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.

Monday came, and as Regina had promised she didn't need a key, Emma woke up to the smell of cooking and threw on a pair of jeans and a Boston Red Sox sweatshirt mostly because despite the fact that she'd invited the Evil Queen into her home at 7AM, she really wasn't up for wearing a bra this early.

"Good morning, Regina. I see you found the contents of my refrigerator wanting," Emma chuckled as she slipped past Regina in order to get milk for her coffee. There were two large grocery bags on the counter and a half dozen or so Tupperware containers in her fridge each carefully labeled in the mayor's swoopy handwriting.

"You eat horribly. It wasn't hard to figure out that I would. There are some premade meals in there for Henry so you don't have to serve him cereal for dinner anymore."

"I haven't..." Emma tried to deny it but remembered there were still bowls from the previous night in the sink. "Yeah, thanks." She mumbled and let her get on to cooking. "How'd you get in."

"Magic."

"That's disturbing."

"Would you rather I pretend I can't?"

"Sometimes."

Henry came out of his room before too much more of an argument might be had, glancing between them, "Mom... why are you here?"

The wariness in his voice momentarily seemed to break the older woman, and Emma stepped in. "I thought you two would like it if she came over and cooked breakfast for you on school mornings and took you to school."

He looked at Emma, as if trying to decide if that was really the case, but seemed satisfied with the answer. Or at least hungry. "Omelets? With peppers and mushrooms?"

His excited question was answered by a radiant smile from Regina that Emma wondered why she didn't show off more often, rather than the perfect yet disturbing politician's one. "We can't all eat warmed over cardboard and sugar and call it a meal."

Emma looked over offended as she was about to put a pop tart in the toaster oven for herself. "I'm a growing girl."

"Do let me know when you grow up." Regina smiled.

She slid the omelet onto a plate next to a small pile of potatoes and a sausage before sliding it across the kitchen bar to where Henry was sitting. Emma felt a bit guilty seeing him dive in like a starving man, and sheepishly took a bite from her pop tart.

"Would you like some coffee?"

"Do you actually know how to make that?"

"I am, despite appearances an actual functioning adult human being." Emma paused. "And it's not that hard."

"In that case, yes. I do believe you tortured how I take it out of my secretary?"

"She held out for a long time under extreme duress." Emma noticed that Henry was watching them both like a hawk. Probably to make sure they'd behave. The fact that he had to worry about that made her feel guilty.

That was as much her fault as Regina's.

"Did your mother land safely?"

"I think you know she did, or else we wouldn't be having a pleasant conversation."

"Her feathered friends likely enjoyed the company," Regina took the coffee mug and leaned against the counter. She was already in full mayoral attire and Emma wondered how she managed to make that button look simultaneously like it was about to pop but still stay stubbornly buttoned. And then she flicked her eyes up when she realized that she was looking entirely too long at the mayor's chest.

Perhaps Regina hadn't noticed.

Who was she kidding. Of course she had. "What's with the bird thing and Mary Margaret?"

"All royalty can talk to birds, but your mother takes it to a new level."

"Wait... what?"

"Does that mean I can talk to birds?" Henry asked.

Regina smiled, "Of course it does my little Prince. It might take a little work here because the birds in the Enchanted Forest are more used to it."

Emma blinked. "You can talk to birds. I thought it was a ... you know... princess-y good guy thing."

"I am a Queen," Regina said as if it was obvious, "And my father was a prince. I was born a princess."

That particular piece of information was new to both of them and Emma raised an eyebrow.

"Talking to birds is overrated. Do you know how much they poop in your hands?"

"It's not really a piece of information I am familiar with, no..."

"I always try to wash my hands after shaking hands with your mother."

"I thought that was because you wanted to wash the goodness off."

"That too. Though you know that you can also talk to birds." The mayor leaned against the counter with her coffee mug in hand. Regina said the second as she already knew what Emma's reaction would be and was deeply amused.

Emma shook her head, "Nope, not gonna, can't make me."

"You make a terrible Princess, Emma."

"Good."

Regina left with Henry after making sure that he brushed his teeth for about three times longer than Emma did, and she was left cleaning the dishes from the morning (and the night before) when there was a soft knock on the door.

She rather guessed who it was.

"Come in, Mary Margaret."

"Good morning..."

"You saw her leaving I take it?"

"I saw her car parked outside and given she wasn't sitting in it watching I guessed she was inside. Why?"

"Because she was cooking her son breakfast before school."

Emma had actually been prepared for this argument.

"You invited her?"

"Yes, I invited her. It seemed like a reasonable step towards normalcy."

"Into your home?"

"It's not like she needs a key."

That actually made Mary Margaret shiver and Emma regretted saying it. Your mortal enemy doesn't need a key isn't exactly a comforting thought. She remembered the bar they'd installed on the loft door after the discovery of Regina's skeleton keys. Her mother still used it despite knowing it wasn't a barrier to Regina.

"Do you think it's wise?"

Emma set a mug of coffee in front of Mary Margaret.

"I think Regina and I have to deal with each other at least until Henry is an adult and it's best if we can do it on a civil basis." She hoped that would shut down the argument. Eventually her mother would have to accept that Regina had a right to be in Henry's life. "Hey... did you know Regina can talk to birds?"

"Of course she can, she's royalty." It was said with all the obviousness of pointing out that the sky was blue.

"It just... doesn't seem like her thing."

"I'm rather surprised they speak to her. When we were fighting she had entirely too much information on my location at times. I was sure that she was getting it from woodland creatures, but they'd have never told it to her willingly."

"You are accusing her of ... what... torturing small animals?"

Mary Margaret stared at her as if this was obvious, "Yes."

"Alright..."

Her mother smiled. "I guess it's just one of those things you have to grow up with."

"I guess... hey... can I ask you a question? She said something this morning, about her father having been a Prince... I guess I just always assumed she was some sort of commoner whose mother had managed to get your father to marry."

Snow shook her head, "No, Regina was never a commoner. But she wasn't always a princess. Her family lost its kingdom. Her grandfather liked fighting naval battles quite a bit beyond his skill level and Cora and Henry were exiled when she was five."

Emma frowned.

"What?" Mary Margaret tilted her head to the side.

"I was just thinking about what it must have been like. To be uprooted from your home at that age." It was traumatic for Emma every time she moved, and she wasn't a princess whose family had lost a war.

"You are still trying to understand her."

"Like I said, we'll be in each other's lives for a long time to come."

Her mother nodded. "When I was on the run from her, I used to go over in my head every interaction we'd had. Trying to figure out if there was some clue I should have had... something I should have done differently." