Thought I could get this done in 3 chapters but suspect I want to wrap it up in a fourth. So here is the next instalment, less angst than before and more hope, more positive.
Enjoy the read, thanks as always to anyone fav/following and reviewing.
Regina looked down at the paperwork in front of her. She couldn't say she'd honestly thought about it before, but now there was something very wrong with the small town she had built. They had a police force, they obeyed law and order. They had a town hall and a Mayor to preside over it all. They had a hospital and doctors and nurses, she had even thought about trash collection, schooling and recreational activities like drinking and swimming. But they didn't have a judge or a working judicial system. Strange as she had made George a lawyer, but he had been an ally in The Enchanted Forest and she had felt it right to give him power and money during the curse. His role like all fancily suited and booted lawyers was to strut around self-importantly but he had done no work or had an active case during the curse.
It was Ok when Kathryn and David had separated, they hadn't needed to actually file for divorce because the curse had broken and the truth was out in the open by then. They were not legally married, so they just walked away from each other. And Mary Margaret had never been officially charged for the murder, so again, they had never had to try and address anything legally.
Regina knew they could never send paperwork for the town's folk outside of Storybrooke, because the outside world would have no record of them. Which meant the divorce papers she held in her hand were suddenly her responsibility. As Mayor and Ex-Queen she was deemed the person closest to a judge, closest to understanding this world and its customs and laws.
She looked at Emma's name and knew she shouldn't be the one to agree to dissolving the marriage. She was biased, she should have refused to do this. But she had been looking at the paperwork for over a week now and just kept avoiding making any kind of decision. It didn't help she had no idea who else to pass the job onto. She thought she ought to call a hearing, listen to both parties, try and arbitrate and get a feel for the circumstances before making a decision, but she was loath to do that. If it had been any other couple she would have and she knew she would have been fair and sought to make the best decision, but she was painfully aware that in this case she was likely to listen to her heart and not her head.
Until recently she would have suggested marriage counselling, she had a very good therapist she could recommend, but Archie had lost that gift and she didn't think anyone else was qualified. She was absolutely certain Emma wouldn't sit and let any of the Princesses talk to her about the joys and wonder of True Love, about Happy Endings that revolved round a man and how to bake her way back into his heart. It made Regina cringe that most of the women still thought a wife should honour her husband and chase round after him, cooking, cleaning and being at his command.
The old world was so very rigid, Divorce was unheard of and the words "Till death do us part" were honoured. Of course death often came much more quickly than anyone wanted, with illness, magic and murder being rife. So she knew Emma's request was perfectly reasonable in this land, but it might not be welcomed by the town that still looked back as much as they did forwards.
The fact that she had tailored the curse, manufacturing her own problem because she hadn't understood this world, made her smile grimly. For 28 years it hadn't mattered, hadn't even occurred to her there was a problem. There was petty crime but nothing that required a heavier handed intervention. Her office handed out traffic and parking tickets and the Sheriff's department chased up minor vandalism and made the perpetrators clean it up. Community service or sleeping off a drunken rant in the cells were the standard punishments.
But now she wished she had created a well-rounded town that would deal with this. But then Storybrooke was like every other small American town, where doctors doubled as coroners, car showrooms were unheard of, all car sales went through the local mechanic, and the local priest was likely the local counsellor and therapist. It even appeared the Mayor could judge cases of guilt and dissolve marriages, the role seen as closest to a judge or jury. She stewed over it, annoyed with her slice of typical small town America, with the responsibility firmly sitting at her door.
She didn't think anyone in the town would actually ask her to judge on someone's guilt. Certainly she had changed, was viewed as a friend and hero by many, but she had spent years being the judge, jury and executioner in the old world. She had harshly ended lives, making decisions without discussion or real thought, only acting on her anger and rage, so now people were still wary of her. And she understood that and that she herself was guilty, so had no right to judge someone else in that regard.
Moving Emma's paper again so she could get on with proper town work, signing off budgets and allocating funds, updating her diary and pencilling in meetings she tried to ignore that she needed to make a decision.
