Another chapter.

Had issues with tense changes, I hope I ironed them all out but if not I apologise.

To the followers - thanks and enjoy!


It is almost four months later, four sad and slow months since the wedding when Regina has her late evening drinking rudely interrupted. From the minute the heavy hammering starts she knows who it is and her stomach drops. She doesn't want to answer the door, she wants to avoid this confrontation. She has been successfully navigating the blonde for months, they barely speak unless it is job related and that suits them both.

But tonight, something has changed because her ex-lover has actively sought her out. With a heavy sigh she stands, knowing from the late hour and the uneven knocking Emma is drunk and unlikely to just give up and go away. To be fair Emma had never really been good at that part, years ago she had dug in and stayed in town and Regina can't really find it with-in herself to regret that. Their time together might be over now, but there were months when it was so good and she won't feel guilty for being happy. She won't feel bad about the good times. Certainly she misses the woman terribly and is sad now that it is over, but she will eventually heal and get better. It is when she has thoughts like this she misses Archie and his gentle soul, she would love to talk her feelings out with him, but that part of him is gone and no magic can fix that.

She is aware that if Emma had turned tail and fled all those years ago she would never have the strength of relationship she does with Henry and she wouldn't have known the friendships and love she has developed in the years since. She would still be stuck mid curse, alone and bored. So she doesn't regret Emma staying, she just wishes she would go away now.

Wishing she had drunk more and wasn't still sober she forces herself towards the front door. As she weakly pulls it open she curls her lip into a self-protecting snarl. Attack had always served her well in the past. She has an insult on the tip of her tongue, but she holds back as she watches with some amusement as Emma almost falls through the open space and stumbles into the entrance hall.

"Well Miss Swan, I can't say this is a pleasant surprise." She allows the bitterness to filter through, but Emma is so far gone she can't hear it.

Standing stiffly she lets her eyes wander over the unsteady and clearly struggling to hold herself upright frame of the blonde. Her hair is a mess and her usually bright and beautiful eyes are glassy. Her face is a little slack and Regina sees the fact her Ex is well and truly hammered, but she is unsurprised by this. One of Emma's many addictions in the past had been drink and she has clearly relapsed tonight.

The Mayor has also been hearing rumours for weeks now about the state of the Saviour's marriage so she can't honestly say she is surprised by the appearance of her past lover, especially in this state.

"Hello Regina." The words are slurred and Emma can't hold her gaze.

"What can I do for you Miss Swan?" The brunette can't keep the distain from her voice, she hadn't really wanted to. Emma's treatment of her had been hurtful and she had always struggled with being nice to people who had upset her. Even if she loved them deep down. Mother had been pushed through a mirror and many a time her father had taken the backlash. He had supported her, listening to her vent her anger and aggression and she had never giving him any support in return. All because he hadn't stood up to her mother during her childhood. She felt justified in undermining him and belittling him, treating him just as her mother had, never really seeing how wrong it was until she had spent years without him and with his blood covering her hands.

"It's all your fault." Emma points a finger and takes an ungraceful step forward.

Regina instinctively steps back, not through fear, she could never fear Emma, but she can't have her in her space. She raises an eyebrow at such a ridiculous notion.

"What is my fault Miss Swan? That you are drunk? I think that was all you."

"That I can't make things work with Charlie."

Regina's lip curls and her nose wrinkles at the pet name. Charles suited him, he was an accountant in the cursed world, a man with a petty power complex, a dull grey suit that matched the way he lived his life. Charlie conveyed someone who had a cheeky smile and was lively, not the man Emma had walked down the aisle to marry. He was definitely a Charles.

"I hardly think that is my fault." Regina responds haughtily, because really, she has done nothing but stand by and leave Emma to her own devises. This was really all down to Emma and her desperate escape plan to eject Regina from her life and her heart.

Regina was well aware at the time, but more so now that the plan was ill conceived and likely to fail. If she couldn't remove Emma from her heart then she was pretty sure Emma was just masking her feelings and denying to herself the contents of her own heart. Regina was clearly a fixture in the blonde's beating organ and Emma's next words only solidified Regina's view.

