I hope you all are still reading this and that you are becoming more interested...because it's so fun for me to write. Let me know what you're thinkin! xoxo
"You're worrying about Regina again," David came up behind Snow in the kitchen, seeing her hesitating over a bowl of apple slices. She was holding Regina's turnover recipe she'd hand written for Snow so she would stop bugging her for the ingredient list every other Sunday dinner. Regina had become a part of their family and had been family to Snow for years, as dysfunctional as they may have been. He knew his wife was taking her former step-mother's absence in their lives harder than she'd admit.
Since Snow was young and for years since, she'd wanted Regina to let go of the past and for them to be cordial once more. Her hopeful heart never allowed her to fully give up on the Mayor, even when David had wanted to. As frustrating as it was at times, he understood. Snow had lost both of her parents at a young age and Regina had been in her life for a solid amount of time before it all went downhill. To get her relationship with Regina back in the past couple of years only to lose it again was hard for her to process.
"I just don't want to see her backtrack," Snow's wide, worried eyes looked up at him when she turned her head at his presence, "She's come so far, you and I have seen proof of that more than anyone...and for her to go through it all again, to lose someone she loves," She bit her lip as her eyes filled with tears and she struggled to speak, "It's terrible David, and what makes it worse is that she won't let anyone be there for her."
"Hey," David cupped Snow's face, rubbing his thumb over her cheek gently, "After everything we've been through with her, you know we can't do anything but let Regina get this out of her system. She's stubborn and the harder we try to calm her down or talk sense into her, the more she's going to push against it. The best we can do is to try to keep her and everyone safe while she makes sense of her heartbreak."
"Even your brother?" Snow let out a breath, leaning back against the kitchen counter as she watched David drop his hands from her and roll his eyes at the thought.
"Yeah, I suppose even him," He ran a hand through his hair before crossing his arms, stepping back against the kitchen island opposite of Snow, "We sure have our hands full with our family, don't we?"
"So you're considering him family again?" She began to prod, noticing how he'd let James off rather easily. His twin had been waiting to get his revenge on David for years, yet now that David had the upper hand to do away with James, he still hadn't used it.
"Please," David scoffed, his brows furrowing together at Snow's suggestion, "Just because I'm not letting him die doesn't mean I want anything to do with him."
"You're protecting him," Snow raised an eyebrow at David's defiant demeanor, seeing through the facade to the internal struggle he was carrying. She knew her husband was at war with himself on how to handle his twin. The hero in David wanted to give him a second chance and include James in their lives. The realist in him made him aware that James wanted no part of their family and would stab him in the back the moment he was least expecting it.
"No, not protecting him, containing him," Her husband's frown grew firmer as he nodded once, as if he were telling himself more than her, "For his acts of thievery. We can't hold a trial or punish him for his crimes if Regina had gotten to him first."
Regina groaned a little at the heat, finally giving into the temptation to peel her silky button up over her head, leaving nothing but her fitted camisole and black jeans. She'd already kicked off her boots yesterday and now desperately wished she had a hair tie. The sheriff's station was air conditioned, but the outdated building stood no chance against Storybrooke's summer heat, not to mention the sun beating down on them through her cell window.
"What are you staring at?" She snapped at James when she glanced up to see him eyeing her with a smug smirk. He hadn't put his shirt back on since the night before and she avoided looking at him, lest he think she actually found him attractive.
"I bet you're a wildcat in the bedroom," James replied without hesitation, staying true to his nature. If his bluntness weren't directed at Regina she may have appreciated it. She hated people who abided by useless, societal notions of manners and morals. Those people usually never meant what they said and were just as corrupt as she was, but they covered it better. It was society's immoral outcasts like she and James who told the truth more than anyone, politeness be damned.
"It's nice to see that you still have dreams, James," Regina dead panned with a roll of her eyes. She was far from even considering intimacy with another person, but it did feel nice to be noticed. The last months before Robin's death were tense and stressful, and the once vivid sexual chemistry between them had lost its spark throughout the Zelena drama. To be honest, their sex life never the same after he came back from New York.
"More like goals," He corrected her with a shrug of his broad shoulders and a grin on his lips. James could tell she has been avoiding eye contact and there was a certain flush to her face that he swore was not just from the heat. She was wound tightly; he could practically see the sexual tension radiating from her squared shoulders and stiff neck.
