The next morning, Regina got up with the intention to ride. She showered, got dressed in jeans and a black tank top and long riding boots and after making sure that the boys had food for breakfast, made her way over to the stables on the farm, waving and saying hello to other people. Not too long after adopting the boys, Regina had bought a small farm but quickly realized that she wouldn't be able to go to it too often. However, the stallion she bought always came with her. He'd been on the show once and he was a prized breeder. A large white Spanish Andalusian stallion that she'd named Spirit. He immediately started neighing when she stepped into the stable.
"Thought I'd find you here." Robin smiled as he walked into the stables.
Regina raised her eyebrow, but otherwise didn't comment as she lead Spirit out of his stall and started to put on his tack.
"You're giving me the silent treatment?" He asked.
"Shouldn't you be home with your wife?" She asked, brushing Spirit off. Truthfully, he made almost as much money as she did. He was a beautiful animal and widely coveted by mares all over the world.
"You're my soulmate, Regina. You know I had to stay with Marian because of Roland." He said, walking towards her.
Regina rechecked Spirit's tack and was pleased with the results. She took his lead and lead him out of the stables.
"Regina. Please talk to me." Robin Pleaded.
"I don't think that's a good idea. There's no telling what I might say."
"Then tell me how you feel."
Regina sighed. "I want you to leave me alone. I don't want to be with you. I don't want to believe that you are my soulmate. I understand why you did what you did. It had to be done. But we were clearly not meant to be together."
"Regina, who knows you, understands you, better than me?" Robin asked. "I'm your soulmate."
"That's the only thing you have partially working for you." Regina mounted up. "And I really couldn't give a damn about it. I don't care about pixie dust and having a true love for a happy ending. You were never my happy ending. My happy ending is finding my place in the world. And that is being a mother to my sons."
"And we can't be a part of that?" He asked.
She shrugged. "Perhaps. Perhaps not." She turned back to Spirit and smiled. "Let's go boy. Yaah!" The white stallion leaped forward, thundering over the land. A grin graced her face as she urged the stallion as fast as he could go, the wind blowing through her hair felt so good and she felt so free. Her necklace with Daniel's ring on it flashing in the sunlight. For a moment, she imagined Daniel riding at her side, like so long ago. Before everything had fallen apart and she was in love and the world shined and was beautiful. Before the darkness had taken ahold of her and she lost her innocence. Riding Spirit always managed to bring old feelings back to the surface. Everything she'd lost, only to gain so much.
She rode Spirit for a while before leading him back to the stables, removing his tack, washing him off and letting him loose in the pasture. Still, she stayed a moment, remembering Daniel. It was where Angel found her not too long later.
"Regina? You alright? Jason and Taj said you'd be here." He frowned when he noticed the tears on her cheeks. "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing." She said, wiping her eyes.
"Obviously not. Come here." He said. She obeyed and he gently wiped away her tears. "Please, talk to me. If there's anything I can do…"
"It's already been done. This happened...a long time ago." Her hand unconsciously went to caress Daniel's ring. "I love the stables, but I kind of associate something terrible with it as well. It's the place where I've had both the worst and best memories of my life."
He hugged her to his chest. "I'm sorry."
"For what?" She smiled, stepping away.
He shrugged. "If you ever want to talk, I'm here. You know that." She nodded, looking down at her feet. "Have you had breakfast yet?"
She looked up and shook her head. "No, I had to take care of Spirit first."
"Spirit? You like the movie?"
"What movie?"
"What?!" He said, making her jump. "Spirit, Stallion of the Cimarron. You've never seen the movie?" She shook her head. "Well, that's what we're about to do. Why don't I take you to get something to eat, then we watch the movie. You'll love it."
"I don't know…"
"Please?" He smiled sweetly. That fucking smile again. Son of a bitch.
"okay."
"Great. Let's go get the boys and go."
She smiled as she followed him, finding the boys playing soccer with Roland. Henry was sitting with Emma watching. They were completely engrossed in their game and simply waved away the desire for food.
"Guess it's just you and me. They'll be starving by the time we get back." Angel said.
"We can pick them up something on the way back. They'll be fine." Regina added as they walked to his car, a sleek dark red Jaguar. "A Jaguar, huh?"
"My Lamborghini's in the shop." He smirked, opening the door for her before climbing into the driver's seat. "Buckle up, Princess."
"Queen, jackass."
Xxxxxxxx
Emma watched Jason and Taj expertly pass the ball and forth before kicking it to Roland. He wasn't as smooth as they were, but he managed to skirt AJ and score a goal. "You don't want to play, Henry?" She asked.
"Why waste my time?" He replied. "Why are we still here? We apologized to her but she doesn't care."
"Well, we're on the show now so we can't just leave. And it might be better for you to spend some time with-"
"Don't call them my brothers." Henry hissed.
"I was going to say other kids." Emma said. "You shouldn't be over here by yourself all the time."
"i'm fine."
She sighed and turned back to watching the boys play soccer. Zelena walked up a few minutes later in a sparkling black sleeveless blouse and green jeans. She grinned and started to join in. Emma hadn't seen the witch since she left Storybrooke too, heading back to Oz to do who knew what. She was back apparently, playing soccer like a pro and messing with the boys. They soon tired and sat down in the grass, talking and Emma tilted her head, listening to the words that were spoken with interest.
"How has my sister fared these last few years?"
"Great. As you can see, she's done pretty well for herself." Jason said, spinning the ball on his finger. He stopped and passed it to Taj, who bounced it in the air before catching it and looking at Zelena.
"How'd you get a job on the show?"
"I told them I was Lana Ranee's sister." Zelena smirked. "They signed me right up...after I tried out for the part of course. This show is so much fun. I get to shoot stuff and I don't have to go to jail."
All of the boys grinned. "You seem like a lot of fun, Miss Zelena. Why haven't you been around much?" AJ asked.