"It is. It is all your fault. Before I was with you I could have done this."

"And what is this?" Regina asks her inebriated visitor, she is losing patience and how she wishes Emma would just leave, because this is wrong. They avoid each other, they don't share space or try and converse anymore. That is done with. Emma made that abundantly clear and she has no right to stand in Regina's house and try and spread round the guilt she is feeling about her failing marriage.

"This." There is rapid waving of a ringed hand underneath Regina's nose. "I could have been happy with Charles. You know, fake it until you make it. I could have pretended he was the one. He is safe and he cares, we could have been good together."

"Emma." Regina sighs because she is tired and Emma is drunk and she doubts anything she says tonight will be remembered by the morning. But Regina doesn't want to hear this, she doesn't know if she can stand to hear the words falling from Emma's mouth, because they just hurt. They speak of something beautiful that somehow became twisted and it is now buried in the past. Her lover is someone new, her feelings for him shallow and that was Emma's choice, one they both need to live with.

"If I'd never been with you I'd have never known what I was missing! I'd never have realised how dull and boring and simple he is in his views and outlook. If I didn't have you to compare him to, I would be able to make this work." She nods violently at this, Regina thinks she might be trying to convince herself.

"Are you saying you can't make this work?" And Regina isn't sure why she is asking, some kind of sick curiosity she supposes, but the question is out and now Emma is struggling to think of a reply because she really is drunk and her thought process has slowed considerably. The older woman shouldn't be probing, it isn't fair to take advantage of the blonde in this state, but Emma came to her house so the brunette thinks anything is fair now.

"He thinks we can. He says he'd do anything for me. And you know what, he probably would. He is so desperate to have The Saviour for a wife he has already agreed to completely stupid things. I laughingly told him that we should get one of the dwarves in to spice up our sex life earlier"

Regina looks horrified and like she might vomit, thankfully Emma is so far gone she doesn't notice and carries on, "I was joking, I just wanted to gage his reaction. He said yes! He is that scared to lose me he'll sleep with Grumpy in some sick porn show!"

Emma looks up into Regina's eyes then, some clarity cutting through the fog that is swirling in her mind. She looks scared and vulnerable and still so very young and lost. It is a look that would have once broken Regina's heart, but as that has already happened she just purses her lips and fists her hands just a little tighter.

"That's not ok is it 'Gina? Even if we had problems, you don't just invite someone else into your bed and think that's a solution."

She shudders then, her eyes so close to tears and Regina is caught between her warring emotions. She hates the way Emma has behaved, she feels she was thrown away without a second thought and yet the love is still strong for the broken woman stood unsteadily before her.

She fights for a long few seconds, willing her body not to betray her. They are done, over, at the blonde's insistence. And yet she still finds she is struggling to keep her hands at her sides. She wants to wrap them around the woman before her but she must stay strong. She must, because Emma is a runner and right now she is drunk and running from her husband, but that doesn't mean anything to her. Or for her.

She is being unwillingly dragged into Emma's marriage and needs to keep her distance. Emma might finally be waking up to the realisation this was a mistake, but it is her mistake and she needs to correct it herself. Regina can't have an opinion, because whatever she says is bound to be taken the wrong way. She needs to be impartial and that is why she tries to remove herself from the conversation.

"What goes on behind closed doors in someone else's marriage is none of my business Miss Swan."

"I think about you every day and even more every night. You are as much a part of my marriage as he is." Her eyes are full of sincerity, there is love and passion and fire shining desperately through.

And Regina wishes Emma hadn't just said that, that her words haven't just smashed through her newly built wall with her brand of blunt honesty. So she does the only sensible thing left to her, because she can't trust her mouth to say anything and she feels the desperate need to give the woman in front of her comfort, comfort she knows will be sucked up like a sponge because it feels so natural between them. It would be easy to slip back into that dynamic, but that is wrong, Emma is married and Regina won't let her get under her skin again. She needs to protect herself at all costs.