She gave a humorless chuckle, though their bickering gave her more entertainment than she'd care to admit. It was nice to have someone around who could keep up with her wit for once. "I know you got yourself killed but I didn't realize how poor your sense of survival really was."
"What are you going to do to me, Queen? Give me a dirty look from your cot? Oh, how the mighty have fallen," James watched her like an amused child would a wild animal in a cage. He didn't know why he got such satisfaction from riling her up. It was the same adrenaline rush that coursed through him and got his blood pumping during a sword fight. The thrill of playing with danger was too much for him to resist, and Regina was the razor sharp, opposing sword.
"Says the prince who lost his place in line for the throne to his idiot farmer brother," Regina muttered with an eye roll as she leaned back against the cold stone of the wall behind her cot, trying to cool herself down as much as possible. She didn't know much about James' past other than the fact his parents had sold him to King George, and she sure did know George.
David's evil twin flashed her an irritated glance at the mention of his past. He didn't like when she turned the tables on him; his past was his own business, "I guess my story isn't as famous as your epic saga with Snow White, but at least I still have my pride in the end. It's a shame the way you've cowered to the heroes."
"I didn't have a choice," Regina's eyes shot up at him, her voice sharp and defensive, "When Emma came back for Henry making good with the Charmings was the only way I could still be in his life."
"You're more powerful than all of them put together. David and Snow are idiots, and Emma's untrained power never stood a chance against your dark magic," James scoffed at the thought, "You should've just taken Henry and to hell with the rest of them. You raised the kid, you were his mother, blood doesn't change anything."
The way James spoke of Regina's power and the fact that he tended to favor her side of history chipped away at her anger towards him. He had an odd way about him; his honesty didn't waiver, regardless of the topic. Even when what he was saying could be considered complementary to her, he said it anyways because that's what he thought.
"So if your real parents would've come to take you back from King George, you wouldn't have wanted to go?" Regina couldn't help but play devil's advocate, though she changed her tone to one of curiosity rather than challenge. She wasn't asking this question to barb him, she was actually curious to hear his input, "Even with how tyrannical George was?"
She watched him as he processed her words, the lines between his brows becoming more prominent in thought. His method was rather transparent upon his features; she watched as he contemplated what she said and reached his conclusion. She was sure he had already considered his scenario before, but the way he still paused to calculate his wording proved to her he was a much deeper thinker than he let on to be.
"No, my birth parents lost that right when they gave me up," James gave a shrug as his eyes met hers in a more serious nature, "George was a hardass, I'll give him that, but he thought he was doing what was best for me and the kingdom in his own way. And no matter how big of a bastard he was, he was my father."
Regina let out a bitter, half chuckle as she nodded in agreement to the sentiment, "As much as you hate it, a little part of you can always see where they're coming from. That's what made me want to change; when I realized I was doing the same thing to Henry that my mother did to me."
"Hm that's right, Cora," James' right eyebrow arched lazily in slight amusement as he realized he and Regina's upbringings were more similar than he'd imagined, "Look how long it took you to stand up to her. Because a little part of you always wanted her to approve and be proud of you, so you held out, let her bend you to her will."
Her eyes were now locked with his as he spoke, somewhat surprised at just how intuitive he was for someone who seemed so carefree. He'd longed for acceptance from George just as she had Cora. Regardless of how detestable their parents were, they both had felt the desire to meet their expectations. They knew the loneliness that followed after disappointing the person they looked up to the most as a child, no matter how hard they tried to make them proud.
She considered his statement for a moment before replying, "You didn't seem to mind who George wanted you to be. In fact, from everything I heard you rather enjoyed it."
James made a scoffing noise under his breath at her sudden shift of tone. He knew she'd felt the connection they shared with the similarities of their past and was now trying to stir him up and recreate the animosity between them. "You know just as well as I do that there's only so much pushing and prodding you can take before you finally transform into what they want you to be."
Regina's jaw tensed, flashbacks of her past creeping up inside of her. His words rang true, knowing all too well what he meant. She'd resisted her mother in every way for years growing up, had sworn she'd never be anything like her and in the end became her. People like Cora and George were master manipulators, playing mind games while perfecting the trap to catch you in when you were at your weakest.
