Sorry this was so late, but I promise this story is far from over!

Also, I don't want to rewrite every canon scene, so assume that all the stuff: Emma waking up in jail, helping Regina find Henry, getting framed for stealing Henry's files, cutting the limb from the apple tree, and saving Henry from the mine, all happened as per canon, or else this story will grow very redundant very quickly. The action (after the break in this chapter) picks up somewhere after the mine, and before Regina kills Graham.

Chapter Fifteen

"Hi."

Regina shook her head in disbelief. How was this even possible? Of course fate would have it that she would adopt the Savior's son. It made so much sense, really.

And she knew Gold was behind this.

But she couldn't think about that now, not when Emma-the-Savior-and-Henry's-birth-mother-Swan was standing there, staring at her, waiting for her to say something. To say their last meeting hadn't gone well would be an understatement, but now Regina feared that was really just the calm before the storm.

For a brief, fleeting moment, Regina considered pretending that she didn't even remember Emma. She figured she could just offer her a glass of apple cider, and play aloof. Emma already knew she was far from Regina's only lover over the years, and perhaps playing into how insignificant she truly was would be all that it would take to send her running.

That's what Regina wanted, after all, wasn't it?

Well, she knew that's what she should want.

But in a moment of temporary insanity, she let herself slip. "Emma?"

Emma rolled her eyes and shook her head. "How the fuck is this even possible?"

"Why don't you tell me? Since you are the one who showed up on my doorstep," Regina retorted.

"Yeah, because your kid brought me here. I don't know how he even found me, but considering you adopted him, it's no wonder he tracked me down."

"How dare you! I am a good mother to my son, regardless of what you think happened between us."

"What I think happened? How about-"

"Madam Mayor," said Graham, as he stepped out of the mansion and effectively cut Emma off mid-sentence. "Perhaps you should take this inside, rather than cause a scene for your neighbours?"

Regina closed her eyes for a moment, silently counting to ten to regain control of her nerves. "Miss Swan," she said, opening her eyes again. "How would you like a glass of the best apple cider you ever tasted?"

Emma rolled her eyes again. "Got anything stronger?"

"Well, if you think you're going to get 'hella' drunk with me tonight, you better think again," Regina scoffed.

"Don't worry, Madam Mayor, I'm not nineteen anymore."

"No, you most certainly are not," Regina agreed, as she turned to head inside, Emma following quickly behind, as Graham headed back out to his car.

Emma looked around the large entryway once they were inside. The house was nice - and huge - and everything she would have wanted growing up. On sight, she would guess that the kid would have everything he could ever want here, but he was convinced his mother - Regina! - was the Evil Queen from a fairy tale.

If any other woman would have opened that door, Emma would have assumed Henry was exaggerating, but Emma had experienced Regina's unpredictability and coldness first hand, and she could only guess Henry had experienced that, too, at some point.

After all, why else would he believe this fairy tale crap?

"So," Regina said, as she began to pour two glasses of liquor. "You had Henry while you were in prison, I assume?"

"Yeah, obviously," Emma replied, not bothering to hide her exasperation.

"And you never thought to add that detail when you told me you were in prison?"

"No," Emma said, narrowing her eyes in confusion. "Why the hell would I tell you that? It was none of your business, and if I remember correctly, you weren't interested in my baggage."

"I'm not, it just seems like a lot of unpleasantness could have been avoided," Regina replied, as she handed Emma a drink.

"Yeah, okay, so this is all on me? You let me believe you had a child, not you adopted a kid. Maybe if you had been honest, we could have figured this out sooner," Emma retorted.

"I knew seeing you again was a bad idea," Regina sighed, as she led Emma into the study. "I should have made a clean break after the first night."

"Well, why didn't you?"

"I… It doesn't matter now," Regina shrugged.

"It seems like it matters more now than ever," Emma countered.

Regina raised an eyebrow. "Really? Why's what?"

"Well, I mean, now we know… you adopted my kid, we're… I don't know, connected or something."

"Emma, what do you think is going to happen here? Regardless of our history, you gave Henry up… in a closed adoption, I might add. You have no right to access to him, so perhaps it's time for you to not make the same mistake I did. Make a clean break, Emma. Go back to wherever you came from, and forget you were ever here. It's what's best for everyone."