Part of her wants to smile, the words lifting her and making her spirits soar, she swears her heart that had felt dead and numb suddenly slams into life in her chest, very much a traitor to her mind that is fighting to keep some distance. But Emma's words, her honesty as she admits that Regina hadn't been forgotten, they touch her just like Emma's gentle caress after making love used to. They tell the brunette that she might have been rejected but she was still a strong presence in the blonde's thoughts, just as Emma is almost constantly in hers. She is still wanted but she can't, can't give in to the way that makes her feel. That road will only lead to more heartbreak when Emma leaves her in the morning.

Her words to Ruby and a half made promise to not turn Emma away echo and she pulls strength from somewhere. She doesn't know where, because she has felt nothing but weak since her hospital visit and abandonment shortly after. She holds the stair rail in a death grip, using it to help her focus and hold onto her emotions and self-control. This is her house, she is in control. She knows that is a lie, her blood is pumping and she feels a little light headed because even a little dishevelled Emma's pout and gorgeous body affects her. Right now though, the lie is enough for that moment and she is spinning on her heel and going upstairs, a very casual, "I'm sure you remember where the guestroom is" thrown over her shoulder.

She doesn't look back, but hears the uncoordinated shuffling behind her as Emma pulls herself together and starts her stumbling and shambolic journey to find a bed that isn't shared with her husband. And Regina thinks that maybe, just maybe, Emma is stubborn enough to go back to him in the morning, but she isn't sure. Because she had seen the truth in Emma's eyes, the love still shining there for her and she thinks how unworthy Charles is and that Emma might be realising deep down where she can no longer lie to herself about that fact.

Sleep will be hard fought for tonight, the reasons for allowing Emma to sleep under her roof again will keep chasing round her tired brain. She thinks she should have opened the front door and kicked Emma out, but she couldn't. She had been called callous and heartless, cold and detached in her past life, but she couldn't in good conscience do that to Emma tonight. She can't find her old strength and bitterness, can't be so nasty that she ignored the blonde who is so obviously floundering, so desperately reaching out for someone to stem the hurt. She can't inflict more pain by withholding a safe haven and a stilted version of friendship from the clearly distressed Sheriff.

She curls in on herself and pulls the blankets tighter. The morning is bound to be awkward too and she has a headache starting to form. She lays there awake for a long time, long after she knows Emma has passed out and her snoring is carrying through the wall.

And god she even misses that, the soft breathing against her neck or in her ear when they had shared a bed. But there is a wall separating them, and she knows it needs to stay that way, she has to learn to accept this and carry on. She needs to rise above it all and be an adult and she will. She will. She promises herself over and again, she will be strong.


"Henry." Regina's smile is natural, and he can hear it through the phone, a warmth in her voice that she only gets when speaking to him. She can't hide how much she loves to hear from her son, it is about the only thing that makes her genuinely happy these days.

"Hi Mom." His lust for life is infectious and Regina feels her heart swell, her son was always able to mend her after she has fallen apart.

Somewhere upstairs she hears hurried footsteps and Emma slamming a door, Regina suspects on her way to the bathroom and violent vomiting and she shakes her head. On the other end of the phone Henry hears the muffled noise and is quick to ask,

"Who's there Mom?" Regina thinks she hears the faintest sound of hope there, like if she has a visitor that maybe she is going out more and interacting and he can stop the endless worrying.

And she knows he is worried, she knows from the daily phone calls and the way he tries to mother her through the phone. It is endearingly sweet if a little odd to have her son so concerned for her. She is fine, she is coping and his concern is misplaced, but it makes her feel good to know the distance hasn't diminished his love for her.

"Your other mother Dear." And he hears the clipped tones and knows he needs to tread carefully with her. She could easily close down and shut him out because her emotions are still haywire about his blonde mother.

"What is she doing there?" He keeps his question casual.

