A/N: Hello again, everyone! I hope you all had an enjoyable week!
Here we are with an update to this little story of mine. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed on the last chapter. Your response has been awesome!
As always, laurathechef did awesome beta work on this and deserves all the credit. Usual disclaimer goes here of not owning the show, characters, yadda yadda. Any resemblance to any real people, places, or events is entirely accidental.
Enjoy!
"What are you thinking about?" Snow asked quietly, recognizing the look on her husband's face.
They were sitting together on the farm house's small sofa, enjoying a moment of peace that was becoming increasingly rare. She'd been watching her husband slowly leave the meaningless conversation they'd been having to fill the time while Henry did his homework and watched over Emma. It was a look she was very well-accustomed to, as he began chewing over a thought.
He jerked out of his thoughts, brought back into the room by her question. "What? I'm sorry; I missed what you said."
She gave him an indulgent smile. "You were somewhere far away, with that look on your face that means you're thinking about something extra hard. What's going on?"
"Well," David answered after taking a breath, "I've just been thinking about a couple I know."
The smile turned warm as she affectionately bumped his shoulder. "Oh yeah? What about this couple of yours?"
Returning her smile, he started reeling off a list of things he'd observed. "Well, when they met they hated each other. I mean: really hated each other. Fists were thrown. But there was something keeping them close to each other. They even ended up saving each other's lives quite a few times when danger threatened. They've had to overcome so much in their lives to get where they are now. They even share a son."
Snow's smile grew until it was fully ear-to-ear. "Oh, Charming. You're such a romantic to think about our early meetings like that."
He chuckled. "I do what I can, Snow, but I wasn't thinking of us."
Her brow furrowed. "Well, if you're not talking about us then who are you talking about?"
"They're not exactly a romantic couple, but I was thinking of Regina and Emma," he answered slowly, hesitant to voice his thoughts with how he knew his wife would react.
The reaction didn't disappoint. Snow's jaw fell open as her eyes went huge and round. "You can't be serious," she breathed, "Tell me you're joking."
"Look at what you know about them. Look at what you know of their early relationship. Is it really all that different from our own?" he replied, speaking in a slow and gentle voice to avoid putting her on the defensive.
"But, but, but," she sputtered, "She's the Evil Queen! She's done horrible things to so many people over the years, including our own family!"
"Believe me, I know what she has done in the past, but by and large that is in the past. She's changed since Henry. I can admit that since I've seen it with my own eyes. Especially since the Curse broke, she's changed."
"You sound like you actually want them together," Snow accused, sliding away from him to put some distance between them on the couch.
David ran his hands through his hair. "It's not the match I would have chosen for Emma, even if we were in the old world and I had the right to influence her choice. It's just...the more I think about it the more I see some value in it. You know as well as I do that no one protects people they love more than Regina. She's the most powerful magic user in this town now that the Dark One is gone."
"Emma would be safe, as safe as Henry," she agreed, nodding slowly.
"They're both dealt with so much adversity in their lives," David continued, "Maybe what they need is someone who understands what they've been through."
"She has been devoted to breaking Emma's barrier spell," Snow remembered, "Almost fanatically so. I thought it was just guilt, but now that you've got me thinking about what they might be like together, I almost wonder if there's more to it for Regina."
"Don't forget how much Emma defended her after the Curse broke and then in Neverland. Except for when Cora framed her, Emma has been pretty steadfast in her support," David noted.
Snow's mouth worked up and down a couple times before she was finally able to give voice to her question. "Do you think either of them are aware of any possible feelings they might have?"
He laughed, feeling some of the tension of his revelation and concern over how his wife would handle the idea dissipating. "Two women as stubborn as they are? Not a chance."
She grew thoughtful. "So how could we influence that?"
Now it was David's turn for his eyes to grow large and round. "What are you thinking?"
She gave him a mischievous grin. "Oh, I have an idea or two. Do you trust me?"
"Always," came his instinctual reaction.
"Then follow my lead."
"Any luck yet, Mom?" Henry asked as he walked down the stairs. From the muttered curses that he'd overheard before announcing his presence, there hadn't been, but she might have had an idea or something.
Or not.
"Damn it!"
His mother's shout as he got to the bottom of the stairs stopped him in his tracks. He'd learned throughout his childhood that when she got that upset, it was best to approach slowly, calmly, and with as nonthreatening of a voice as he could muster. "Mom? Is everything all right?"
