Happy Birthday to me! That's right everyone, today is my birthday :) As you read this, I'm probably sitting around eating cake and finishing Season 5 on Netflix. Woot!

Regina opened the door and froze as she saw who was on the other side. "What are you doing here?"

"Can we talk?" Snow asked.

"About what?" Regina asked. "If there's a problem in town, I swear that I didn't do it."

"No, there's no problems," Snow said. "Do you remember what today is? Or is the anniversary of?"

Regina wracked her brain. "No," she admitted. She hadn't remembered anything.

"That doesn't surprise me," Snow said. "Today is the day that my father died."

"Oh," Regina said awkwardly. "Right."

"So can we talk?" Snow asked. "It has to do with him."

Regina sighed before stepping aside, letting Snow enter the house. "Don't make me regret this."

"You won't," Snow said. "Is there somewhere that we can talk that no one will hear?"

Regina looked at her in confusion. "Why wouldn't you want anyone to hear us talking? Henry's at school."

"Where's Emma?" Snow asked.

"Upstairs," Regina said. "Are we having a conversation that she's not allowed to hear?"

Snow shrugged. "As her mother, I would prefer if she didn't."

"What conversation are you planning on having?" Regina asked.

"I want to know the truth," Snow said. "I'm not a little girl anymore, Regina. I want to know the truth about my father and what he did to you."

"That's what you came here for?" Regina asked. "You're wasting your time. No one knows that story except for Emma. I certainly don't plan on telling it to you."

"Why not?" Snow asked. "He was my father."

"No," Regina said. "The man you knew was your father. I knew a completely different man."

"Different how?" Snow pressed, sitting on the couch. "I'm not leaving until you tell me."

"Then you'll be sitting here for a long time," Regina said, walking out of the room. "I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to know. If I wanted to share with you, I would have."

"But you've told Emma," Snow called after her.

Regina just rolled her eyes and kept walking.

"Mom," Emma said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to Regina," Snow said. "But she's not talking to me. She just turned and left the room."

"What did you want to talk about?" Emma asked, sitting on the couch across from Snow.

"My father," Snow said. "The truth about him."

Emma winced. "That would be why. I'm the only one she's told that stuff to."

"Which is why she should tell me," Snow said. "If she can talk to you about it, why can't she talk to me?"

"It's different," Emma said. "Aren't there things about your past that you've told David but not me?"

"Maybe," Snow said. "But this is different."

"Mom, you can't push her," Emma said.

"My goodness, I didn't realize that it meant so much to you to know," Regina said, walking back into the room.

"Told you I wouldn't leave," Snow said, smirking.

"I knew you wouldn't," Regina said, sitting next to Emma. "But I had hoped."

"So?" Snow asked. "Are you going to tell me?"

Emma reached out and grabbed Regina's hand, squeezing it encouragingly. Regina sighed. "Fine. I'll tell you. But what I'm about to tell you will not be repeated outside of this house. Understand?"

Snow nodded. "So what was he like?"

"Cruel," Regina said. "He didn't care about me. I was just a young trophy for him to look at and have his way with."

"Have his way with?" Snow asked. "You don't mean-"

Regina winced, giving Snow her answer. Emma rubbed her thumb soothingly over the back of Regina's hand. "You okay to keep talking?"

Regina nodded. "I'm fine."

"How could he do that to you?" Snow asked. "He was so kind to me."

"You were a reminder of his beloved wife," Regina said bitterly. "I was just the new toy. And it was partially my fault. I always put up a fight because of Daniel. If I had been more compliant-"

"Stop that," Emma warned.

"Sorry," Regina mumbled. Emma let go of her hand before pulling her close. Regina immediately relaxed in her embrace.

"Did he ever hurt you?" Snow asked. "I thought I saw a bruise on your wrist one time, but you quickly hid it when I asked what it was."

"You remember that?" Regina asked.

Snow nodded. "At the time I was angry because I didn't like that you were hiding something from me. Now I get it."

"Yes, he hit me," Regina said. "I hid the bruises from you so that you wouldn't find out what he was doing."

"Why?" Snow asked. "Why protect me?"

"Because you were a child that loved her father," Regina said. "I didn't want to ruin that."

Snow's eyes filled with tears. "I can't believe that you did that for me."

Regina slowly pulled out of Emma's embrace. "Even though there were times that I regretted saving you, I owed you for my queen title. If I had never married your father, my mother would never have been satisfied. And we both know how my mother is when she's not satisfied."

All three women shuddered at the mention of Cora. "You make a good point," Snow said.

"So there you have it," Regina said, standing up.

Snow reached out and grabbed her hand. "Thank you for telling me."

Regina smiled. "You're welcome. Family tells each other these things."

As she left the room, Snow looked at Emma with wide eyes. "What's wrong?" Emma asked.

Snow smiled as happy tears gathered in her eyes. "She called me family."