"Right now I believe she is being violently sick."

"Not what I meant." He comes back at her and she realises she is smirking, she loves her son and the word play and banter they fall into so easily.

"I am given to understand her marriage is in trouble." Regina responds, her voice cool and no hint of emotional at all. Henry knows she has put the mask in place, he doesn't need to see her face, he knows her well enough.

"Well there's a shocker!" his voice drips with sarcasm and she fights with herself, the smile she sports indicating she has lost because that was exactly her thought on the matter and Henry is so her son. But still, it is a disrespectful remark and he was brought up knowing better than to be sarcastic. The smile on her face is inappropriate but thankfully this is a phone call and he can't see it.

"Henry!" she tries to rebuke him but he jumps in.

"No Mom, she doesn't get sympathy, she doesn't get support. She made this mess herself. She has put everyone through this unnecessarily, but especially you and if she had just listened and been rational she would have known this was all wrong. Did she really not know this was a mistake?"

"Actually I think both Emma and Charles were blinded by, well I'm not sure by what, but they didn't think this was a mistake. I think Emma thought she could do this and right now she is completely shocked that she can't."

"Mom, um, where….." he stutters and then takes a breath and asks the question anyway, "Where did she sleep last night?"

"In the guestroom. Do you think I'd be stupid enough to rekindle things with a clearly drunk and still very much married woman? Besides, she isn't mine to love like that anymore."

His Mother's honesty and sadness as she asks him this cuts into him, she is still so very much in love with Emma and still so broken over her leaving. And he can't understand his blonde mother at the moment, this behaviour isn't who she is. A few seconds of quiet spin out and Regina knows he has ducked his head and is thinking about his question, probably a little ashamed from the silence she gets from the other end of the phone line.

"I just wanted to check." He finally says, "I know you still love her and that you'd do anything for her. I didn't want you to get hurt and I'm sorry if that was inappropriate to ask."

"It wasn't Henry, I know you asked because you care. And I am glad you care."

"I love you, and I'm so sorry Emma is being a dick at the moment." And that is where Regina knows he is Emma's son too. It is so like her Ex to be that crass with such blunt honesty. Like a sledgehammer. And at times her son can be like that too.

"That was inappropriate Henry." She scolds him, because he should never refer to the blonde like that. Yes, Regina thinks, she has been a dick, a prize one, but Henry should curb his criticism of the blonde. Emma loves him and is just very lost at the moment and she might be entitled to just a little bit of sympathy.

She never wanted Henry to pick a side, she knows he is in her corner and has been so very supportive, but it upsets her that he has had to choose. She feels strongly a child shouldn't ever have to do that, she feels parents should always protect their children and never place that level of responsibility on their shoulders. She grew up in a strained and irregular family, where she was punished for unconditionally loving her father and one of her biggest regrets is that she ever trying to force Henry to stay with her back when the curse was in effect.

She knew from experience how easy it is to damage a child and yet she had still done that to her baby boy. So she refuses to make him to pick a side over this and she never will. She stills feel guilty for her behaviour despite Henry's assurances he has forgiven her and she guesses she always will, because out of anyone, she should have known better, should have seen the damage the tug of war was doing to their son.

But it is the past and she knows to let it go, dwelling on these things doesn't help. So she listens to Henry as he justifies his "Emma is a dick" comment. So like her, logical and ordered as he lists his argument.

"But she is and you deserve better than to be the person she runs to when she has marital issues. Did she think you'd welcome her and do cosy friendship like you used to? Tell her how to fix things?" Henry muses aloud and Regina loves the relationship she has built with their son. He has become a thoughtful young man, with so much love in his heart and so much care in his demeanour. She can be honest with him and know she won't be judged and knows they are friends as well as family.

"No, she came here to blame me." Regina thinks back to the dark days when Henry wanted nothing to do with her, and she had learned the hard way to be honest with her son and smiles as she realises this conversation isn't nearly the weirdest they have had in their years together.