Cora had worn Regina down; abused her spirit and captured her at her lowest point. Once Daniel had died, Regina had felt she had nothing to live for. She didn't have the strength to keep trying to do the right thing or go against her mother; it had gotten her nothing but heartbreak. So she accepted it; she became what her mother wanted her to be and for the first time she'd gained Cora's acceptance.
She grit her teeth, steeling her emotions as she shared more than she intended to, "When my mother killed my fiance, I broke. I became the person she designed...it's what she had been waiting for my whole life, to break my spirit and have full control. I hate myself for playing into her game."
"You shouldn't," James let out a breath, leaning his head back against the wall and staring up at the ceiling of his gray jail cell, "I gave into my father's dark ways at a much younger age. 'Course I don't think I was all that pure to begin with. Maybe that's why my parents sold me instead of David? They knew I was damaged goods," He smirked half-heartedly.
"Please," Regina rolled her eyes, lying down on her back on the cot to try to find a more comfortable position when her bottom started going numb, "Evil isn't born, it's made, but don't let me interrupt your pity party."
"Bitch," James replied, though she could hear the amusement in his tone, "The pity parties are the best part of being a villain."
"Call me a name one more time and I'll show you the best part of being a villain once this cuff is off," She retorted, resting her arm over her face to block out the sunlight, "Wonder when the Charmings will be back? We'd better act as if we're getting along so they'll let us out of our cages."
"Aren't we getting along?"
"I suppose, but I still plan on killing you." This time it was Regina with the hint of humor in her tone, though James knew she was probably serious. Her sheer delight in taunting him with ending his life was so twisted it even amused him.
"What a shame, Queen. We could be quite a team."
Henry made his way down the stairs of his biological mother's home, finding her in the kitchen as he set his backpack down on the table to grab breakfast. He could already tell by the way she stared at him from the stove that she was about to badger him with conversation. Trouble was he didn't feel like talking.
"Morning, kid," Emma raised an eyebrow at her son avoiding her gaze, watching him go over to get a glass from the cabinet and pour himself some juice. He wasn't the same since Regina had secluded herself and she knew he took it as rejection. Her heart hurt for her son, knowing the pain of feeling unwanted by someone.
"Morning," He mumbled his reply, trying to keep the chatter to a minimum as he sat down at the counter, "Thanks," He added when she slid the plate of pancakes his way.
"Welcome...?" Emma raised an eyebrow at his grumpiness while he attempted to keep his focus on his food and began to eat, "We're gonna let your mom out today..." She added, hoping this would spark some type of emotion or exchange between them. It was unsettling to see the most optimistic person she knew being so negative.
"You are?" Henry's gaze met hers at the news and she saw the look of relief on his face that he was attempting to mask with indifference, "Oh...that's cool, I guess."
"Yeah, I guess..." She eyed him as she flipped the stove top off, throwing the dish towel over her shoulder and leaning on the counter, "Look kid, apparently your Grandpa went there this morning to take them breakfast and your mom is acting a lot better. This isn't going to be forever, she's just grieving and going through some things."
"It still isn't right, what happened to her," Henry's jaw tensed as he looked back at her with an expression of sheer bullheadedness. It was moments like this that reminded Emma of just how much of Regina's personality he inherited, "Even if she gets over it, it won't change what happened."
"No, it won't," Swan pursed her lips, her irritation growing with Regina that Henry was carrying this on his shoulders. Still, she understood why Regina needed to be alone. If she were in her shoes she'd probably have done the same. "But your mom is strong, she'll get through this. She just needs time to grieve."
"I get that," Henry frowned, glancing towards the window when he heard the school bus pull up in front of the house, "But something still needs to be done," He added determinedly, grabbing his backpack.
Emma frowned, not quite knowing what he meant, "Uh, goodbye?!" She called out after him as he stalked towards the front door.
"Bye."
"All right, looks like you two haven't killed each other," David called out as he strolled into the sheriff's station, dangling the keys to their jail cells as he approached them, "Up and at 'em. Grab your belongings please."
"What's this?" James gripped the edge of the cot on both sides of his legs, leaning forward on his arms as he placed his feet on the floor, "Have we earned our freedom?" He mocked with fake thankfulness as he came to stand.