"I had some unfinished business to take care of." Zelena replied vaguely. "Tell me about this angelic man and my sister." She leaned forward propping her head on her fists and looking intently at the boys.
"They totally like each other." Jason said.
"Angel's making it obvious but Mom is pretending terribly that she's not interested." Taj added.
"And you don't think that Regina might fall back in love with her thief or her savior?"
Jason scoffed. "Eles são inúteis e não a ama . Eles são patéticos e minha mãe pode fazer mil vezes melhor." (They are worthless and do not love her. They are pathetic and my mom can do a thousand times better.) Zelena raised her eyebrow at Taj, who translated. "They've lost their chance. Mom's moved on."
She looked at Roland. "What do you think, Little Ro?"
"I just want Gina to be happy." He said.
"My, aren't you all mature for your ages." Zelena grinned.
"How come you don't have children?" AJ asked.
Zelena wrinkled her nose. "Eww. They're loud and stinky and messy and they're just like roaches...except you can't squish them."
"I don't believe that. If you thought that, you wouldn't be talking to us." Taj replied with a satisfied smirk.
"Is that right?" Zelena asked. "Maybe I have a reason for my actions."
"Such as?" Jason asked, raising an eyebrow in a very Regina-like way.
"Does Regina teach all her children how to do that?"
Emma turned to Henry, who was still sulking, and sighed. "Want to go get something to eat?"
He shrugged but stood up anyway and she put her arm around him as they walked off to the food truck.
xxxxxxxx
"So, where's AJ's mother?" Regina asked, adding sugar and cream to her coffee. Angel sipped his own before replying. They'd found a small little diner in the city and decided to stop for breakfast. There wasn't a lot of people and they chose a table further to the back so they wouldn't be recognized.
"How about this? You ask me a question and I ask you one and we'll go back and forth."
"Okay." She said, arching an eyebrow. She noticed his eyes follow the motion before settling back on her.
"His birth mother is probably running around the streets right about now. She only gets to see him on Sundays. Those are the days she pretends she gives a damn about him."
"What happened?" She asked.
"My turn." He said, waving his finger. "The ring on your necklace. What's the meaning of it?"
She looked down at it. "It's, um, an engagement ring, from the first man I ever loved. He was a stableboy and worked for our family. He's sorta the reason why the stables holds such bad memories for me." Angel nodded slowly, clearly curious, but motioned for her to ask her next question. "What happened with Angel's mother?"
"She just wasn't ready to be a mother. We were young and foolish and she didn't want a child to change that. But I wanted my son. The first time we went to court over it, the courts gave us joint custody and for a while things were okay. Then I found out that she was doing drugs and a bunch of other stuff that I didn't want AJ around. I got sole custody of AJ but she still can see him on Sundays. It's just a bunch of unpleasantness and she always made a fuss about it when my wife was around." He paused and looked up at her. "What happened to your stableboy?"
"My mother killed him." She said nonchalantly. His eyes widened and she turned to look at the waiter as he came to take their order. She ordered a simple breakfast platter and Angel got the same. As soon as the waiter left again, he turned his attention back to her, silently requesting for her to continue. "I...saved a little girl's life on a runaway horse. It turns out her father was very wealthy and very powerful. You could almost say he was a king. Anyways, his wife had died some time earlier and apparently he was in the market for a new mother for his daughter. He thought that I would be a good fit because I saved her life. I didn't want to, I was already in love, but my mother...accepted the proposal for me and I was to marry a man 3 times my age."
"How old were you at the time?"
"18. Anyways, I ran to meet with my stableboy, Daniel, and tell him what happened. We planned to run away together and he proposed to me with this ring." She touched it and sighed. "But the little girl I saved was watching and she was furious and horrified that I'd betrayed her father. I explained to her that I didn't love her father, that I loved Daniel and that she had to keep what she saw a secret. She promised she would."
"She didn't." He surmised.
Regina nodded. "And Daniel paid the price for it. I've hated that little girl ever since. I know now that it was wrong, but…"
"It doesn't make it hurt any less." Angel said softly. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."
She shrugged. "Let's just say I've had a while to come to terms with it. I do believe it's my turn."
"Ask away."
"What happened to your wife?"
"She died of cancer a few years ago." He said, looking down at his coffee. "She was a beautiful person, a real mother to AJ. He hasn't been the same since. Except when he's with your boys." He smiled then, making her do the same as he looked back up. "He talks about them a lot. I'm happy that he has some friends."
"I'm glad the boys do too."
"Okay, so, your sister, right? Why doesn't she look anything like you? And why did no one know she existed until today?"
"My mother worked her magic on her as well. She had her with a man she met in a tavern, believing him to be rich and powerful and stuff. Turns out he lied and he didn't want to have anything to do with her or the baby. So, my mother gave birth to Zelena and left her in the woods in a basket...to die."
"What. The. Actual. Hell." He said slowly. "What the hell is your mother's problem?"
"She had a lot of problems. You could say, she was 'heartless'."
"Yeah you can. I mean, come on, she couldn't take her to a shelter at least? Something?!"
Regina shook her head, amused by how outraged he was. "We've accepted our pasts, Angel. And we both know that we aren't our mother." Granted Evil and Wicked weren't far from Heartless and all of them had done despicable deeds in their lives. Everything was just too damn complicated to think about. She drank some more of her coffee while he reigned himself in.
"Please ask a question so I can just…" He bridged the bridge of his nose. "How the fuck do you just leave a kid in the woods to die?"
"Okay, choose one, hero or villain?"
"Villain." He said without hesitation. "I like bad girls. Are you a bad girl, Regina?"
She scoffed. "The worst."
He grinned and she saw his eyes darken, no doubt with lustful thoughts. "So, you and the new guys." He leaned back and crossed his legs and hands. "What's the story there and should I kick that guy's ass? I would never hurt a woman but Zelena seems like she's game to take care of the blonde."