"She left, she ran away. How can she blame you?" The incredulity is clear in his voice and Regina misses him so much at that moment.

"Well she does. Apparently I made her feel loved and wanted and it is my fault her husband struggles in that department."

"Are you sure I can't call her a dick?" Henry laughs into the phone and Regina gives up trying to tell him off, because only Emma would seriously try and tell The Evil Queen something was her fault. With the thought about her past persona she abruptly stops smiling. With shocking speed things become just a little bit clearer, Regina takes a breath as clarity washes over her. She suddenly understands that misplaced blame Emma has, that is something they have in common and it took her years to be able to straighten hers out.

Emma is so like she used to be at this moment, she is angry and scared and she is pushing people away and building walls. She isn't walking around in corsets and sinfully tight pants just yet, but she is lying to herself and placing blame and reacting with far too much aggression and so little self-control. It makes Regina shiver just slightly, because whatever Archie started, she has just realised, she is ideally placed to continue. She has knowledge of this behaviour, she has lived through it. She just needs to get through to Emma. She knows how hard that will be, because nothing would have deterred her when she was Queen in the Enchanted Forest, well nothing except Daniel, her True Love.

And god it scares her, because she knows deep down Emma has a True Love. And as she takes another deep breath she thinks that possibly that might be enough. It is conceivable that the power of True Love will bring Emma back from the edge of this destructive cycle she seems to be in, but there is almost always a cost involved where either Emma or Regina are concerned. It is with very real apprehension she decides she will go down this path because she doesn't think she can bear the pain and suffering if she is wrong. She isn't sure her poor damaged heart can take anymore sorrow and rejection.

She knows before she can help the blonde she needs to find herself, find more strength and the belief she can do this. If she needed anymore motivation to do this she only needs think of the many times Emma has always been there for her in the past. Fighting her own parents over her belief Regina had changed, that she deserved a chance and her freedom after the curse broke, then again in Neverland. Emma had continued to stand up and defend her over the years, from taking on the Dark One's darkness to being firmly dependable through Henry's teenage tantrums.

Regina knows the blonde has always done her best to protect her, so she knows whatever it takes, she will be there for her friend. Even strained and broken as their relationship is now, she will extend a hand of friendship to her ex-lover this time. And she isn't sure they will ever go back to being lovers, but True Love has many guises and maybe being Emma's friend will be enough. Someone to guide her and help her and make her see this isn't who she is and that she is destroying herself slowly but thoroughly with her sham marriage.

She has always felt better when she was planning and felt actively involved in a situation. It wasn't much, but it was all she had and she knew it was hope that was slowly filling her. She had never felt more like a member of the Charming family than at that point and she rolls her eyes at her own behaviour.

Cradling the phone like Henry can feel her touch she comments, "I think I hear more movement upstairs, I have to go check on her. Have a good day My Prince."

"Yeah, you too Mom. I love you."

"I love you too Henry." And with that affectionate goodbye warming her insides she pulls the phone away from her ear and disconnects the call, knowing she has run out of time. She has to deal with a very hung over blonde, who may or may not remember anything from last night. She grabs a glass, fills it from the sink and then opens a cupboard and palms the bottle of painkillers before taking a deep breath and going upstairs.


Emma walks back into her old and empty apartment and has to rush to get to the toilet in time as her stomach lurches again. It has been a long time since she has been this rough and her head feels like a jack hammer is pounding inside it. As she rinses her mouth out she looks at herself in the mirror above the sink. Her eyes are red rimmed and bloodshot and her hair is a complete mess. She is in yesterday's clothes and she realises she doesn't smell so fresh, a mixture of stale booze, the smell of sweat and vomit linger around her and she feels disgusted at herself.

Worse she knows her husband will be disgusted too, but he will cover it up with his odd smile and ability to ignore the obvious. The obvious being that their marriage is in trouble, has been since the words "I do" were exchanged. He will make an excuse for her behaviour because she is the Saviour and then pretend the whole incident had never happened. She shakes her head and thinks marriage was meant to be easy and better than this.