"It's about time," Regina grumbled, standing up and slipping her feet back into her shoes. All she wanted to do was go home, shower, and be alone with her thoughts. These past couple of days had derailed her mission and disrupted her mindset, "I feel disgusting."
"You don't look it," Her nemesis quipped from his own cell, visibly overconfident now that he thought he was getting off of the hook, leaning his strong arms on the bars that separated their cells, "I'm gonna miss you," He taunted, giving her a twisted grin when she threw a disgusted look his way.
"Shut up," She snapped at him, shrugging on her button up shirt and attempting to tuck it into her pants with as much dignity as she could muster, "Where the hell is Swan? I want this off now!" She lifted her wrist up in front of David as he unlocked her cell door.
"Sorry, Regina," David slid open the cell door, seemingly less intimidated by her when she was magic-less; which frustrated her even more, "Consider yourself on parole. We can't take that off of you until we know the town will be safe."
She glared at him for a moment before stepping out of her cell, "Of course you can't. We all know what a monster I am when left to my own devices," She hissed, stalking past him for the exit of the station. The goddamn cuff would come off somehow, and Charming would regret ever refusing to take it off himself.
"Babe, wait up," James called out after her just to rile her more, seeing David shake his head as he opened his cell door.
"And you, don't think you're getting off free," His hero twin gave him an authoritative look that made James' skin crawl with irritation, "You'll stand trial for your thefts. We'll determine your punishment then."
"Sounds like fun," He gave David a fake smile, patting his shoulder on his way past him in a way that suggested he did not take him seriously at all, "Let me know when you need me," He added, picking up the pace of his steps on his way out, partially to irritate his brother and the other half to catch up with Regina.
He jogged his way outside of the police station, closing the distance between him and the Queen quickly. It was amusing, the sight of the mighty Evil Queen in three day old clothes and tangled hair, sauntering down the street with as much pride as she could muster. "So that's it? You're going to leave without telling me bye?" He faked hurt, not being able to help but agitate her more; as if he hadn't gotten enough in the past two days.
"I think we've spent enough quality time together, haven't you?" Regina eyed him, her expression one of sheer annoyance as she squinted at the midday sun, "You're lucky David is probably watching us, otherwise I'd do away with you right now."
She threatened, though she knew she'd have to lay low for a while and pretend to be over it until the Charmings were off of her back. Besides, she was far too tired to care about her mission to destroy James right now, and truthfully her anger at him had dissolved somewhat in the past few days. Though, she figured she'd have to end him sooner rather than later; she still hated him and someone had to pay for Robin's death, after all.
"Your threats don't hold much merit with that bracelet, you know," James shoved his hands in his pockets, walking beside her casually. He knew the past couple of days had changed the dynamic between them, though their game of back and forth could last a long time considering how stubborn they both were.
"I'll have it off in no time," She shrugged defiantly, tilting her chin up as she looked straight ahead of her, "Better sleep with one eye open."
"Better hope I don't steal the diamond back before you get your cuff off," He challenged, watching her arch an eyebrow and glance at him with a smirk that held no humor. "Or of course we could help each other."
The suggestion made Regina chuckle despite it being a serious offer, "And how exactly would you ever be able to help me?"
"I could help you get that bracelet off and you can help me get Gold's diamond back," James proposed with a shrug, glancing around to make sure no one was near, "Wouldn't you love to get back at these bastards for how they've treated you? We could own this town."
He watched her eyes turn a few shades darker and he knew that she liked the sound of what she heard, though he could tell she wasn't quite sold, "Did you forget my plans to kill you?" She asked after a moment.
"Why would you kill me when I'm the only one on your side in this godforsaken place?" James rolled his eyes as if she were talking crazy, "And you say I have no sense of survival. We're in the same boat, Regina. My brother is going to have the whole town burning me at the stake for my crimes soon, and they've got a collar on you like an animal," He nods towards the cuff, "So, what do you say? You gonna hole up and take their shit or should we remind them who we are?"
Regina squinted at him, aware that she was too exhausted and irritated to be making a rational decision. He wasn't the type to be trusted, but neither were the Charmings. She'd changed for them and now they were treating her like a petulant child who'd lost a toy instead of a woman who'd lost her soulmate.
"I'll consider it. Now get out of my sight."
"Gladly, Queen."