Regina laughed. "It's not that big a deal. We tried dating, it didn't work out."
"Why not? They must've felt something for you if they came all this way to find you."
"Well, the boy with Emma is my first son, my first adopted son."
"The one you spoke about in your interview."
"Yes. He didn't believe he was loved so he ran off to find his birth mother and I was pushed to the side, I guess. We never really reconciled and even though I hated Emma for what happened with Henry, I found out she was a good person. Things just didn't exactly go as planned."
"And Robin?"
"Once upon a time, we thought ourselves to be soulmates, and I could finally have my 'happy ending'." She scoffed. "Hardly. His supposedly dead wife reappears and he forgets all about me."
"Damn Regina." He said.
"Yeah, as you can see, I come with a lot of baggage."
"Baggage like that shouldn't be carried alone. You know, you could hand me a few bags. I don't care what size or the contents, just...maybe give me a chance?" He glanced down at his plate as the waiter returned.
She couldn't look away from him. "You have no idea what you're asking. You barely know me."
"That doesn't stop me from wanting to get to know you, though."
"I don't know, Angel."
He sighed with a nod. "Okay, slow it down a bit then?"
"Please."
He nodded. "Alright then. But if I get to kiss you on the show, i'm gonna warn you right now. I am gonna kiss the hell out of you." She smirked and absently licked her lips."Because you do stuff like that!" The last sentence was rather loud and attracted the attention of several patrons.
"Oh my god it's Lana and Stephaun!"
"Great job, Stephaun." Regina said, but she really didn't mind. She would've liked to eat in peace but at the same time she loved interacting with her fans. She smiled and took a few photos and signed some stuff and said a few lines for some excited people. Angel was nearly mauled by several women and she mischievously made a show of getting them off him. It was a lot of fun and by the time they were done, their food was cold. The diner was more than happy to replace it and they finished eating and made their way back out to the car.
"Well that was fun." Regina said.
"It was. Guess that'll be all over social media. Regina and Angel sandbagged on their date."
"This was a date?" Regina smirked.
He shrugged. "Do you consider it one?" She shrugged and he frowned. "Can't get one thing right with you, woman. We'll pick up the movie and some food for the boys and head on back."
"Sounds like a plan."
Xxxxxxxx
"Mom!" Taj cried, leaping to his feet as Regina and Angel returned.
"Food!" Zelena said, taking the bag from her sister and looking inside it. Jason snatched it from her and tried looking inside.
"There's more than enough for everyone. Relax." Regina said, watching then fight over the bag. Zelena held it over her head, not knowing that Jason was not averse to tackling her to get his food. "So shall we go watch the movie while they kill themselves?"
"We shall." Angel grinned.
"Hey Regina." Emma Called.
"Yes, Miss Swan?"
"Kill the Miss Swan crap, please. I think you should talk to Henry."
"And what's wrong with him?"
"Well, you're giving all your attention to Jason and Taj and AJ and Roland and he's just left to the side."
"Jason and Taj are my sons. Henry is your son. And Roland is under my care since Robin is gods know where. If Henry wants to talk to me, he knows where to find me. He's the one who's gonna need to step up."
"Regina, you're treating him like he wasn't even your son, like you don't even care." Emma said.
"That's the way he treated me." Regina hissed.
"So you do the same thing to him? Very mature."
"I left for a reason, Emma. I didn't ask for you to come and follow me. That was your decision. Now bye." Regina walked into her trailer and slammed the door. Angel frowned at her in confusion.
"Everything alright?"
"Yeah, just…" she sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.
He took her hand down. "Stop doing that. You're gonna break it one day. Just relax and let's watch some horses, Kay?"
She nodded. The boys came in a moment later, followed by Zelena. The adults stretched out on her bed and the kids curled up on the floor with their food as the movie began. It was a lovely movie, even though she and Zelena both nearly jumped off the bed when Spirit fell down the waterfall. She felt that she liked the name and it fit her horse very well. Angel glanced at her every now and then with a smile. Zelena would then elbow her and proceed to make kissy faces.
"Aren't you supposed to be the big sister?" Regina asked, jumping on the redhead after the movie had ended. Zelena tried to roll her off and only succeeded in rolling them both off the bed.
"Nice." Jason commented.
Angel leaped off the bed and picked them both up on his shoulders and slammed them on the bed and laid on top of them. AJ leaped up and hit the bed three times. "And your winner! John Cena!" Angel took off running into the other room with the women right behind him. They tackled him to the floor and Zelena put him in a headlock while Regina sat on his back. The door of the trailer opened and Emma and Robin froze at the sight before them.
"What the hell?" Emma said. "What's going on?"
"This is our free day, we're having some fucking fun." Regina said. Angel suddenly pushed himself off the ground, yelling for his reinforcements. The boys came running in and jumped on Regina and Zelena.
"Alright, hey, don't touch the face. That's what makes my money." Angel said.
"So it's not your terrible acting?" Regina asked, rising to her feet with a laughing AJ in her arms. She covered him with kisses before placing him back on the ground and attacking the other three boys.
"Me next." Angel grinned.
She leaned towards him and stopped at the last second. "I don't think so." She laughed as he pouted and turned to Emma and Robin. "Can I help you?"
"Can we speak with you, privately?" Robin asked nicely.
Zelena rolled her eyes. "How many times do they have to talk to get the hint?"
"7." Taj said with a firm nod.
Regina smirked as she stepped outside. "Yes?"
"Regina." Emma began. "We came to try and talk to you and you've just shut us down or ignored us. We're really trying here."
"Okay." Regina crossed her eyes, quirking a lip in amusement. "Both of you traveled across the country to apologize to me. Okay, apology accepted, why do you keep talking to me?"
"Because we want to be in your life. We want-" Robin tried to speak, but she waved her hand, stealing his voice.