She has some memory loss too and knows she has screwed herself because she woke up at Regina's house. She had been avoiding the brunette with a good degree of success for months now, and really it was a good plan because the feelings seeing her create just confuse her. Their relationship was over and she was married, she was meant to be happy. So why did seeing the beautiful brunette woman still affect her so badly? And why did she have a horrible sinking feeling in her stomach that she might have said or done something stupid last night?

She doesn't know why she kept paying the rent on the apartment, she had moved in with Charlie after their wedding, but she is glad for it now. She doesn't feel comfortable letting her husband see her like this and she needs peace and quiet to sleep off the hang over. He would just bother her, fussing and trying to help in his misguided way of loving her. She realises she should have spent the night here, but somehow she had regressed and gone to the place she still occasionally slips and thinks of as home.

She pulls her phone from her pocket to find several missed calls and text messages from her husband. The messages all say the same thing, just in different ways. "I'm sorry" and yet Emma feels he has no idea what he is apologising for, he just feels he ought to say it to make everything right. She knows everything is wrong because she doesn't want to go and see him and straighten this out. She plans to bed down here and sleep and hope once the headache recedes she might be able to think more clearly. She doesn't think she can accept an apology that is hollow and empty, because it will be. Charlie is trying so hard but he doesn't understand her and never will. He didn't understand what had upset her yesterday, or that she sometimes needs space and wanted to go drinking without him last night.

As each day passes Emma is realising her husband is a complete traditionalist who is struggling in this new world. He has rigid ideas about the roles of husband and wife and he struggles with Emma's free spirit. He wants her to keep the house clean and cook his meals. He wants to upgrade her car because he thinks it shows a lack of sophistication and that a car is a symbol of status. Emma's yellow and old VW just isn't good enough for him. He tolerates her job but feels she would be happier staying at home and practising for when the children he plans for are born.

She can't help comparing him to Regina, who had been happy to let Emma be herself. And Regina hated the Bug, referring to it as a "death-trap" but she had left Emma to make her own choices and decisions because she trusted her. The brunette had loved her deeply and would never try to stifle the younger woman. The Bug had survived for years including Regina's criticism, but was in real danger of being replaced after only a few months of married life and the blonde thought this was probably only the beginning of the changes Charlie had in mind.

It was as she discussed with him and tried to put her views across that she realised how very little they had in common, how narrow minded he was and that it would take a herculean effort to make this work. An effort she wasn't really prepared to make because she didn't love him. She just felt him trying to trap her which wasn't fair to the man. He just didn't know any better and thought his views were completely acceptable, and in another world and to some women they would be. Some women would love to be looked after and cared for, not having to make a decision because their husband spoke for them, but that wasn't Emma. She was the daughter of Snow White, she was never going to be someone's stay at home trophy wife.

And often when they disagreed and he started to panic that Emma didn't share his ideas and views she watched his fear nearly consume him. So scared that his perfect marriage would fail he would start to throw his beliefs under the bus and agree to anything. Emma felt bad that she had pushed at him last night. It was clear to her that she obviously had more confidence and self belief than he did, she was passionate in her desires and argued strongly for them. He was not used to being challenged, more so by his wife, a woman he had obviously expected to obediently follow his directions and requests. It was a mess and wasn't doing either of them any good.

Emma lowers her her head and takes a deep breath, hoping her stomach is beginning to settle, even as her mind whirls round faster with jumbled thoughts.

As she realised more and more over the preceding weeks things weren't good, she became unsettled. Her fight or flight desire reared its head and it culminated last night. So in a mild form (for her) she had escaped last night. She had blown him off for the night and had run to get a drink, because that was what she did, but it wasn't an indefinite solution.

Now as she struggles to meet her own gaze in the mirror she knows she needs to think about what she wants from the relationship and whether she is going to text him back. She decides against it, instead she drags herself out of the bathroom and crawls into the bare mattress of the bed, deciding everything can wait until later as she feels so exhausted.


