Author's Note - Short update. Sorry about that, but we wanted to leave it where it ended ;) Thank for sticking with us as it took awhile to update both our fics due to the joy of life's ups and downs. Please let us know what you think and thank you for reading!

"We're going to get caught!" Nicholas whispered.

Ava turned and gave him a stern look. "No. We're not. Now be quiet and keep watch like I told you."

Nicholas grimaced and peeked over the fender of the distinctive yellow Bug. It was still parked on Main Street, and he thought it left them far too exposed even at this late hour.

"Coast is clear. Why are we doing this again?" he almost whined.

Ava rolled her eyes and - with a violent thrust - stabbed the knife into the tire and tugged hard as she could. "Because," she reminded, "this was the plan."

He frowned and crept with Ava to the rear of the vehicle. The coast was still clear. "What's the plan again?"

"Nicholas! It's to help the driver with repairs tomorrow. Hopefully, he or she will buy us breakfast or lunch for our help!" Ava said impatiently.

He watched as she stabbed the back tire too and stared at the slash, listening to the air escape with a loud hiss.

"Focus!"

Ava looked past him to check the sidewalks herself, then out at the street. There was no sign of movement, which was typical for Storybrooke after hours. She nodded and crept around to the street-side and just slashed that rear tire when Nicholas made a quick snap of his fingers. It was the signal that someone was coming! Ava gripped the knife tighter and bolted in a crouch back to her brother.

"Let's go!" he whispered.

The children cut and ran, diving into the alley, and the neighborhood beyond.

Emma Swan fought valiantly to contain the emotional unrest that was threatening to spill by way of tears as she power-walked from the mayor's home to where her Bug was parked. When she first left the home, she came so close to losing it and it wasn't only until she knew the mansion was out of actual sight, did she pinched the bridge of her nose and cry out softly in disgust at what happened to her. She had been emotionally and physically abused by that madwoman! What was worse was Henry was defending her! At least in his delusions, she could understand why he was so spiteful towards his mother because his mother was a deranged sociopath! But as soon as Regina supposedly came clean about being the evil queen, poisoning Emma, and feeling regret in using her, he took her side! The psycho Mills family wasn't what she signed up for when blowing out her birthday candle. The price for not wanting to be alone was too high now.

She had been abused growing up in her foster homes too many times and didn't need it pervasively invading the life she now controlled. She thrived on controlling her life, just like when Emma had taken that control and ran away at sixteen for her own well being. Which was her sad reality. Living on her own before she was an adult was safer than living with the adults that were supposed to take care of her. So good or bad, at least every decision was her own. If she messed up, it was her fault. She learned and moved on and was never anyone's victim. Even what Neal did to her wasn't as malicious as what Regina concocted! He never knew that she was pregnant, and that shouldn't have matter. If he was supposed to be her Tallahassee, then he would have stayed, saved her, or even got arrested alongside her. Anything to show that he cared. Regina was just pure evil. She drugged her and forced her to have sex with her - tricking her into believing she had fallen in love with the mayor. Everyone that entered her life was a disappointment, liar or corrupt asshole that wanted something for her.

What made this worse is that buried deep under all that rage, there was still that love, that ache for the mayor. It made Emma feel worthless, ill and weak acknowledging that it was still present. Even if it were a lie, it felt so real and the residual feelings for Regina were still strikingly present. It was why she was getting to her car and putting as much distance between her and this godforsaken town. This is how obsessions with your abusers start and it was not healthy at all to remain anywhere near this toxicity.

Yet her plan had backfired because on approach, the blonde could see the deflated tires of her precious Bug.

"No, no, no, no, no, no! No fucking way!" She ran to the Bug and slid a hand over the hood towards the bumper as she crouched to see how bad the damage was. The rim was hugging the ground, as was the rear one when she glanced down the length of her car.

"Of all the fucking luck," she growled, pounding a fist against tire. She had a spare, but not two - unaware of needing three! Now she was stuck here at least until late tomorrow morning, which meant avoiding that damnable woman and her son instead of the clean getaway she wanted.