She was caught between a rock and a hard place, because Charles adamantly wanted to keep Emma. He viewed her words and the ceremony as legally binding, but Emma desperately wanted to be free of him. She was going to cause upset whatever she did and if she sided with Emma then there would always be questions about whether she had acted because of her feelings about the blonde. There would be insinuations about Regina's character, the respect she had fought hard for would come under scrutiny and there were bound to be whispers they were still lovers.
And they weren't, Regina had held out her hand in friendship to the younger woman, but that was all. They were platonic, Emma was now able to open up and laugh with her and forget her home life and the disaster that she had created by marrying in haste.
And somewhere in the discussions, at some point, Emma had realised she would be happier on her own. That she had made a mistake and didn't love Charles. That it wasn't fair to either of them to continue the pretence that they were happily married.
And Regina would swear on Henry's life she hadn't led the blonde to that conclusion. Emma had just finally woken up to the fact she was miserable and she had friends to talk to, who understood her, and that unfortunately her husband wasn't one of them. He didn't understand her, they didn't talk about things that mattered, about feelings or planning things together. They were basically living separate lives already, married only in title, not in reality.
Charles had found it odd that Emma wanted to spend time with Regina, he couldn't understand why she needed time away from him, why she would want a social life with friends, especially ex-lovers. He had a very limited social circle, in fact he might really only have work colleagues and acquaintances. Emma was his world, his wife who he expected to come home to, who he thought should listen to him moan about his day over dinner. His view was so limited, so restrictive and Emma reared up against the feeling of being restrained and dictated to. She had spent her life in the foster system being told how to behave, to smile so she'd be adopted, to be quiet and wait patiently. To play nicely and not run round with the boisterous children, to go to sleep and not complain she was hungry. And then in prison being watched and made to conform, both by the guards and by the other prisoners who thought she looked like an easy target. And after that, coming to Storybrooke and having the expectation of being both Mother and Daughter thrust upon her, to behave sensibly, to break a curse. And now she felt her husband pushing her into yet another role she didn't want and she was finally strong enough to reject it.
So Regina was the reason that yet another wedge was driven between the couple and she felt Charles jealousy if they crossed paths. He couldn't look at her or meet her eye and he was distinctly cold towards her if they did stop in the street to converse. He was clipped and stilted and Regina felt his hostility towards her. He had stopped short of making any accusations, but it was clear he was worried about the older brunette and would rather his wife did as she was told and stayed at home rather than going out for late night drinking at the mansion.
As the evenings became more regular, the conversation had started to flow easily. They began with Henry, because everything always had done. And that was yet another thing Charles didn't understand. He wanted children, but he couldn't accept Henry, so Emma came to Regina and they discussed their son and his college antics, the girls he would talk about and the parties he tried to deny he was going to. And after Henry they were able to open up, discussing a bad day at work or family engagements that they dearly wanted to get out of and avoid. They could put on the TV and discuss the latest episodes of Orange is the New Black, or old favourites like NCIS and laugh at the 80s haircuts or suits in classic Murder She Wrote.
It felt natural, it left both women feeling the warmth of friendship and the brunette enjoyed seeing Emma happy again, even if it was short lived. Because Emma had always been full of life, and Charles was managing to suck it out of her, and Regina hated that about him. But it didn't mean she was qualified to dissolve their marriage. Her feelings about the man couldn't influence her stance on this.
She knew Emma felt there was no chance, the relationship was dead to her, but she had to see both sides. She had an idea one evening while Emma lounged on a sofa opposite her, admittedly it had been after a few drinks and it might not be one of her best. Her drink inspired plan was that Snow could act as the marriage counsellor. She knew about love and making a relationship work, about struggling and about change. Her and Charming had detested each other at first sight, they had had to adapt to many changes including the twists and turns of Henry and his parentage and who they were all related to. They had had Neal, bringing pregnancy hormones into their relationship and who had made them tired as he cried through the night. He would have required constant supervision and must have diverted their attention away from each other, changing their relationship dynamic as a new baby always will, putting a strain on their love. They had lost their daughter to the darkness and found strength with-in each other to name just a few of the trials the Happy Idiots had been through.