The sound of a book hitting the floor grabbed his attention as his mother spun around, eyes wide at being caught. "Oh, Henry. I'm sorry for startling you. I was just…well I thought I had a way through the barrier. I read an old spell in one of Gold's books that suggested the way through a barrier spell cast by a white magic user was to cloak your own magic. The idea was that a white magic user wouldn't protect themselves from non-magic users. Well, I did it. I temporarily cloaked my magic, but it would seem that your intrepid mother anticipated that. Not even non-magical beings can get through."
She looked so lost, so forlorn and defeated as she slumped back into the office chair that it was impossible for him to resist the urge to run up and envelop her in a hug. "You'll get this. You always do. I have faith in you, Mom," Henry whispered.
His mother must have been more affected by her failure to break a barrier spell than she'd let on. Instead of responding to his encouragement with a grateful smile and tightening the hug like she'd always done in the past, she slipped out of his embrace and buried her face in her hands. She took several deep breaths in an obvious attempt to calm herself once more.
During the time that his birth mother had spent in the cursed sleep, Henry's mind must have been churning over a mental association in the background, much as a computer does, because it chose that moment to pop into his consciousness. "Barrier spell," he whispered.
"What did you say?" Regina murmured.
"Mom! I have an idea!" he exclaimed.
She laughed, but it rang bitter and mirthless against the bare cinder block walls. "None of our ideas have led to anything yet."
"No, wait a minute. I think I have something here. I never got the full story for how you guys got around Zelena's barrier spell in the Enchanted Forest. You remember, in that year when Ma and I were in New York."
"Oh, that," she dismissed, closing her eyes again. "I deactivated it at its power source inside the castle."
He grinned. "Yeah, but how did you get inside to turn it off?"
"Well, there were tunnels underneath the castle that I used because most barrier spells don't extend below ground," she answered in the same tone.
Henry waited. She hadn't put the two thoughts together yet. After such a long time that he was honestly beginning to worry for his mother's fatigued mental state, her head shot up, eyes as round as dinner plates. "Beneath the ground! Henry!" she almost shouted, jumping to her feet and wrapping him in an embrace that was much more reminiscent of their hugs when he was younger. "If we can somehow dig under the ground, we can get to her and turn off her spell. It's brilliant! I'm so proud of you, Henry!"
He flushed, happy with her praise.
"Go get your grandparents and tell them your idea and that we'll need the dwarves, too. " she instructed.
With nothing more than a happy nod, the teen turned and ran up the stairs. Regina, now alone in the basement, looked at her son's other mother. "We'll get you out of there, Emma Swan. And then I promise you we'll figure out a way to wake you up. I swear it."
Regina's eyes widened slightly at the sight of the three Charmings – including Henry – coming down the stairs followed by the seven dwarves with their mining tools propped on their shoulders. Snow and David almost vibrated with excitement and tension.
"What's going on, Regina?" Snow demanded, moving to stand next to the older woman.
Instead of responding, Regina gestured to Grumpy. "I think the best place to get started is over there, by her feet."
"Regina?" David pressed.
Satisfied with the dwarves' progress, she turned to the people standing to her left. "Henry figured it out. He asked me how we beat Zelena's barrier spell on my own castle in the Enchanted Forest."
Light dawned in Snow's eyes. "We went under it!"
Regina returned her smile. "Exactly. So, I thought that if we couldn't beat it with magic, we could dig under it."
David looked elated. "If they can go down and under digging a big enough tunnel, then one of us can go in and wake her with True Love's kiss, like she did with Henry!"
With a squeal, Snow ran forward and wrapped Regina in a bear hug so tight it almost looked like the older woman's eyes would pop out of her skull. After a few moments where it looked like Regina was more uncomfortable than she had ever been in her life, David was able to pry his wife away from her. "Sorry about that."
"Just don't let it happen again," warned Regina, visibly suppressing a shudder. "Okay, let's get out of the way and let the dwarves get to work."
Standing back as the Charmings congratulated Henry on his brainstorm, Regina watched as the seven men set to their task with a will. If this was how they mined fairy dust, she could see why the fairies were so powerful in their old world. Instead of forming a line and taking turns when one tired, they picked a spot about ten feet from where Emma's feet rested and gathered in a circle. Grumpy started a wave as each of their picks bit into the floor one at a time, allowing each dwarf to rest in between swings.
They had cut through the flimsy floorboards in just a few moments and were down into the earth below the basement. As they worked, they whistled, which would have had her snorting in derision in the not-too-distant past, but now only called her attention to the way they dug. Once the hole was down to about three feet, they broke out the shovels and worked in much the same way, only taking turns in groups of three.