The question hot on her mind was who was responsible for this? Regina would know better than to stalk her. Not after what happened between them. That and it was too close of a time frame that it was actually her. Not unless she got the sheriff involved. It was, oddly, the kid she was worried about and how he'd meddle and turn things around in trying to get her to stay. He was persistent and persuasive for a ten year old. Add smarts to that, and Emma was sure Henry would spin this entire fiasco into something positive - like he was trying to do before she left. Did she think Henry had a hand in this? No. Just his youthful optimism and irritating faith in who she was supposed to be and what her purpose was in this town would make this one moment, her car useless, into some aspect of fate.

And fuck that. I control my life. Not some intangible bullshit fate clause.

Standing up and looking around the empty street that betrayed no sign of who vandalized her car, Emma made her way to the B&B to at least start the process of packing up her few belongings since sleep would certainly not come tonight.

Once again, Regina found herself headed toward Granny's B&B in the hopes of finding Emma Swan in residence. This time, however, her hands clutched the steering wheel hard enough to turn her knuckles white and there was a visible grimace on her face. She glanced at Henry, seeing him look so determined and sure.

You're too young, my son, to understand how I've ruined everything. Again, Regina thought.

The Bug was still across the street as Regina pulled the Benz up in front of the diner. She frowned, realizing the ugly yellow car was sitting awkwardly.

"Her tires are flat, Henry," she stated, sounding puzzled by that.

Surely the curse couldn't force Emma to stay in town…?

"This is good though. Bad. But good. Means we don't have to chase after her. Just, what are we going to say to her so that she listens?" he asked contemplatively, speaking far above the good senses of a ten year old.

"Oh, Henry, I don't know," she sighed. "From… Emma's point of view, she can only see that I hurt her. I don't know how to make her understand."

"We have to change her point of view, though," he pleaded.

"How?" Regina challenged. "True Love's kiss can break any curse, but there has to be love at the core of it. How can we possibly make her understand when she now sees me as a monster too?"

"I … don't know," Henry answered sadly. "But she does love you for real. Or the apple's curse wouldn't have broken. She isn't going to believe in curses or anything right now. We both hurt her so badly."

Regina looked back to the stranded Bug. "Maybe we should wait until morning. If Emma can't leave, would giving her the night to process help, Henry?"

"I don't think so. Maybe? She'll want to leave as soon as possible though, Mom. That's a fact."

She sighed and looked back toward the diner and B&B beyond. Regina's fingers curled around the door handle and she took a deep breath, willing herself to go to Emma, even without a plan. Tears spilled from her eyes, unaware that she was crying.

"I don't know what to do," she whispered.

Her son frowned, feeling sympathy for his mother in a way that he really couldn't recall in recent memory. He curled his arms around her waist and squeezed her. "I'm sorry that I'm not helping much. But being honest is the hardest thing you have ever done. And I know it didn't turn out the way you wanted, but you did the right thing for Emma. I believe in you too. Never thought I would because of the book and who you were. But you're not totally her anymore. The evil queen. You got to get Emma to see that too."

"Not totally," Regina replied in grim agreement. "Henry, I don't think it would be wise for us to go up to Emma's room tonight. She's too-"

Horrified.

Disgusted.

Repulsed.

Frightened.

"-vulnerable right now, considering what she believes happened-"

Because it did happen just as Emma saw it, you monster, her mind tacked on. Regina flinched.

"We know she can't leave town tonight. Why don't we go home for now and seek Emma out early tomorrow morning before the garage can open to fix her tires," she suggested. "It's been a very long night."

The young boy sighed and let go of Regina to sulk in the passenger seat. "I guess you're right. Just wish we could make sure she was all right. Having your tires slashed isn't very nice. Who would've done that anyway if it maybe wasn't the curse?"

She glanced at that deplorable yellow Bug again. "I have no idea. It's not like anyone in Storybrooke to destroy property maliciously."

Because my curse made them docile, she added silently.

