A/N: This story is set in the immediate aftermath of the Cora plot, Regina took Snow's heart recently, and although it departs from canon this is the same time that in canon she was deciding to kill everyone in town and return to the Enchanted Forest with Henry. This is late season 2 Regina. Regina is not redeemed at this point.

Emma had moved out of the loft in just one afternoon. It had taken her so little time for several reasons, the first being she was only moving into the basement apartment in the same building. For another she didn't have all that much stuff, though more than she'd had at any other point in her life. And lastly because all seven dwarfs showed up to help. Well, Sleepy found a corner to crash in, but still, it made short work of the job.

It was smaller than the loft, but Henry had his own room and it felt a bit less a 1990s designer specializing in 'shabby chic' had vomited all over the living space.

Not that she didn't love Mary Margaret, but their styles weren't exactly the same. Not that her style went all that well with designer clothing, spike heels and obsessive cleanliness. She had to admit to herself recently that she was having trouble getting Regina Mills off her mind.

The way her skin felt as she ran her fingers along it. The way her hair smelled...

"I really need to get out and date more." Emma mumbled to herself.

"Probably. You might even learn how to eat like a human being." The devil herself spoke from the open door to her new apartment. Except the Regina of reality was fully dressed rather than the one of her daydream. "Henry said you were moving today. I brought you a house warming gift."

She offered her a bottle of liquor. "No sleeping curse?"

"Only if you consume the entire bottle at once." Regina set it down on the kitchen counter and started looking around the small apartment.

"Oh, I see, this is an inspection."

"Of course it is." Regina said with a casually dismissive tone, "Where is Henry's room?"

"Second door in the hall."

The Queen disappeared down the hall before coming back nodding with approval. "A bit small, but, acceptable."

"I'm glad it had a stamp of royal approval. Does that come with a seal and a sign I can hang on the front door?"

Regina gave her a look, but stood a bit awkwardly in the middle of the room, like she wanted to say something else but also didn't. Stubborn bitch. "I was wondering if maybe... you get up early. I was wondering if you'd like to come over on school mornings and eat breakfast with Henry. Maybe take him to school."

Regina stiffened. "Is that your idea of pity, Miss. Swan."

Miss. Swan. That was never a good sign.

"No, I just... he's not ready to sleep over at your house yet. But I thought maybe we could work on fixing things."

"We? I'm so glad you are now inserting yourself directly in my relationship with my son." Regina turned, and if she'd been wearing a cape Emma could imagine it swishing behind her. As it was her trench coat did a decent imitation as the Queen departed.

Emma shook her head, let out an exasperated sigh and followed. "It's not like that Regina..."

They were out on the front walk of the converted warehouse before Emma caught up with her, grabbing her arm. Regina's arm flung out, her hand flat before she closed it and Emma wondered how close she had come to flying across the lawn. Another lawn. Again.

"Listen, I'm an idiot."

"Of course you are. This is new?"

"Regina..." She warned, only so much she'd take from this woman.

"This is why I didn't want to tell you that story. I am not some sort of Charming charity case..."

"It's not pity and it's not about that conversation..."

Regina gave a mocking sneer, "And here comes the cavalry."

Part of Emma wondered what that meant until she heard her mother's distinctive clump of heavy sensible shoes coming down the steps behind her.

Damn it.

"What are you doing here, Regina?"

"Inspecting my son's living arrangements Snow. Why don't you let the grownups talk."

"How did you know Emma had moved today..."

"Really Snow this is a small town. And I'm really not in the mood," She waved her a hand casually and Mary Margaret flew up into the air, floating about a hundred feet above their heads, flailing her arms as if she was trying to swim.

"Regina, put her down now." Emma said with a warning.

"She'll come down in a few hours on her own. As long as she doesn't hit a power line."

"Regina..." Emma had lost patience, but so apparently had the Queen.

"Or what? You'll arrest me? Cancel my next dinner with Henry?"

"Why do you have to be a dick? Why can't you be a normal person who reacts to things in a normal way?"

"Because I won't have you use Henry to make me behave."

"You were trying to be better for Henry."

"That's right. For him. Not for your family to use him as a weapon against me."