"It's what's best for you, maybe!"

"It's what's best for you, too, dear. And Henry, and that's what matters."

"Yeah, well, I got an earful from Henry on the way over here, and I'm not so sure that you really are the best thing for him, to be completely honest. I mean, the kid thinks…" Emma let her voice trail off, deciding better of telling Regina Henry's theory.

"He thinks what, Miss Swan?"

Emma shrugged. "Nothing. It doesn't matter. Look, I wouldn't have come here if I knew you were his mother. I'm not here to take him back or anything, I was just dropping him off."

Regina narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the sudden change in Emma's demeanor. Something was off, and she desperately wanted to know exactly what Emma knew about what Henry thought.

There was no way he knew… was there?

All she knew for sure is that she needed to get Emma as far away from Storybrooke as possible.

"Well, it's getting late. If you're still living in Boston, you've got quite a drive ahead of you," Regina said, standing. "Perhaps it's best if you get on the road now."

"Yeah, okay," Emma said, putting her glass of liquor on the end table as she stood as well. "Wouldn't want to make an awkward situation anymore awkward anyway, right? You do remember what day it is today?"

"You expect me to wish you a happy birthday?" Regina asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, just pointing out that this is the fourth time we've run into each other on this day," Emma said with a nonchalant shrug.

"And you think this means something?"

"I dunno. You believe in fate, Madam Mayor?"

"Hardly. It's just a coincidence Emma," Regina insisted, as she led the way to the front door. "Have a safe drive home."

Emma said nothing as she trudged back to her car.

And Emma didn't leave town. To Regina's dismay, she took a room at Granny's inn, and even after she had her forcibly evicted, she moved in with Snow White of all people. Gold was no help, no matter how much Regina hounded him about who Emma really was, and where he'd managed to procure Henry, he was smug as always, and offered no answers.

But, even if there was any shred of doubt left in Regina's mind that Emma was the Savior, it was dwindling quickly, and even though she tried her best to avoid her, she was always there. In spite of everything, Henry adored her, and Graham gave her a job, and Emma was just always around.

And it was pure torture.

Every time she saw Emma, she was bombarded of memories of them together. It was never supposed to be like that. Emma was supposed to have been nothing more than casual sex, but even Regina was having a hard time remembering that, whenever she saw her around. Their interactions were heated, at best, and Regina couldn't help but think their past had something to do with that. She knew there were a lot of unresolved feelings on Emma's part, and for her own part... well, try as she might to pretend she felt nothing, she knew the way Emma got under her skin like no other wasn't nothing.

Regina supposed she should be able to take some semblance of a victory in having bedded Snow White's daughter, at least, and on several occasions for that matter, but as much as she hated to admit it, Emma was so much more than just Snow White's daughter now. She was that naive young girl, all grown up, and she still intrigued and fascinated Regina as much as she ever had.

Regina had often wondered throughout the years if things would have been different if she'd never called Emma that night. Or if Emma had never sleepily told her she loved her. The thought of being loved by anyone was scary enough, but being loved by someone so pure as sweet, young Emma Swan was terrifying.

She wasn't so sweet and young now. Life had changed her. She was bolder, more demanding, less pliable and more defiant. Perhaps, if she were anyone other than Henry's birth mother and the savior, Regina could actually build a future with her.

But perhaps not.

Emma was more than the Savior or Henry's mother or Snow White's daughter. It was much worse than that. She was Leopold's granddaughter. The thought that Regina had grown this fond of someone in his bloodline made her cringe. The thought that she had willingly slept with his descendant made her wince.

She wondered, as she often did, what she'd done in life to make fate so cruel to her? Was it not bad enough that she'd lost her true love? She's also lost her innocence and freedom to the King - a man as old as her father, and now she was learning that she still didn't have freedom. She didn't adopt Henry by chance, no, that was another cruel trick of fate. As was meeting Emma again and again. No wonder she'd been so drawn to the woman, fate was pushing the Savior at the Evil Queen.

To break the curse.

This wasn't right. This wasn't how this was supposed to go. She needed Emma out of Storybrooke, before she ruined everything.