Snow knocks on her door later that afternoon. Regina has stripped the spare bed by then and is pottering around the kitchen. Her conversation with Emma had been very brief, the blonde trying to escape from the house the minute their eyes connected. She had just about managed "Thank you" for the hospitality and the pain killers before she had shrugged into her jacket and was rushing down the stairs and out the front door.

So Regina had busied herself, cleaning and baking to take her mind off the late night visit. To be honest she is glad for Snow's arrival, it is a welcome distraction. Having welcomed Snow she makes them tea, both sitting companionably at the island in her kitchen. It wasn't unusual for Snow to drop in, but it was usually arranged and the older woman had an idea this visit was over something specific, probably something blonde and frantic.

She lifts her eyebrow and waits for Snow to fill the silence.

"How are you?" Snow opens with and Regina humours her.

"Quite well thank you."

Snow takes a sip of her tea. "You look tired, how are you sleeping?"

Regina recognises the unsubtle way Snow is trying to steer the conversation and decides to take charge of this. Her reply is curt, "Alone."

The younger woman has the good grace to blush, knowing she has been caught prying.

Regina continues, "You sound just like your Grandson, he was asking questions that don't concern him about my sleeping arrangements."

The comment could have been barbed, once upon a time it might have been taken as such, the older woman telling the younger to butt out of her business. But these days, after so many years of dancing round one another, Snow takes it in the way it was intended and they smile gently at one another. They both know Henry was the common ground to begin with but there is now plenty they have to talk about and share.

"You told Henry she was here?" she echoes Regina's remark.

"He rang this morning and heard her moving around upstairs. I was honest with him, like I'll be honest with you. She was blind drunk last night and I care too much about her to openly turn her away. So yes, she stayed, in the guestroom. And she left this morning, very hung over. If I had to hazard a guess I imagine someone spotted her and went tattling back to you. Small town gossips, I sometimes wish I was still The Evil Queen and could kill all the peasants you know." There is a malicious smirk and Snow can only shake her head at the dark humour. She also sees that it is an attempt to deflect the conversation and attention from the topic at hand.

"Someone did mention it to me, yes. Are you alright?" And Snow reaches out and touches Regina's hand, her concern clear.

"I think you should be checking on your daughter, she was the one who was barely conscious and still retching as she walked down the sidewalk."

"Emma will be fine, she just over did the drinking. She'll resurface once she has slept it off."

"You haven't heard from her today?" Regina was going for a casual tone but Snow sees through it, hearing the concern for her daughter despite the Mayor trying to sound nonchalant.

"Not yet, but this isn't the first time she has gone on a bender. She is an adult who can mostly take care of herself. Plus she can't do anything around town without someone noticing, and no-one has tattled to me yet." Snow winks at the older woman, throwing her words back at her and loving the creased forehead, frown and crossed arms she gets in return. The gestures are accompanied by a dissatisfied "Hmm" from the older woman indicating her displeasure at being baited and Snow knows it well. Slowly, so very slowly, Regina is rebuilding herself, becoming more like the woman she had been this time last year.

"Did you talk to her at all?"The younger woman asks.

"No." Regina isn't really lying, because they hadn't really talked. Emma had been the one speaking, despite Regina wishing she wouldn't. She went on to clarify, "She was a mess, most of what she spoke was self indulged babble."

"Oh." Snow obviously hoping it had been something more.

"It did make me realised something though." Regina continues.

"What?" Snow shows her interest, she had heard something in Regina's tone, it wasn't quite so defeated.

"That Emma reminds me of a past version of myself, lost and angry. And that she could well be falling off the wagon too, which isn't good for anyone's health but could be fatal for a Sheriff."

"You wouldn't take her badge, would you?" Snow is suddenly concerned, because Regina could do that if she felt her Sheriff was compromised and unfit for duty.