"If you'd stop being a psychotic bitch for ten minutes you'd realize I agree with you."

Regina raised her eyebrow, ignoring Snow's demands that she be let down, and focusing on Emma.

"Listen, you are an ass. Don't try and pretend you are not, that is self evident."

Emma kept her eyes locked on Regina and pointed up in the sky.

"She's drifted a bit dear. Must be a bit windier up there."

Emma blinked and glanced up, noticing that her mother was drifting a bit, she shook her head and looked at Regina. "Put her down."

"Hmmm how about no."

"Christ Regina!" Emma shook her head in frustration and balled her fist and unballed it again

Except this time it was Regina's turn to look surprised. "Nice sparks. Good power but your control could use some work."

"What?"

Regina nodded down at Emma's hand. Little sparks were coming off her finger tips. Reflexively she closed her hand again and it stopped.

"You should really take care of that Emma." Regina's voice was a bit softer. "Uncontrolled elemental magic can cause all sorts of problems."

"So can a crazy woman with controlled magic." Emma grumbled. "I don't want Henry to be part of some blood feud between our families. I just thought... he misses his mother and I thought you might like it. Breakfast and school I mean."

"You want us to play divorced mommies?" Regina asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That would require us to have been married in the first place." Emma whispered the next, acutely aware that there were now people watching them. Snow making a racket in the air above them drew a crowd. "Or for you to actually have human feelings for anyone but Henry. But for now I'll take your feelings for Henry as human."

Regina seemed taken aback by that, and calmed a bit. She straightened a bit of her hair that had moved out of it's perfect place. "Just ... come to your place, make him breakfast, and take him to school."

"Yes."

"Do I have to let your mother down?"

"That would be nice."

"So I don't have to let your mother down." She winked. "I will see you Monday, Emma. Try to be dressed at least."

"I don't have a spare key yet."

Regina laughed. "I don't need a key."

She turned and walked down the path, past the growing crowd who parted for her like the red sea.

Emma watched her go for a moment before turning her attention to her... other problem.

"Don't worry, Mary Margaret... we'll figure something out."

Emma and David followed Mary Margaret as she floated around town slowly in the sheriff's cruiser until Mother Superior could come up with something to help her land safely. Snow and David were understandably livid, but the truth was that in the grand scheme of Regina's crimes this was minor and Emma convinced them that she'd talk to her about it.

She didn't tell them that she was going to do that by telling Regina to stop being a dick.

Because she knew that would be about as effective as one of her mother's lectures on morality. Maybe more. Still, she wasn't quite prepared for the question when Henry posed it over a bowl of Cheerio's that evening. "Why did Mom levitate, Grandma?"

"Mary Margaret interrupted your Mom and I while we were talking."

"But why did she levitate her."

"Because she annoyed her and your Mom doesn't have very much self control."

"Was it evil?"

Emma blinked. "Was what evil?"

"Levitating Snow White. I mean she's the Evil Queen... was she trying to hurt her?"

Emma sighed. "No. She wasn't trying to hurt her. Henry... do you think maybe we could stop calling Regina the Evil Queen?"

"But she is..."

"She was once yes, but she doesn't act like she does in your book, does she?"

"No..." He stirred his cereal.

"And that book... have you ever asked her side of those stories?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's about heroes and villains right? Do you think she sees herself as evil?"

"Sometimes..." Henry ventured.

Emma paused at that answer, and sighed a bit. "Do you think villains think of themselves that way? You read a lot of comic books."

"No... usually they think they're right."

"And why do you think your mom thinks she's a villain?" Henry seemed thrown by the question, and Emma decided to continue. "I think your Mom has had a lot of bad things happen to her. Some she did to herself, and some she didn't. And I think she has trouble believing she can be good."

"Especially after her mother came to town?"

"Yes... her mother... her mother wanted to destroy the good in your Mom. She'd just started to believe in herself a bit and that was all taken away. I think maybe you and I ... we should try and help her remember that again. But we can't do that if we're calling her evil."

"Even if she levitated grandma?"

Emma paused, "Don't tell your grandparents this... but she might have deserved a little levitation."