She needed to be out of Storybrooke, before she ruined Regina.

But, as usual, Emma's natural instinct was to do the exact opposite of what Regina wanted her to do. Such was the case the night that she showed up, drunk, on Regina's doorstep, banging incessantly until she saw a light flick on in a room upstairs.

"Emma!" Regina gasped, when she finally pulled the door open. "What the hell are you doing here? Do you have any idea what time it is?"

Emma shrugged. "No. We need to talk."

"It's past midnight. It can wait."

"It absolutely cannot wait," Emma insisted. "I've been in town three weeks now, and you've barely said two words to me. You only talk to me out of necessity."

"Yes, well, if you remember correctly, I asked you to leave my town. On several occasions. Why would I roll out the welcoming committee for someone I don't even want here?"

"Because I think you do want me here, to some degree," Emma shrugged. "Your problem is you want me here, and you can't admit it, not even to yourself. You're so fucked up that you're lashing out at me, and it needs to stop."

"You're drunk," Regina said, crossing her arms in front of her chest, defensively.

"You're a bitch."

"Excuse me?"

Emma shrugged again. "Sorry, I thought we were stating the obvious."

"Emma, go home, I have nothing to say to you," Regina said, turning to head back inside.

But Emma had other plans.

"Yeah, well, I have something to say to you!" she said, grabbing Regina by the arm, harder than she really intended to, but her sense of self was more than a little impaired by the alcohol.

Regina gasped and tried to pull out of Emma's grip, but her struggling only made Emma hold on tighter. "Let go of me! Let me go!" Regina cried, her voice an octave higher than normal, with pure panic.

Even in her inebriated state, Emma recognized the desperation in Regina's voice, and released her grip instantly.

"Regina, I'm sorry," she said, quickly sobering up in the heated situation, remembering how Regina didn't like to be touched, even in intimate situations, "I'm so sorry, I forgot. I didn't think-"

"Just leave! Now, Emma, please!"

Regina had told Emma to leave several times since she'd first arrived, but this was different. There was no malice in her voice now, just painful pleading. Emma had never seen Regina once lose control of her emotions, but right now, she looked like she might just break down and cry any moment.

And Emma was sure she shouldn't leave her.

For her part, however, Regina made the decision for her, as she turned abruptly and slammed the door shut behind her, without another word.

Emma stood and stared at the door, dumbfounded by what had just transpired. Even in her state of half-drunkeness, she had been around enough abuse in her life to recognize the eyes of a victim when she saw one.

She might not know much about Regina's life, but that look she'd just seen - eyes fearful and watery with years of unshed tears - spoke volumes.

Emma turned slowly and trudged back down the laneway, and began her slow walk home. After getting drunk earlier that evening at the Rabbit Hole with Graham, she'd decided, with some prompting from the Irish sheriff, that maybe Regina had been right: maybe it was best for everyone if she left town.

She had gone to Regina's home with the intent of telling her that, and with the hopes of maybe - just maybe - getting some semblance of closure in their whole screwed up relationship, before she left Storybrooke, and Regina's life, for good. She hadn't planned on inadvertently forcing Regina to lay all her cards on the table.

But now she knew she couldn't leave.

Initially, she'd stayed for Henry. Well, mostly for Henry, and maybe just a little bit for herself. She just wanted to know what the hell was going on. She didn't believe in the curse, but she knew something was wrong here. Something was off in Storybrooke, and she'd stayed for Henry's sake, but she was sure she was just making things worse for him just by being here, and she had to leave.

And she wanted to know what happened that night, nearly eight years ago. What had caused Regina's reaction? She needed to know, but being here, seeing Regina all the time, just brought back all those painful memories. She knew she should have been more than used to abandonment by now, but Regina's abandonment had felt different. They'd had a connection - Emma was sure of that - and Regina'd abandoned her anyway. Staying was too hard, she had to leave.

And now she knew, she couldn't stay for Henry and she couldn't stay for herself, but she absolutely had to stay for Regina, no matter how hard it was.

And not matter whether Regina liked it or not.

Emma drew in a deep breath of the cool Storybrooke air, reaffirming her on resolve. In her life, every single person had abandoned her in her time of need. She wouldn't do the same to Regina.