So Regina thought Snow was ideally placed to give advice, much better placed than she herself was with her numerous failed relationships littering her past. When she voiced it to Emma the blood had left the blonde's face.
"Yuk. Really Regina?" Had been the response and Regina tipped her head, not understanding. Emma and her mother were close, why would this be a problem?
"I am not discussing my marital problems with my Mom. She wouldn't understand anyway." Emma elaborated. It was like Regina had opened the floodgates, Emma carried on speaking.
"Charlie isn't passionate, he doesn't instigate anything. And you know I have quite the appetite, I have needs." Emma looked right at her and she felt herself get hot and flushed, she remembered far too well.
"Mom wouldn't understand either, her and Dad have a healthy sex life."
Regina balked at the information she really didn't need to know. Emma sensed her discomfort but kept going anyway, enjoying the glare Regina had thrown her way.
"Did I tell you about the conversation where we discussed bringing in other people, like one of the dwarves?"
Regina nodded, she remembered far too well, the image sometimes still popped into her head unbidden and made her feel quite unwell.
"Can you imagine me explaining to my Mom that we were considering inviting some of her closest friends, people she considered like brothers, into our bed to spice things up? It would be like me fucking an Uncle."
Regina cringed at the expletive and the nonchalance of her Ex. Emma paused to take a breath and Regina had decided she'd heard quite enough. She quickly cut off the blonde by jumping in and saying, "Ok, I understand, it was a bad idea, forget I mentioned it."
She wished she could forget the last 5 minutes as well, knowing Emma wasn't sexually satisfied was probably going to keep her up quite late that evening. She knew how easy it had been between them, how Emma would breathily cry her name, how the pleasure built and exploded, pleasing both of them over and over. She wondered how Emma was managing but she refused to ask, there was definitely a line now they weren't sharing a bed and asking about masturbation and sex aids like vibrators was definitely crossing it. What she did know was that her own vibrator was likely to see some action tonight, she doubted she'd fall asleep until she had taken care of the heat that had morphed between her legs at Emma's opening remark. Even knowing Snow and Charming were at it like bunnies hadn't turned off the desire and she cursed the attractive woman who was able, without any effort or thought, to arouse her so easily.
After that night Regina decided she would stick to perfectly safe and normal topics of conversation. Sex, or the lack of it in Emma's marriage, was definitely not up for discussion. They naturally gravitated to their pasts, their experiences and how they had shaped them into the people they were.
And Regina listened, loving hearing Emma's voice, even when it hitched with emotion when talking about people she had lost in her life. About her mixed feelings for Killian and Neal, her hatred for the families that had kept giving her back while in the care system. They spoke quietly but with conviction about the things they cared for or about. Family, trust, love, friendship and food in Emma's case, designer shoe's in Regina's.
They laughed together and occasionally they cried too. But they shied away from giving physical comfort, both scared that innocent touches might cascade into heated caresses. Regina knew her self control wasn't absolute and she wasn't prepared to test it.
So slowly they dug deeper into what had forged them, what had melded them into the people they were now. Over months, where Regina often went to sleep exhausted from recounting her dark deeds and her twisted past, they grew close again. It was like the 6 months spent ignoring each other hadn't happened and Regina often dreamed those evenings after the blonde went back to her husband that she hadn't walked out the door, she had instead stayed.
But she knew that wasn't what Emma needed, she didn't need a lover complicating things, she needed someone to listen and more than anything the brunette wanted things to be better for her friend. She was devoted to helping her heal, being there through long nights talking about her past, sharing stories where they had both been close to melt down from feeling too much and pushing too hard, feeling the exhaustion but knowing the only choice was to keep going.
They both knew the feeling of being backed into a corner and then attacking because that was the easy thing to do, hurting people and using anger and rage, despair even to fuel their behaviour. The brunette had admitted she often lay away late at night in her royal bedchamber in The Enchanted Forest forcing the voice of reason away because if she had stopped and allowed the calm to settle, she might not have been able to live with herself or her actions.
