina nodded, standing up and walking over to her.
"He made it himself. I hid it from my mother, I knew she would have destroyed it. She hated that I continued to 'pine' after him. " Regina told her as she gently took it from her daughter. The older brunette looked at the momento. "You know what.. " Regina said sounding a little choaked up. "I think she knew taking it from me would make me realise sooner that I shouldn't trust her. I was young, naive and our for blood. That bracelet was one of the only things I used to have that reminded me, love existed in my life. I just... needed the reminder more often when I came here. Until I found Henry it helped to combat the loneliness... For a short time. " Regina said remembering what it felt like back when she had thought she had won. of course it wasn't until Emma turned up, she had realised how wrong she had been.
"Being lonely can be hard to handle. I get that. I kept a few things that reminded me of the people I love. It's hard not having anyone to talk too, especially when your having a rough time. I just had to keep remembering that it's worth it just to be able to talk to them again."
" I don't want to seem like I'm being noisy, but is their more than one person waiting for you?. " Regina asked wondering who the younger brunette was refuring too. Aldara nodded wearing a small smile.
" Mari and I made a lot of allies in the rebellion... Against you. " Aldara said to her with a nervous smile. "We made friends with few of them and cared for some of the younger kids in the camp. Me and Mari took in a young boy who had recently been attacked by a werewolf, resulting in him also turning into a werewolf. He struggled to come to terms with what happened to him. Mari helped him by foreshadowing when he would turn. We would find a safe place for him to spend the night. Regina " She explained to Regina who was listening intently to h we story.
"He was a good kid, he's probably an adult by now. He told us his name was --, but we called him Arctic, because when he was in his werewolf form his fur was as white as snow." Aldara said with a smile that showed she was reminiscing about her time in the forest. "He was slowly becoming more tame as he became more comfortable with his affliction. It was strange but we became his sort of adopted parents. He would look to us as role models, even though we were only a few years older than him." Aldara said a sad smile settling in her features. "As Mari began to struggle more with his dreams, Arctic was able to calm him. In his wolf form he would curl up next to Mari and his soft fur would comfort him when his mind wouldn't settle. We became a dysfunctional family but it worked well for us. Arctic saved our lives in more than on occasion and we protected him as best as we could" Aldara told Regina who have her a small smile.
"They both sound like good people, and good people can be hard to find. I'm happy you found people who love you. That is something that took me a long time to find and accept. My advise for you is don't give up hope. They will be waiting for you to come home and when you do you can tell them about Storybrooke and perhaps you can bring them here. I know Grannie would be happy to help Arctic, she's had a lot of experience with werewolves, considering her granddaughter is one too. Mari can finally talk to the Sandman and maybe you guys could... stay here." Regina said unsure Aldara would accept her offer. She had only just started to walk up to her and Regina didn't know if Aldara truly trusted her yet.
"If Mari and Arctic are happy here, I'd be glad to stick around. It's nice... Knowing that you and I might be able to become an actual family. I spent so much of my life resenting the fact that I was the Evil Queens daughter. It's strange to admit out loud, but I'm kind of proud.to be you daughter Regina. I thought I would always hate you but, I don't think I ever really did. I always thought you had abandoned me because you didn't want me. Seeing you now; talking to Henry. It's made me realise you didn't hate me, you were protecting me. I... Thank you." Aldara said a little embarrassed by her words.
" Don't thank me yet. I still can remember anything and until I do... I don't think I can forgive myself for letting you go. You're my daughter and I left you in the forest. I'm no better than my mother, she did the same to my sister and... It ruined Zelena's life. I can't even wrap my mind around the fact that I followed in her footsteps. The only thing I have that keeps me from thinking the worst is Henry and Emma. Without them by my side right now, I dont by think I would be coping as well as I am. These kind of things usually have a negative effect on me. They could have hated me for it all and instead they believe in me. It's an odd feeling to have someone especially two people who trust me so entirely but... I'm getting used to it" Regina told her, a lump rose in her throat. Aldara just smiled at her mother, Regina was confused by her expression.
"I believe in you too. From what I can see, your a good person who was taught that being good was a weakness. You had so many things working against you that I can fully understand why you did the things you did. It was pure survival, if you hadn't done what your mother expected of you then you most likely would have been tortured, or worse killed. You did what you had to do to survive." Aldara said to Regina who have her a watery smile. Regina couldn't reply, instead she tentatively held her arms out, not knowing how else to express her genuine joy that Aldara had accepted her history. Aldara a little uncomfortable not ever really being a affectionate type of person wrapped her arms around Regina, who smiled and pulled her a little closer.
"If there is anyway to make up did, I will do it. No questions asked. From now on If you ever need my help, I'm here for you. " Regina said and release Aldara from the hug. Although it had been a little awkward it also released a little tension between them. Regina couldn't help but smile a little to herself. The thought that she might actually finally have everything she had wished for, made her happier than she ever though possible. She wasn't going to let this happy ending slip from her grasp. This time she was going to fight with every thing she had.