Charming and Snow were having a whispered conversation behind her that she couldn't quite make out, but she thought she heard her name mentioned once or twice. She shrugged it off, choosing instead to pay attention to the dwarves in front of her. When they had gotten about three feet down, the harder-packed soil slowed down their progress.
She was dimly aware of someone going up the stairs behind her, but kept her focus on the digging. For the dwarves to dig a tunnel deep enough to get under the barrier, they'd have to put in some support structures to prevent collapsing their digging.
Half an hour later, someone came down the stairs. Even in the dank mustiness of the basement, Regina picked up the different smell. Turning her attention from the digging, she saw David toting a cooler down the stairs, followed by a stack of boxes atop Snow's legs. The distinct aroma of heated tomato sauce and melted cheese wafted her way. "Is that pizza?"
Setting the boxes down with a huff, Snow's head peeked around the stack. "Yeah! I thought it would be a nice, easy calorie boost for the dwarves, working as hard as they are to get my daughter free."
Regina nodded, acknowledging the wisdom of the thought as she turned back to gaze at Emma, the dwarves putting their digging tools down for the break.
"I also thought it would be a good meal for you, Regina," Snow added.
Whirling around in surprise at Snow's presumption, she stared at the younger woman. "Excuse me? I've never had that fat- and cholesterol-laden disaster bread in my life, and I don't intend to start now."
Snow frowned, moving closer to Regina and lowering her voice. "I haven't said anything to you, but I'm worried. You haven't been eating very well since you've been down here working, and you've lost weight. When Emma wakes up you want to be in your best shape, don't you?"
"My best shape? What the hell are you talking about?" She asked, brow furrowing at the strange comment.
Grumpy shoving his way between the two women on a quest for pizza interrupted Snow's reply before she could get it out. With the rest of the dwarves following, the moment was lost. Regina was left to ponder the implications of Snow's cryptic words.
She wasn't left to her thoughts for long. Snow soon shoved a slice of gooey, greasy mess into her hands, with only a paper towel to protect her delicate skin. When Regina opened her mouth to protest, her stomach betrayed her with a rumble so loud even Snow could hear it. Her former stepdaughter raised an eyebrow in an eloquent challenge. Never one to back down or show weakness, Regina met her gaze and held it as she bit into her very first slice of pizza.
To her utter dismay, a moan of pure delight escaped before she could quell it. The bread holding up the cheese and sauce had just the right amount of crunch while the melted cheese made her neglected salivary glands work overtime. The overall taste was vaguely reminiscent of her lasagna, but with enough difference to be in a world all its own. Regina looked down at her hands, startled to see that the slice had disappeared.
Snow chuckled. "Something you want to say?"
Unwilling to admit that Snow White had introduced her to a culinary treat, Regina slid her expressionless mask back into pace, setting her jaw and taking a breath. "It's not something I would want to have regularly, with all the fat and cholesterol from the cheese, not to mention the carbohydrates from the crust, but as a rare treat, it was surprisingly good. Maybe once we've woken Emma, I can do some research into healthier varieties. In the meantime, though…" she abandoned dignity and reached for another slice, knowing her body needed any sustenance it could get.
Henry was talking to his grandfather and, growing boy that he was, wolfing down slice after slice. A pang struck her at the sight. Is this something more I could have done for him as a child? An occasional unhealthy treat that brings him joy? So many wasted opportunities.
Snow must have read something in her expression, because Regina soon found the teacher's hand on her forearm. "It's okay, Regina. We'll get through this just like we've gotten through so many other things. There's nothing wrong with a little junk food every now and then. I'm glad you liked it. Granny will be thrilled that the very first slice you ever had been one of hers, and that you enjoyed it."
"Indeed," Regina mused, "Maybe I can trade a recipe of my own for this one."
Snow returned her smile with one of her own. "It's been a very long few weeks, but Henry's brilliant idea might just be what we need to wake Emma up."
The older woman felt a wave of affection sweep through her. "It really was a good idea, wasn't it?"
"You should be proud of him, Regina. I'm not just saying that as his grandmother – that's still really weird to say – or as his teacher, but just someone who's really impressed with a mature, respectful young man."
Regina looked at her former stepdaughter, heart warmed at the compliment. "Thank you, Snow," she responded in a subdued voice.
"I know I've never said this to you before, but you're a fantastic mother, Regina. In fact, I've found myself comparing how I mother Neal to how you've raised Henry. You set a high bar that I pretty much don't ever live up to," Snow confessed, casting her eyes down at the vulnerability in the statement.