They both recognised life was a battle, and without someone to guide you or support you every fight changed your character, made you more closed off from your feelings until you were just a shell going through the motions. And Emma would become bitter about her past, or sad, or angry. The older woman began to see the warning signs as the blonde started to raise her voice and her posture changed, tension filling her shoulders which hunched her over. At times she sometimes stood and paced, her energy nervous and erratic, but she would quickly burn through the negative emotions as Regina let her stalk round the room spilling her heart out.
And after that, when Emma managed to let go of little pieces of her aggression and relax a fraction, then she would well up and the tears would come. And she would cuff the tears away, embarrassed and hurting, but knowing she was safe in this place. It used to be their home together, the walls and the magic protecting her and that Regina would never, could never, judge her. In those moments the blonde longed to be held but also knew they had agreed to keep their distance, and Regina's sympathetic smile and loving eyes would have to do for comfort.
The contrast to Charles, to her current home life, was drastic. Her Ex was still her best friend, and unlike Snow or Ruby, she understood the painful twists in Emma's life, the abuse and beatings life had given her, both physically, but more metaphorically. The lovers the blonde had been with all seemed to leave and had left her broken hearted. She had experiences that were scary, were morally questionable, some horrific even. There were past things that scared deep and had never been properly resolved by the blonde so they had bubbled under the surface, boxed away as best Emma could. Waiting for the right questions to unlock the box, to allow them to be discussed and finally brought out into the open and let go. And Regina was gently prising them out of her, making her accept them and face the way they made her feel.
Regina understood so very well because she had been hurt too, she hadn't had her Prince Charming by her side, she hadn't had a kindly Granny to look out for her. She had been physically abused in life much like Emma had, she had had her heart broken by lovers that left her, and she had felt the pressure when every day seemed like a fight. Every day in her own marriage she had been both ignored and made to wonder why she wasn't good enough, or had unreasonable requests made on her time and body from a bumbling husband who occasionally remembered he had needs and a beautiful young wife. The brunette had tried to gloss over the details, knowing that was Emma's Grandfather she was discussing, but it was still mentioned, because they didn't hide anything from the other during the late night talks.
And now they were here, with Regina moving the divorce papers back and forth across her desk, feeling oddly indecisive. She was usually so quick to see a solution, but this stumped her. She had failed to see this as an outcome when she had decided she would try and help Emma.
Regina sat in her office and allowed her mind to wander. She thought back to the day she had taken charge and forced Emma to speak to her. She knew the blonde's schedule and had previously been using the information to avoid the woman. She changed tactic that day and used it to locate her and get her alone.
She had got up early, knowing Emma went running when it was still cool before the sun properly rose to warm the day. Emma always ran the same circuit, ending up down by the docks so she could stand there and warm down, stretching while looking out over the water. She knew Emma found some peace there, with no-one else around, except the seagulls and the sound of the waves. Regina knew Emma would often sit on the bench as the sun rose and enjoyed the breeze drying the sweat from her workout.
That morning the brunette had made sure she was sat on the bench when Emma came jogging past.
It was comical watching Emma spot her seated on the bench and then decide whether she had been seen, if she could turn around and run in the opposite direction and not have to deal with an awkward conversation. Regina took the decision away from her by standing and waving, forcing the blonde to acknowledge her and to jog slowly towards her.
"Good Morning Miss Swan." She greeted.
"Um, Hi." Eloquence had never been the younger woman's strongest suit.
"It is beautiful here." Regina had commented.
Emma just hummed, stretching down to her shoes and picking at the laces so she didn't have to maintain any kind of connection, her eyes were riveted to the floor and Regina felt exasperation at her ex's behaviour.
"Emma." The Queen used her commanding voice, the one that said she was to be obeyed.
The blonde lifted her head at the sound of her name.
"Sit down with me, watch the sun rise. It is beautiful."
And Emma did, and Regina pretended it didn't hurt that she sat at the opposite end of the bench, keeping as much space and distance between them as was possible.