"Listen, the both of you, and listen good. I do not have to have you in my life. The reason for leaving Storybrooke in the first place was because I could not bear the sight of you, and then you show up here and weasel your way onto my show. Robin, you have a wife, who you chose over me because of your son. Roland is still a child, why are you suddenly interested in me now? And Emma, you came into my town and took my son, who you gave up at birth and I raised for 10 years. You say we could've been more than friends. Yeah, we could've, but certainly not now. And Robin, I'm over the whole soulmate thing. Both of you can kiss my ass." She gave him back his voice and went back into the trailer without another glance in their direction. But she knew that wouldn't be the end of that. Not even close. She wouldn't be rid of them until John killed them off the show and they could go back to Storybrooke.
She spent the rest of her day with the others and towards the end, walked out to the stables to check on Spirit. He had a caretaker, but she liked to look after him herself.
Xxxxxxxx
Henry walked down to the stables, knowing that Regina wouldn't be anywhere else on her day off. He heard voices and paused to peek around the corner. A stall was lit up. It was the largest and no doubt housed his former mother's prized stallion. Regina was inside, brushing down the large horse. Taj and Jason were sitting on a hay bale watching and talking to her.
"So what's our birthday surprise, Mom?" Jason asked.
"My dear, the point of a surprise is not knowing what it is. It's supposed to surprise you. Get it?" Regina said.
"Yeah, but we have a request." said Taj.
Regina raised an eyebrow. "Oh you do?"
"Yes. You know Trish, right?"
"Of course I know Trish, I hired her." Trish was a 19 year old girl that Regina had hired to be Spirit's primary caretaker whenever Regina wasn't around. She traveled just as much as the stallion did and cared for him just as much as Regina did.
"Well, she's having some problems at home. Her mom was in the hospital for a while and now they have to pay for her medical bills. So we were thinking that we could use our birthday money and the money we save up to pay for her."
"That's very kind hearted of you, but I've already planned for that. During the half-season break, we are going to take a trip to South America, to visit your hometowns."
"What?! Really?!" Jason asked.
"Calm down, I haven't finished yet. Yes, because I decided to follow your advice and build a horse farm for Spirit so he doesn't have to travel everywhere with us. I'm sure he gets tired, don't you boy?" She asked, patting his flank. He sputtered and she smirked. "Anyways, I already have some mares lined up and at the farm. I am going to pay the medical bills of Trish's mother, and Trish, her mother and her little brother are going to live with us at the farm...ranch...whatever you want to call it. I bought a nice big house for when your friends stay over, there'll be plenty of room for you guys outside to play ball or you know, jump off something since you like to do that for some reason. I might even start a garden." She paused. "What do you think?" She screamed as both of them tackled her to the ground, hugging and kissing her. "Okay, you like it. That's enough. Okay." She laughed.
"You are the best freaking mom in the world!" Taj said.
"Why thank you." They helped her back to her feet and she wiped off the straw and hay off her clothes. "But…"
"There's a but. Why is there always a but?" Jason asked.
Regina smiled. "But...you have to give it your all in all of your scenes for the next few weeks. You know we have interviews and appearances and stuff, I want you guys to bring your A game."
"What about our house in the city?"
"Do you mind moving-"
"No!" Taj said quickly. "No, we got it."
"Yeah, Mom, we're ready. We'll do it."
"Good." Regina smiled. "Now get back to the trailer, get to bed. Tomorrow, it's business as usual."
"Okay, Mom." They said, giving her another kiss before racing off back to the trailers.
Regina chuckled as she turned back to Spirit and finished brushing him off before stepping out of the stall. "Goodnight, my beautiful boy." The stallion sputtered again as she kissed his nose and started to walk out.
"Hey Mom- um, Regina." Henry stepping out of the shadows.
"Henry, what are you doing up?" Regina asked.
He came to her side as they walked back to the trailers. "I wanted to ask you something."
"What is it?"
"What do we have to do, to earn your forgiveness? We came all this way because...we love you, we missed you, and we want to make it up to you."
"You apologized. I accepted it. But you also had 3 years to realize you loved me, to realize you missed me, and 3 years to make it up to me." She said slowly. "What has been done, has been done, Henry. This isn't fairytale land anymore. In the real world, things are different. Things can't be repaired through magic and go back to the way they were. You have to understand that."
"But this isn't the way its supposed to be. You're my mom."
"Not anymore, Henry."
"So what happened to 'no matter what anyone says, I do love you'?"
"Things change." She shrugged. "You made up your mind that I was not your mother, that I was not as good as Emma, that your perfect family, was a family of heroes. And I am certainly no hero. You got what you wanted, and I stopped fighting. I let you go, to give us both our best chance." He stopped walking as they reached the trailers, but she didn't. Emma was walking towards them, so she wasn't worried.
Henry watched her go and he realized that this was what his mother had been experiencing. This feeling of loneliness and abandonment that he'd inflicted upon her because he wanted his perfect family. No wonder she hated them.
"Henry, there you are. What did Regina say?"
"She's happy now. We shouldn't have come."
Xxxxxxxx
"And now, give me a hand in welcoming a few choice members of the cast of Final Hour which premiered a couple weeks ago and was a worldwide phenomenon. Welcome to the stage, Angel O'Connor, Angel O'Connor Jr., Regina Mills, Taj Mills, Jason Mills, Zelena West, Emma Swan and Robin Locksley."