"No, you misunderstand me Snow. I won't take her badge unless she forces my hand, and to my knowledge her "benders" as you put them are few and far between. I mean that I think she is in a bad head space, one I recognise. If I'm honest last night was like looking in a dirty mirror into my past. Emma is struggling with her emotions and her control, and she has turned to drink like I turned to magic. She doesn't want to face her problem so falls into an old and familiar addiction instead."

Regina stops for a moment, measuring her words, thinking about what she is going to say. "I think after her visit last night I might be able to help her. And I'm prepared to help her, to hold out my hand in friendship. The person who came to see me last night, that wasn't Emma. That was a shell of a person and she needs help. I can't be selfish and ignore her anymore. She needs me and she deserves that from me."

"Are you sure? Regina she is my child but even I can't blame you if you walked away from her. Her treatment of you was deplorable, especially after she promised you forever, made declarations about love and life she hasn't been able to keep."

"You think me foolish?" The older woman queries.

"No, I just want you to be sure. She hurt you badly and I don't want to see that happen again." Snow gives her a half smile, she knows her daughter is in a bad place and she is grateful that Regina has offered to help her, but she doesn't want to lose the older woman to her pain. They have all seen where that leads and no-one wants a replay.

"I'm sure. She is struggling with the darkness and came to me, indirectly I'm sure she was reaching out. I think subconsciously it was on purpose, we have always been tied together and understood each other so well. And if it was I can't read too much into that. Maybe it was habit, maybe there is still love there, but for whatever reason I couldn't live with myself if I turned my back and let her self destruct."

"You still love her." It is a statement, no room for argument.

"Of course I do, but I don't expect her to return my feelings. I am doing this because it is the right thing to do. I need to try to save her, like she has saved me so often in the past."

"I hope Emma realises what she has thrown away. I hope she is able to see the wonderful person you are and accepts your help. But you know she is stubborn and it won't be easy. Regina are you strong enough to handle her rejection again?"

"I was The Evil Queen, I had strength and stubborness that drove me to try and kill you for over a decade, do you really doubt my ability in this?" Regina is smiling with all her old regal demeanour, her tone is superior and the look on her face mocking.

"You haven't been her for quite some time." Snow fires back, not being even slightly intimidated by the other brunette.

"No, you are right." Regina holds her gaze. "Now I am a woman who has friendship and love and I am in a better place. It gives me a different kind of strength, and I'm sure you will be glad I am no longer driven by homicidal tendancies."

"Using dark humour as a defence no longer keeps me out either. I am your friend and you forget I know you too well."

"I haven't forgotten and I am grateful for your friendship and concern. But I need to do this, both for Emma and myself. I can't let her go or move on while we are stuck in this situation where we ignore each other and still have unresolved feelings between us."

"Please try not to push her too hard so she runs again."

Snow fidgets with her hands and Regina remembers the time in the Enchanted Forest when Emma lived in New York and they were separated. How hard it had hit Snow and was a daily reminder to her of the 28 years apart, the lost chances to hold, mould and raise her baby into a Princess. It instilled a deep fear in both Snow and Charming that they might lose their daughter again and Regina is sympathetic to that. Before Henry she might have dismissed the feelings and emotions, after all the purpose of the curse was to make Snow suffer, but since Henry and his love, since being a parent herself she has changed. She well knows the pain of being separated from a child and she knows nothing will take her guilt away. And she has lots of guilt, for hurting Snow and Charming who are now like family but more so for the lost years that Emma had suffered alone.

Snow sits at the counter worried about her daughter's conduct and behaviour, but she also knows Emma lacks motivation to change things and is stagnant in a rut. All the while her daughter is stuck like this she is stable, if miserable and unhappy. Snow knows it is wrong and she wants her daughter to return to feeling, to open up her heart again, but she knows that exerting pressure on Emma could backfire and that there is a chance she might bolt. If Emma were to leave Storybrooke, if things deteriorate and she feels unable to stay, well that would break her mother. This plea is from the heart and Regina only manages to smile grimly.

"I'll do my very best Snow." And both women know that is the truth.