"Do you remember much about the other night, the things you told me?" Regina started, her voice casual. She didn't look at Emma, she kept her eyes on the horizon, the sun beginning to warm her face that she had set and was unreadable.
"Not really." Emma hedged. She remembered the state she had been in when she woke up, she knew what ever had been said or done it likely wasn't pretty.
"You blamed me." Regina stated, so very matter of factly. Only Emma knew her and knew that if the brunette had sought her out, the conversation was going to have a purpose.
"For making you happy." She added.
"Oh." Emma felt the sinking in her stomach again. She had more than messed up, she was lucky she hadn't been fireballed out of the house. You didn't go round shouting and chucking accusations at Regina, she might have calmed and become mellower, but she could still be pushed to lose her temper. Emma knew she had hurt the older woman deeply by ending their relationship, and that a hurt Regina still sometimes lashed out. She had been very lucky that night.
"Sorry." Emma tried. She was picking a stray thread from her jogging pants and refused to look up.
"You were drunk and lost. It wouldn't have been right to turn you away in that state." There was compassion and understanding in the tone the brunette used and Emma raised her head, knowing she didn't deserve that. Regina was still watching the waves, her hands clasped in her lap.
"Thank you for letting me stay." Emma was well aware she hadn't adequately expressed that. She was grateful to the older woman who had still tried to look after her in the morning, who had behaved like an adult and overcome her own pain to let her sleep off her drunk state.
"You are welcome anytime Emma." And Regina looked at her then, there was honestly shining from her eyes, her face open, the lips in a half smile.
Emma felt everything whirl inside of her, felt Regina's eyes drinking her in and she felt panic surface. She wanted to reach out, she wanted to smile and that wasn't right. So she swallowed a lump in her throat and stood. Regina looked beautiful as the sun washed over her features, making her skin glow. Her eyes were so full of emotion, telling Emma she was loved and missed without a word falling from her plump lips. And she still cared so much for the brunette, and she wished things were different. She stood shakily as she felt tears fill her eyes.
Regina saw the emotions flicker across Emma's face, watched her take a step away from her. And she knew she had pushed her enough and needed to let her go and tried not to feel disappointed. Emma was delicate, fragile at the moment. She called out to the retreating back of the woman, "Anytime Emma, I mean it. Lasagne, cider, coffee and cookies. A friend to talk to, I'll be there."
She saw the bob of blonde hair and a strangled noise that sounded like "OK" before Emma was moving away quickly and the brunette sighed. She supposed it could have gone worse. At least Emma had listened and it hadn't turned into a shouting match. They had just illustrated they could do civil and remain calm and maybe there was a chance. She would need to keep chipping away at the younger woman until they both felt comfortable with each other. It would just take time, but now she was single and without Henry, she had lots of that.
At term break Henry came home and there were some awkward dinners at Granny's with the 3 of them, but they served the purpose so the two women opened up the channels of communication and things were less strained between them.
Regina was welcoming to the blonde, who struggled to relax at first, but with their son laughing and involving them both, she was able to open up. Henry had spoken honestly with his brunette mother and he understood what she was trying to do. And he immediately came on board, mending the fences with his blonde mother so he could act as the intermediary between them. He refused to go out with Emma and Charles, but on his last evening there was a farewell meal at Snow's and the whole family arrived. It was the first time since the wedding Regina had been in the same room as the married couple and it wasn't nearly as painful as she thought it might be.
Charles was reserved but civil, Emma sat next to him but failed miserably at playing the dutiful wife. Her eyes were focused on the huge spread of food or on Henry or Regina. She made it obvious, without saying a word, that she wasn't interested or absorbed in her husband. And Regina had to smile quietly to herself. Family meals had always been a chance to tease each other when they were together, to run a hand up the inside of a thigh, licking lips provocatively or rubbing a calf with a foot. Charles was too prim and proper to behave like that, not that it appeared he wanted to, more obsessed with his napkin and not spilling gravy down his expensive looking tie.