Regina smiled at the adoring crowd in the audience as they screamed at the top of their lungs when she stepped onto the stage. She was wearing black jeans, black open toe heels and a long sleeved black shirt with her hair brushed until it glistened and swept to one side. Zelena was wearing a simple green sweater with dark jeans and heels as well. Her hair was actually straightened for once. Angel was wearing a tight white shirt and tight black pants. AJ was wearing something similar. Taj was wearing a simple gray button down shirt and blue jeans while Jason wore another sleeveless colorful shirt and jeans. Emma was in her usual red jacket, tanktop and jeans and Robin was in his usual brown coat and jeans as well. The last few weeks had not gone as planned. John had added in a few extra scenes of Regina/Lana interacting with Emma and Robin and their acting had become a little realer than expected. The fans had noticed and due to their begging, another storyline was added to the show. It would only be told in small parts, but apparently they spoke volumes to the viewers at home who were demanding to be told what kind of history was between the three characters. In the resulting flames of rising ratings and fame, Regina's hopes of Emma and Robin leaving were burned to ash and she was left to sweep them under the rug. Still, she didn't let any of this bother her. She did her job as good as always and Taj and Jason had kept their promise as well to do their best and even their fame had increased a bit. Jason soaked it all up like a sponge. She could tell he was going to be a ladies man, while Taj hardly let it get to him.
The pretty blonde host, whose name was Miranda Wright, welcomed them and motioned for them to take a seat on the long black couch while the kids sat on stools behind them. "Alright, let's get out all the cheers." She said with a pretend sigh. The crowd proceeded to go wild again for a few minutes before finally settling down. "Okay, welcome to the show, guys. So, we'll start with Miss West because I am curious about this myself. Are you really sisters?"
"Yeah baby." Zelena said. "Wicked Witch."
"And the Evil Queen." said Regina.
"But yeah, she's really my sister."
"How is it working with each other?"
"She is an absolute pain in the neck. Sometimes I just want hit her in the head with my rifle." Zelena quirked an eyebrow as Regina glared at her. "Joking, geez, relax. She's awesome, but seeing as how she's the baby sister, my talent must've rubbed off on her."
"See what I have to put up with?" Regina asked.
Miranda chuckled. "Okay, we're going to hit on some big points in this interview today then we'll let the audience ask questions. Regina, when it comes to this show, you are at the top of the food chain. Even though you said yourself Lana is the resident bitch of the show, she's one of the most popular characters." Regina nodded as she spoke, wondering where this was going. "Well, the first few episodes sparked a wave of questions from the show's followers about not only, what looks like a beautifully budding love-hate relationship with Angel, but the resentment between you, Robin and Emma, who weren't even part of the main cast, just extras. What is the deal there?"
Regina sighed, knowing that this was going to be a well known topic of conversation. She'd let a little too much of her anger with Emma and Robin show through in some of their scenes, and even though they were small interactions, she'd made it obvious, and she hated herself for it. "Truthfully…" She said slowly. "There is a lot of history between me and those two, that go back for a long time. They were meant to be extras, yes, killed off after the first couple episodes, that's true. I never meant to insinuate that Lana had a history between them, but we do. And it's not exactly the good kind."
"Can you tell us what happened?"
Regina sighed and Zelena gave her a reassuring nudge. She glanced at Robin and Emma, sitting quietly at the far end of the couch, avoiding her gaze. "Well, I'm sure you all remember that I had a first adopted son, who ran away to bring his birth mother home. Well...Emma is the birth mother." There was a few shocked gasps from crowd and murmuring, but they quickly shushed as Regina started to speak. "Everything is far more complicated than any of you could imagine. And I was over all that, with Robin as well. That story is basically, we met, fell in love, his wife miraculously shows up again after everyone thought she was dead. He had to choose her to keep his family together, etc. etc. So I left the town where all this happened for a fresh start, they felt bad about the way they treated me and came all the way from Maine to California to apologize."
Miranda blinked several times. "Well then. It certainly does sound complicated. So what do you think about all this, Zelena?"
"Well, it's not exactly my problem. I mean, she's my sister and all, but in the end, whatever happens, it's her decision. But if any of them think of hurting my sister, I am going to show them a witch's other uses for her broomstick." She looked at Angel. "Especially you."
"What did I do?" Angel asked.
Miranda moved onto another topic, talking to Emma and Robin and Regina took a moment to compose herself, completely drowning out whatever they said out. When she focused in on the conversation again, the sound of the boys talking made her smile, telling Miranda how awesome it was to be a part of the cast and to work with their mother, who is the greatest mother in the world.
"Ice cream for dinner." Regina said. "Just for that."
"I would leap for your joy, but I know you're joking." Taj replied with a smirk.
"Ice cream sounds amazing right now." Zelena said absently.
"We all have terrible attention spans if you haven't noticed." AJ added.
"Can we skip all this deep stuff and come back to me and this beautiful lady right here?" Angel asked, putting his arm around Regina. "I can do this because she can't kill me on live television." Regina rolled her eyes and pushed him off.
"Okay, tell us about your date in the diner." Miranda said, crossing her legs.
"What date?" Jason asked, looking at them. Regina and Angel both flinched.
"It wasn't a date." Regina said.
"That's not what our host just said. What date, Mom?"
"We just went to get breakfast and jackass, over here." She gestured to Angel. "Wouldn't shut up and we got recognized. It's no big deal."
"It was totally a big deal. She's madly in love with me but won't admit it." Angel said with a smug grin at the camera. "Yeah, that's right." Regina rolled her eyes again.
"He is lying."
Miranda was laughing as they glared at one another. "Why don't we get some audience questions up here?"
A pretty brunette stood up and took the microphone that was handed to her and smiled shyly. "Um, this is for Angel." He perked up and smiled. "Can you take your shirt off?"
He looked surprised by the request but grinned anyway as he stood up. "Since you asked so nicely." He removed his shirt and flexed for the crowd as they whooped and hollered. Regina tilted her head, watching the magnificent body bend and flex. She hadn't seen him shirtless since that day at the gym and he'd clearly been working on his definition. He had a great butt too. She almost wanted to bite it.
"Subtle as a brick wall." Taj whispered into her ear. She only smirked. Angel walked down the aisle to hug the woman and returned to his seat next to Regina after putting his shirt back on. He smirked at her and she rolled her eyes again.