"Well … are you sure? The hand on the clock tower didn't move until Emma showed up and stayed. People could be doing things they normally don't too. Or maybe, what they would usually do," said Henry confidently. Curses were, oddly, something he versed in based upon his fairy tale book. Relationships, not so much. Unless you considered destiny and true love and happy endings the end all be all to life. Which he did to a degree, but it wasn't as predictable as it was in the book, he was finding.

Regina looked to Henry, eyebrows aloft. She sighed. "You have a point, my prince. As Emma weakens my curse… who knows what will happen around here."

She shivered. No one would regain their memories until the curse broke; Regina was confident of that. However, if they started to exhibit more of their original Enchanted Forest personalities and quirks… Regina didn't even know how to feel about that.

Scrunching up his face, Henry didn't know how to comfort his mother in all of this. He did his best back at the mansion, knowing that Emma would definitely protect her once the curse broke, which helped riled Regina to go after his birth mother. He helped her believe that it could all work out for the three of them It appeared that Regina was second guessing all of that right now, clearly looking haunted by what Henry was predicting.

"We just got to be careful. We both know what's going on and we can prepare. And once we have Emma on board, it'll be easier." He sighed as his confidence deflated. "Just getting her on our side is the not so easy part."

"Indeed." Regina fell silent, pondering this mess she'd created for herself. "Henry, pull out my notebook and pen from the glove compartment, please."

He reached forward and plucked the small spiral notebook and pen out, passing them over to her. Regina immediately set to writing while the words were fresh and she had the courage to put them to paper. Then, the mayor slipped out of the car and slid the note under the driver's side windshield wiper on the Bug. Looking grim but determined, Regina returned to the Benz.

"Let's head home, Henry. There's nothing else we can do here tonight."

At 6:30 am, Emma was showered, dressed, and already out of of the B&B with a pack over her shoulder and a to go cup full of caffeine in one hand. She wanted to lock her stuff in the Bug and then walk over to the garage to stalk the mechanic right as he arrived. The plan was to bribe the guy with a nice monetary incentive for the immediate tow and tire replacements as his first customer so she could get the hell out of this town.

She still didn't have a clue who could have done the vandalism. Regina meddling had crossed her mind again, but, again, there wasn't enough time for her to get her hands dirty unless she called in some favors. Graham had stalked her before and the mayor was more than devious enough to order him to do it, but … in her heart, it really didn't make sense. Regina was subtle in her manipulations and it would have been downright desperation to slash someone's tires so they wouldn't leave. The woman had been desperate to drug her and then make an example out of Emma, there was no denying that, but there was a sense of slumming it with the peasants that didn't jive with Regina. It was too mundane, slashing tires, and that didn't scream Regina Mills at all. Kids that wanted to mess with the new girl in town, yeah. That seemed far more plausible, and sadly, had very poor timing.

Making it to her car, Emma saw a piece of paper affixed to the windshield wiper that was lightly flapping in the breeze. She sighed, head thrown back in disbelief that this was happening.

"Oh for fuck's sake. Really?!" Immediately assuming the worst, Emma crossed the street to see what citation she managed to get. This was the sort of manipulative behavior she'd expect from Regina - forcing the sheriff to give her a ticket out of spite.

Whining, she snatched the paper and realized that it was exactly that. Paper. Flipping it back and forth curiously, she frowned when there was nothing on it, but she knew exactly who it was from. Unfolding it carefully, Emma turned the letter over and saw the words but refused to read it just yet. Why should she? What could Regina possibly have to say to justify her behavior?

"At least she didn't title it 'Dear Miss Swan'," she muttered, slamming the letter against her thigh. It was all she managed to glimpse at out of the corner of her eye, and all she could think of to say in resentment.

There was no reason to read it. None. Clearly insane for considering it since her heart and head were having a serious debate on what was right and wrong for her. Maybe she felt she was owed an apology or explanation. A real one - not that ridiculous garbage about poisoned apples and evil queens wanting to get rid of competition for her son's affections that didn't exist.

"Why am I even giving this a chance?" Emma whispered and brought the now crumpled letter up to read.

Dear Emma,

I apologize for the way events unfolded between us. You cannot imagine how remorseful I feel for your suffering. I understand what it is to be used, but please know that that was not my intention. My feelings for you are frighteningly real.