And Emma treated him in exactly the same manner, ignoring him as he fiddled with his cutlery and cut his dinner into small mouthfuls. There was small talk, and Snow had managed to pick a half way decent wine which helped relax everyone. Even Henry was allowed a glass, and the food while not spectacular, was homely and filling. Charming was exactly that and carried the conversation, while Snow made sure to include Regina. And every time Regina looked around the table she found Emma's eyes resting on her. There wasn't the lust and hunger in the hazel orbs Regina had seen when they were together, instead it was like Emma was measuring her, seeing what was left between them, whether she could believe the open invite was genuine.
And Regina just smiled reassuringly at her and carried on engaging with the rest of her family, making the most of the last few hours with her son. She behaved with decorum and as the royal she was. She didn't snipe or shut Emma out, she allowed Charles to speak about his job despite thinking he had a rather stilted opinion and even got a kiss on the cheek from the man when she came to leave.
All in all it had been quite pleasant, considering the circumstances. And Henry came home with her to grab his holdall of clean washing, the material bulging with snacks Regina had bought, thick socks for the winter and some additional text books she had read would help him on his course.
He dropped a kiss on her head, his height making her lift her head to meet his eyes and glare at him. He laughed then and gave her the biggest bear hug, lifting her from the floor. As he was putting her down after crushing her in his embrace he quipped, "She'll text tonight."
He swung down and grabbed his luggage and jogged down the path before she could respond.
"What do you mean?" Regina called out to his retreating form as her mind registered what he had said. He ducked his head as he scampered down the path and then turned round when he reached the sidewalk and gave her a cheeky grin, one she recognised as his Mission Accomplished look. He just waved at her and she was left shaking her head, but secretly hoping he was right.
And he was, although she had no idea what meddling he had done to achieve it.
Tx. It means a lot. Mayb coffee Monday would b nice? E
She sat and wondered what Henry had done or said, but in the end decided she would go with his plan. She quickly tapped out a response, keeping it brief and for a fraction of a second she fought with herself about leaving a kiss, it was habit and second nature, but it was no longer appropriate. So she just sent the response:
OK, R
She had no idea what she was being thanked for, but she was going to find out. Her sneaky son might be miles away but she was certain that in the next day she could pin him down and discover what he had done.
As it turned out she didn't need to wait to speak to Henry, the mystery unravelled itself at Granny's the next morning. Collecting her usual morning coffee Regina spotted Emma coming and held open the door for her Ex. She then noticed the chain the blonde was wearing, a chain Regina was certain was still in the box of special keepsake things under her bed.
It shone in the light, the silver locket looking lovely with her hair colour and the sparkle in her eyes. The engraved swan was visible as Emma walked past her and gave her a small smile. Regina knew the 2 pictures of Henry, one as a baby and one taken last year, inside the piece of jewellery meant more to Emma than the value of the item. It was a thoughtful and heartfelt gift, touching because it was about family.
Regina had bought it months ago, she had always been a planner and often had Christmas or Birthday gifts months in advance of when they would be needed. And this was going to be a gift for Emma's birthday, only by the time her birthday arrived they were no longer together and Regina had no intention of giving it to the woman. So it had sat under her bed, gathering dust, mostly forgotten.
She was livid at Henry, he had no right to go through her personal things, let alone decide he could give them away to other people. He had texted last night to say he had got back to college safely, and to thank her for the food she had packaged up for him. Regina knew him well enough that he was avoiding speaking to her. This was why, he had obviously taken the gift and wrapped it up, giving it to Emma as a belated birthday present from Regina. She dreaded what story he had concocted about why she wasn't giving it to Emma herself. And she was surprised the blonde has swallowed whatever Henry had told her, but maybe she had been distracted and not seen that this was their son being less than subtle in his manipulation of them.
Whatever the reasons, she couldn't ask for it back, and she knew she couldn't stay angry at her son. His methods were questionable, but Emma had been in contact, her face that morning had been genuinely happy to see her and they had an arrangement for coffee the following day. It had worked out, the coolness and distance the two women had been thawed and they were finding their way back to some common ground.