"Next question."
The interview was interesting and Regina enjoyed herself. They were even asked to do some of their favorite lines and some of their most famous quotes. She was only too happy to see the boys. They loved their characters so much and fit them to a tee. By the time they left, she was exhausted, but the others decided to go out to eat. They walked out of the building where a crowd of fans had gathered, and she couldn't walk by without taking some pictures and signing some stuff for her lovely Regals and Evil Regals. Some of them even bowed, but she bowed back and that made them laugh and cheer even harder. But it reached a peak when Angel came over and offered his arm. She took it and they walked over to the van and Zelena offered her hand to help her in. Roland, Henry and Anjie were already waiting inside. They drove out to a nice restaurant and all sat together.
Taj, who loved electronics and cameras, pulled out his phone to record a video. "Alright, we're at this expensive ass restaurant. Everyone is asleep on their feet. Except Zelena, I swear the woman doesn't get tired at all. Mom's been up since like 6 this morning, I know she's ready to pass out." He turned the camera to Regina, who was leaning on a giggling AJ. She held up the Evil Regals sign and he turned it to Zelena, flipping through the menu. She held up the sign that her own fans had created for her, which was basically a big W for witch.
"What's that, Taj?" Robin asked.
"My phone. It's recording a video." He handed him the phone and Robin turned it over confusingly in his hands until he figured it out and held it up to Emma, who ducked behind the menu.
"Ugh, I'm so tired." Regina sighed, sitting back up and taking a sip of her tea. "But I'm starving. Z, pass me a menu." Zelena handed her one and she picked out a halibut dinner that had her mouth watering from the picture.
"So, Regina, what's gonna be your couple nickname?" Zelena couldn't resist asking with a grin. "What's cute? Stephana? Angina? Rangel? Regina O' Connor?"
"How much have you had to drink tonight?"
"Just one bloody glass of champagne. I deserve it. Answer my question."
"No. Let the people decide." Regina said, waiting impatiently for her food. On her other side, Angel was sitting quietly, looking down at the table. "You okay?" She asked, nudging his shoulder.
"Yeah." He said, perking back up.
"What were you thinking about?"
"You."
"Me?"
"What you told me about your Mom and stuff." He shrugged.
"You still sure you want to help me with my baggage?" She asked.
"Absolutely." He answered without hesitation. "It just...it surprised me is all."
"Me too." She patted his shoulder and smirked and turned to play with Roland.
Angel watched her in fascination as she smiled and laughed with the child, not quite understanding how a woman could go through so much and still be so happy and kind and beautiful.
"Strength." Zelena said. He looked up at her. "It's how she does it. You'd be surprised how badly we dreamt of a happy ending, how hard we had to hold on to try and get what we felt we deserved." She looked over at her sister fondly and smiled.
He looked at Regina as well and the woman practically leaped for joy when the waiter returned with their orders. He smiled and Regina glanced at him, quirking an eyebrow as though she were annoyed by his staring, but too hungry to care. He noticed that she ate regally, even though she was ravenously hungry. He wondered if she were doing it consciously or if her mother had just burned it into her brain when she was little. He wondered a lot about her.
"I have a question for you two." Zelena turned to Emma and Robin. "If both of you love Regina in a romantic way, what was the point of both of you coming to try and be with her?"
"We didn't want to try and be with her. We just wanted to apologize." Emma said.
Zelena smirked. "How's that working out for you?" She turned to her plate of spaghetti without waiting for an answer.
It was late, after midnight actually by the time they left and Regina fell asleep on the ride home. Almost everyone was asleep. Except for Zelena. The car stopped and she woke everyone up to get them moving.
Regina groaned as she opened the door of her trailer, holding it open for the boys and trudging inside. She flung her heels across the room and collapsed onto her bed. Taj curled up on the couch and Jason went off to their room. Regina walked to hers and collapsed onto the bed. She shrugged off her coat and curled up beneath the sheets, too tired to undress even further. Her phone buzzed and she almost didn't answer it, but she made herself pick it up. It was a text from Angel. Good night, your majesty. She smiled at that. She wasn't sure why she thought it was so sweet, but she did. Good night. She texted back and fell asleep almost instantly, a smile gracing her lips.
Xxxxxxxx
"Whats wrong with my idea?" Jill asked.
"It's a dumbass idea, that's why." Regina said, crossing her arms. The group was gathered in Bex's living room. Adam and Ronan were standing in between the two women, making sure they didn't get into another fight. Rebecca and Stephaun were sitting on the couch, simply watching to see what would happen.
"If we stay here, we have food, shelter, protection from zombies. What's wrong with that?" Jill asked.
"Um, my food and my shelter doesn't count as yours, dear." Rebecca said.
"That gate isn't gonna hold back a herd of zombies and there is nothing stopping mutants from coming in here and ripping your face off." Lana said.
"Then what do you suggest?"
"We head to the capital and find the president. All of this is his fault anyway. President Ral admitted it himself. Maybe he has a cure and is just keeping it for himself."
"If President Ral does have a cure, you can rest assured that he has a fucking army protecting him too."
"So our choices are stay here and die or go to the city and possibly die?" Stephaun asked.
"It won't do you any good." Bex rose to her feet. "The whole East Coast is underwater. Including the White House. Wherever Ral is, he's not there."
"You can't be serious." Lana whispered.
"I wish I wasn't. I went there looking for you, but I couldn't even get through West Virginia. Everything is submerged." A hush fell over the room. "Lana is right, we can't stay here, but Washington DC is a dead end. We need to go west. If the sea levels are rising fast enough to submerge the entire East coast in one year, then we need to leave this place. We need a plan."
"We need a big ass boat." Stephaun said.
"Plenty of those on the West Coast." Rebecca added.