Shock coursed through Regina. It was one of the nicest things anyone had ever said to her. The fact that it had come from someone her conscious mind considered her worst enemy blew her mind. The world really had changed. "Parenting is all about learning as you go. Every child is different, so even in the same family what would have worked for the elder would not necessarily help the younger. You'll figure it out. Your damned optimism will see to that," she found herself answering.
They ate in companionable silence for almost another half an hour. Snow watched Regina eat two more slices before she gave a satisfied huff to Regina's eye-roll, but a part of her appreciated the concern. From her mother to her late unlamented husband, few had ever shown her enough care and worry to make sure she was eating enough to keep her energy at adequate levels. The bitterness over her loss of Daniel was still present; in many ways she thought it would always be there, no matter if she ever found her mythical 'happy ending' or not. Somehow the Charming's were slowly eroding her resentment.
Grumpy led the dwarves back to their digging, interrupting her musings. She and Snow sat back with Charming and Henry, watching their efforts. It seemed the pizza was a good idea, as they dug with renewed effort after eating. The hole looked to be around six feet in diameter, big enough to allow a grown adult to walk through and the dwarves to swing their pickaxes without fear of hitting each other.
Conversation fell silent as they dug, and before long the boards in front of Emma's cot started bumping upward. Grumpy shouted back for a crowbar, which Dopey hurried to pass to him. Regina stood as her heart rate increased to the point where it felt like it was about to burst from her chest. Once Grumpy started whacking away at the floorboards from beneath, she could almost feel the impacts herself.
With a creak and a groan, the first boards gave way. The light now shining through the gap energized the dwarves, and they doubled their efforts with a hearty cheer. In almost no time at all compared to the tunneling, the boards were gone and Snow was shoving everyone out of his way to get to her little girl.
The dwarves reassembled back on the outside of the spell zone while Regina, bracing for the impact of the magical wave, watched Snow caress Emma's temple before she bent and kissed her daughter's forehead.
Nothing happened.
No light-pulse. No spell breaking. No curse breaking.
Regina's heart rattled as Snow buried her face in her hands, silent tears squeezing out through her fingers. David and Henry raced through the tunnel to try their hands at waking Emma.
Still nothing.
The barrier spell had the interesting side effect of blocking all sound, Regina noted, as she watched the Charmings confer. Their pain was evident in the tears still coursing down Snow's face. The woman seemed barely able to respond to her husband's remarks through her stifled sobs.
David had some water in his eyes, but reined in his emotions enough to not show any other outward signs of his distress.
Henry was holding back his own tears, but his eyes were still glistening. Regina felt a pang of disappointment, having tried to teach the boy that it was perfectly acceptable for a man to cry. But he was still a teenager and felt the pressure of society to conform.
Snow and Henry tearfully made their way out of the tunnel. "I'm so sorry," Regina sympathized, shocking everyone present by wrapping Snow in a heartfelt embrace. The younger woman went stiff for a second, but then allowed herself to accept Regina's touch. The former Queen soon found herself in a sandwich as Henry rested his head on her shoulder and embraced her from the side. Over Snow's head, Regina watched as David picked his daughter up from her cot and carried her through the tunnel, not allowing the dwarves to aid him.
As he approached, Snow took a few stuttering breaths and quelled her sniffing. "We need to move her back to the loft. Can you use your magic to get us at least as far as our car, Regina?"
"Like hell!" she retorted. "Your loft is nowhere near as secure as it needs to be. I can protect her from my house against all magical threats. She'll come to my place."
The protests from Emma's parents were nowhere near as vehement as she had expected, but still she raised her hands. "I'm sorry. When it comes down to it, Emma moved out of your apartment of her own free will. Something about living there was distressing her enough to push her to leave. I don't think putting her right back in is the best plan. Let me take her to the mansion. I'll put her up in a room of her own, or I can even transport a bed into my study for her to use while I figure out how to break the curse."
"If you think that's best," Snow allowed. David's hands twitched before his wife grabbed them.
Regina snorted. "Of course I do. Henry, prepare yourself."
With a wave of her hand, she called on her magic to take herself, Henry, and Emma back to the mansion. As the violet smoke swirled to encompass her, she could have sworn she saw Snow and David exchange a knowing glance, but the spell had whisked her away before she could call them on it.
Something for her to think on for later.
A/N: Thoughts? Reviews are always welcome!