And they had slowly built on it, taking each day at a time, working out where the boundaries were and what they could expect from the other. And after months of ignoring and avoiding the other woman they easily managed to slip into a natural give and take. They exchanged ideas, they were open, and they fell back into pattern where they were comfortable with each other.
And Regina held her feelings in check. She never let her anger at Emma's leaving influence the advice she gave or the bond they were building suffer. She kept a tight rein on her jealousy of Charles so it wasn't apparent. She tried to be a good friend, impartial and offering sensible solution and suggestions. She didn't let herself think of the past or the future, she made sure her thoughts remained firmly in the present, a present where Emma was her friend and not a lover. Despite the way they would sometimes find themselves laughing about something they had shared previously or the look that passed between them after a few too many drinks and the conversation had become a little rowdy.
She ignored the way Emma's smile made her heart swell and the heat of desire when Emma would enter the mansion and struggle to keep her eyes off her cleavage. She denied to herself that it was love that swam through her veins over silly and small things like Emma complimenting her haircut or her new suit.
And she managed admirably, keeping things platonic and helping Emma face her abandonment issues, showing her with example after example how she was good enough and wanted as a Mother by Henry. She was a dependable and dutiful daughter and Snow and Charming were so proud of her. She had done so much good, she cared so deeply and tried so hard and that she should never feel less than worthy.
Regina spent weeks going backwards and forwards with her, explaining everyone failed from time to time and she should not let the past dictate her future. That Regina had fallen so far and her family of Emma, Henry, the two idiots and even the town had accepted her past and her ability to change. That it had taken years for her to understand that she deserved the acceptance, to believe that the love and respect she was being shown was real. And if she, a murdering Evil Queen could find that, then there was hope that Emma could too. With love and support, support Regina kept reiterating to Emma that she had in abundance in this town, she would be fine.
Ruby, Belle and Tink let alone Emma's actual family would all be there for her in a heartbeat for her, she just needed to accept the help and let go of the stubborn streak. It became habit that Regina focused on positives and enforced and drew attention to the strengths Emma had, both in her character and in her life. Love, Hope, Friendship, Family, Happiness. They were balanced against the Lost, Fear, Abandonment and Pain, tipping the scales for the better.
It was during one day when discussing the town's folk and friends Regina decided what she would do with the divorce papers. She called Charles and Emma to her office the following day to explain.
"I won't sign these for at least 3 months." She started and Emma looked at her with disappointment shining clearly in her eyes.
"I want you to go away and talk though the problems in your marriage with a mutual third party. I'm sure Tinkerbelle or Belle would be happy to oblige, but the person must be agreed upon by both of you." Regina looked between Charles and Emma and waited until they both nodded they understood.
"I expect you to both attend for a minimum of two hours a week, every week, for the next 3 months. If, after this time, you can't work things out I will sign the papers. You must be aware I intend to get feedback from the mutual person that you have both attended all sessions and have listened openly and tired any suggested actions. I will not make a decision before then and will need to know who you pick as the impartial third party so I can speak to them privately to ascertain if they also think the marriage is over."
She looked at both of the people before her. Both were miserable, and surely Charles couldn't think this was a good situation, but she felt she had found a solution that was fair to him and gave him a chance to come to terms with his collapsing marriage. She had shifted the decision to someone else, a person they would pick, so she couldn't be accused of favouritism or bias. It wasn't ideal and she had a huge amount of sympathy for the person that would be spending at least 24 hours over the next few months with a bickering and floundering couple.
But both Emma and Charles nodded their agreement at her terms, Emma wouldn't quiet meet her eye but Charles shook her hand as he thanked her for her time. They both left the office without another word, not to the Mayor or to each other and the brunette was reminded of her dysfunctional marriage where they never communicated unless it was an official occasion or Snow forced things.
Alone in her office she sunk her head into her hands, feeling all she had done was shift the problem 3 months into the future. And she dreaded Emma coming round later in the week, because she knew the blonde felt let down. Regina hoped after a few days and some soul searching Emma would eventually see Regina was trying her best with a very difficult situation and that they could still continue with their friendship.