"You're talking a cross country journey that we're nowhere near ready for." Adam said. "Besides, Lana, do you really want to take your kids all the way-"
"My kids will be fine. Trust me." Lana growled immediately. "Rest assured on that." She looked at Rebecca. "How much do you have stored up?"
"Not enough, but there's a town only a few miles down the road that's well stocked. I just haven't gotten around to raiding it yet. Are you in?"
Lana sighed as she thought for a moment. Her safety was of no concern, but her kids was another matter entirely. She had to make sure they were safe. They were the only things she had in this world. Well except her sister. "Alright. I'm in."
"Then I'm in too." Stephaun said, standing up. He looked at Lana. "For our kids." She nodded.
"Then I will go with you as well." Ronan said firmly.
"You're all idiots. If you get to the coast and get a boat, what then?" Jill demanded.
"Then this." Rebecca walked over to her table and produced what looked like a radio. She flipped a switch and static began to play for a minute until a clear voice rang throughout the room.
"If anyone is out there, if anyone can hear me, my name is Justin. Justin Ral. There is a haven, a safe haven. It's in Antarctica. If anyone can hear me, you need to come here. There is no infection. I repeat, there is no infection." Rebecca flipped the switch back off.
"That's been playing nonstop since the President went underground. This could be our chance."
"How do we know that's not a trick?" Jill asked.
Lana looked at her sister. "We need to start packing."
"I was hoping you'd say that. Follow me." She lead her sister down into the cellar and flipped on the lights, revealing the room filled with every gun imaginable. Tables were covered in ammo and bullet proof vests and crossbow bolts and arrows.
"Holy shit."
"Yep." Rebecca grinned. "If we have to fight our way to that haven, those monsters are gonna be in for a real treat."
Lana laughed. "No kidding." She went back upstairs and outside to tell the kids about their new plan. "What do you guys think?"
"We trust you, Mom. If this is what we have to do, then let's do it." Taj said. She smiled and looked at Jason.
"I guess I'll miss busting up zombies, but I do need a break." He shrugged.
She shook her head. "Both of you amazing and I love you. But we're not going to be leaving for a while. We need to make sure we have another supplied and provisions."
"Adam and the others aren't going?" Jason asked.
"I don't know. Jill wants to bunker down here but that's even dumber than what we're about to do." Lana leaned against her car. "We need to find us a truck until we get our boat."
"Ooh, can I plan it?" Taj asked excitedly, quickly going around to the side of the car to get his pad and pencil.
"We just need food and blankets and stuff. Bex has plenty of weapons."
"Then we'll make a list for that."
Lana left them to do that and wandered out to the fence, looking out over the empty wasteland beyond. She felt someone watching her and turned around, eyes falling on Emma and Robin talking quietly together, occasionally glancing in her direction.
"So…" Stephaun interrupted her thoughts as he leaned against the fence and smirked. "Lana and Stephaun, about to embark on a journey for the ages."
"What do you want?"
"I want the world to go back to the way it was, but we both know that's out of the question. I wanted to ask if you'd watch AJ until I got back from a raid with your sister and Ronan."
"You're all gonna leave me with these idiots?"
He grinned. "There isn't much room in Bex's truck but you can sit on my lap if you want."
She rolled her eyes. "I'll pass, and sure I'll watch AJ."
"Thank you." He said with a serious expression. Apparently all silliness went out the window when talking about his kid. "And hey, I know we don't know each other that well, but I've got your back if you need it." He turned and walked away and Lana watched him leave in wonder.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"And cut! You guys, that was great." John called. "Absolutely wonderful. Let's take an hour for break and then start back up."
"You're pretty good, Zelena." Regina said, flopping down next to her sister beneath the shade of a tree.
"You're not so bad yourself." She looked up as Taj brought them two bottles of water. "Thank you dear."
Regina almost moaned as she drank the icy cold liquid. Taj sat next to her and leaned against her. "What's wrong, T?"
"Nothing. Just sleepy." He said.
She smiled and kissed the top of his head. "Don't worry, you won't have to do too much more. Soon we'll be home and you can sleep for a week if you want to."
"Home?" Zelena asked.
"I bought a horse farm in Brazil. The boys can be with their friends and I get to relax on a beautiful beach."
"Sounds like fun." Zelena commented.
"You should come too."
"What?" Zelena scoffed. "Me in Brazil? For what?"
"No reason. To relax and have fun. The boys could use an aunt, and you could meet you some nice Brazilian men."
"You might be right." Zelena quirked an eyebrow with a smirk.
"We have about 10 more episodes to shoot first though."
"Yep."
"Are Emma and Robin just gonna go home for half season break?" Taj asked.
"I don't know. It'd be a long drive." Regina said absently, playing with his hair. He was softly snoring a few minutes later and she smiled as she gently laid him down so his head was in her lap.
"What's it like...being a mother?" Zelena asked.
"It's hard to to explain really. Someone depends on you and loves you and you have to teach them and prepare them for the world. It's difficult, but...rewarding." Regina herself, couldn't have children due to a little mishap with her mother, but Zelena could. She could have a family, born of her blood. "Do you want children?"
"I don't know yet. Perhaps. But now wouldn't be a good time for them anyway." Zelena said with a shrug. "But if I did...would you help me?"
"Of course, Zelena." Regina said immediately and with firm certainty. "I'm your sister, we're a family and family sticks together."
"Thank you."
Regina nodded and went back to stroking Taj's head, looking out over the farm. It seemed like a perfect time to curl up on a hammock and take a good nap. She yawned and jumped when there a loud crash.
"What the fuck?!" John yelled racing over. "Do you know how much that equipment costs?!"
"Looks like we're done for today." Zelena said.
"Yep." She started to get up, trying to find a way to do so without awakening her little one. Angel came back thankfully and easily hefted Taj onto one shoulder while already carrying a half asleep AJ on the other shoulder. He waved at Zelena as the sisters walked behind them. Zelena smiled and waved back. Angel lay Taj down in his bed in the trailer and carried AJ off to his own before rejoining them in the living room of Regina's trailer. "You guys want anything to eat?"