Whether you can believe me or not, I needed to put my feelings in writing. I do feel love for you, Emma. If you wish to speak to me, about anything, you know where to find me.

~Regina

She should go to the mechanic as planned. Get the Bug towed and the tires replaced and get the fuck out of Storybrooke. It was the logical course of action because of exactly what it said in the letter. Emma was used. Calling her abuser was not the right thing to do. Calling out her abuser for being a complete psychopath was. She would not leave and let Regina feel that this half-assed letter of apology possibly absolved her of the crimes committed against her. Emma's hand reached into her pants pocket, pulled out her phone and immediately dialed the mayor with with a few choice words all ready to be unleashed.

Regina jumped when her cell phone rang as she was having her coffee in the dining room. She stared at the Emma calling… message on the screen, took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and flipped the phone open.

"Hello, Emma," she said simply.

"You have no fucking idea what I think, lady! No idea!" she spat into the phone. "This letter you wrote was just to make you feel some sense of closure. Another manipulative tool to get what you want out of whatever it is you want from me. I'm not buying it at all."

Regina flinched. Anger flared that Emma was shouting at her, and she struggled to reign in her temper, remembering that Emma had every right to yell at her. She took another deep breath.

"My letter was an apology," she said in monotone. "Nothing more."

"Yeah, I can tell. You sound so sorry about the whole thing right now. I feel the sincerity moving me to tears," she bit back, not really sure what she was expecting from this call with Regina.

Maybe part of her was hoping that the mayor was being sincere about what happened, even if it was something she could never forgive her for. At least it would show that the woman was actually human instead of his force of nature when threatened. That she was capable of something else besides threats and deception. But again, why was Emma even toying with this unnatural idea? Had Regina worked her over so meticulously that even she couldn't realize when to quit? The Emma that she knew would have thrown the letter away and gone off to the mechanic without questioning her own motivations in leaving, or even hoping that something salvageable could come from this. She was trying to believe that it was her rage that initiated this conversation.

Regina sighed, conflicted. Henry wanted her to find a way to work this out so that they could be happy together and so that Emma could break the curse. But was that what Regina really wanted? She'd used the last of her magic to poison Emma to make her go away for good. That had been the objective, not this love affair they'd ended up with. Yes, she'd fallen for her… but if Emma left, wasn't that really what she wanted?

"I am sincere," Regina bit back. "I was sincere in wanting you gone to start, and sincere in my desire and love for you as my feelings changed. If you cannot believe that, there's nothing I can do about that."

The moment the retort was off her tongue, she regretted it, because she knew Emma would take it badly.

"Nothing you can do about it?" Emma balked, completely appalled by Regina's arrogance in this. "Are you fucking kidding me? You're the one that has to convince me you're being sincere, lady. You're the one that drugged me and took advantage of me. Not the other way around. No such thing as a leap in faith when it comes to you, Madam Mayor. Good-bye."

She ended the call and blocked Regina's number immediately. Any hedging on what she may or may not feel towards Regina was obliterated by that conversation, which meant no more delays. Checking her watch, she could still make it to the garage in time as it opened if she made a run for it. Which she did, carefully keeping the to go cup upright and steady, of course.

Regina flinched again and clenched her phone in a vice grip as she flipped it closed. The mayor was unused to dealing with another's feelings on this level and didn't know how to behave, handle, or control the situation. Emma made it all difficult.

Let her go.

Go after her.

The competing thoughts warred in the brunette's mind until she pocketed the cell phone and snatched her keys off the sideboard. Regina stormed out to the car and screeched down the driveway in a rush. She raced down Mifflin Street, heading toward the bed and breakfast to confront Emma in person because the phone call had been a disaster.

"Shit!"

Regina's brown eyes zeroed in on Hansel… Nicholas… standing like a deer in headlights in the middle of the street. She swerved to avoid him because he was clearly paralyzed with fright at her car barreling down on him. Regina swore again as the Benz's front tire hit the curb and sent her veering straight toward the old oak tree. There wasn't time to scream as she smashed into its massive trunk head-on.