"Do you have any apples?" Zelena asked.
"One green one left." Regina said, pulling one out of the fridge. "Jason likes them too." She handed it to Zelena as she passed and sat on the couch. Angel pulled her feet into his lap and leaned his head back.
"What is with this day? I'm sleepy too." He asked.
"I don't know." Regina smirked.
Zelena was on the floor and hadn't even bitten into the apple. "Maybe we're all under a spell." She and Regina burst out laughing while Angel raised his head and looked at them like they were crazy. "Private joke, dearie, maybe you'll get it later."
Regina chuckled and laid her head down on the plush chair arm, already drifting off. Angel laid down on the other end of the chair and soon he was out too.
It was dark when Regina awoke and attempted to get off the couch. Zelena was gone, but Angel was still on the end of the couch, using her feet and ankles as a headrest. When she tried to stand, he gripped her ankles even tighter and she fell out of the chair.
"Regina, why are you on the floor?" He asked sleepily.
Regina flicked an eyebrow as he released her. She stood up and stretched and checked on the boys. All three were asleep on her bed and it brought a smile to her lips as she returned to the living room and sat next to Angel as he sat up as well. "They're asleep. All three."
"That's, uh, good." He rubbed his face and leaned back. "What time is it?"
Regina pulled her phone out of her pocket. "12:30 in the morning. I guess John didn't fix his equipment."
"Guess not." He looked over at her.
"What?"
"I'm ready for my next bag."
She sighed as she stood up, going over to the kitchen area and pulling some ingredients out of the fridge for a sandwich. She pulled out the sub sandwich bread and layered it with meat, fresh cut tomatoes, fresh lettuce and some mayo. Angel watched in silence as she sliced it in half and motioned to one half for him to take. He leaped up with a grin and took a big bite out of it. His appreciative humming made her smile.
She poured them some tea to drink and retook her seat. They ate and drank in silence for a moment before Regina spoke. "That little girl I told you about…"
"The one who told your mother your secret." He said.
"Yeah, that's the one. Well, my mother basically forced me into marrying her father and I became the stepmother to the one person I hated the most in the world. Well it wasn't until many years later that I found out exactly what it took for me to become the stepmother. My mother had poisoned and killed her mother to satisfy an old vendetta. Well by then, that little girl was now a big girl, and she...tricked me...into killing my mother." She paused to look up at him. "Her name was Snow, and she's Emma's mother."
"Let me get this straight. You adopted the grandson of your step daughter and you and your step granddaughter used to share a son?"
"Crazy, right?"
"How the hell do you deal with all of this? How have you not cracked under the weight of all this stuff?"
"We haven't even scratched the surface, dear." Regina smirked, going back to eating. He started back eating as well, staring off into space. She got up to throw away her plate and put away her glass "I did crack, by the way." he stood up to do the same and they returned to sitting back on the couch, facing one another. He crossed his legs and she stretched hers out in front of them. "I've done a lot of bad things, Angel. I can't run from my past. I've gone down that darkness path. I've crossed that line before."
He blinked slowly, and looked down at his lap for a moment before meeting her eyes again. "People who've gone down that road believed it was the only road they could take. I've been down dark roads too. I've done things I'm not proud of. Now, Regina, I don't know you, but I would like to. After everything I've seen of you, going down that dark road and finding your way back to the light, says something about you."
"I tend to relapse." She warned him.
"I like a feisty woman." He smirked.
"I do too." She grinned.
He laughed and leaned against the back of the chair. "Okay, why don't we move on to a happier topic? Jason and Taj told me how great of a chef you are, why don't I make you dinner tomorrow night? You, me and the boys. A nice dinner and then why not a movie?"
"You're serious about trying to make this work, aren't you?" She asked. "I'm damaged goods, Angel."
"No, you're not. You are an amazing woman. You're beautiful and strong and complex and I love that." He Smiled.
That fucking smile again. Her stomach twisted but it wasn't uncomfortable. It was a warm glow in her belly that she never even felt with Daniel. Angel grabbed her feet and started tickling them. She laughed and tried to push him off, but he leaned on top of her legs, locking her in place.
"Say yes."
"No!"
"Say it!" He snapped, pausing to let her take a few deep breaths.
"Okay! Okay."
"Good." He smiled at her again.
"What is going on in here?" Jason asked, walking out of the room, followed by Taj and AJ
"Nothing, I was just forcing Regina to let me cook for her by tickling her feet." Angel said. Jason and Taj raised an eyebrow in unison. "That's creepy."
"I think we need to have a quick talk, Mr. O'Connor." Jason pulled up a chair and sat down in front of them. Angel exchanged a confused glance with Regina, who shrugged and sat up straight in the couch. "You're clearly interested in my mom, but I'm gonna tell you right now that if you hurt her, say goodbye to that angelic face." Angel's eyes widened for a moment.
"Now, hold on, Jason." Taj put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "He's not bad looking...I guess, and he has a good job. He should have a chance."
Angel looked at AJ, who was curled up against Regina. "You gonna give her a pep talk?"
"Dad, she's obviously amazing. Don't blow it." AJ replied, receiving a kiss on the head.
"You know what, I'm gonna slam all of you." He waited several moments, before grabbing Taj and Jason and pulling onto the couch.
Regina smiled, watching him wrestle with her sons. There was just something about that man that made her feel at home, like she was truly desired and treasured. The boys obviously liked him and she loved AJ already. He was already snuggled up to her like they'd known each other for years. Perhaps there could be something between her. Maybe her happy ending wasn't complete just yet.
xxxxxx
Read and review! A?N: Sorry for any mistakes, especially with the Portuguese, I used google translate for it. Thoughts and suggestions?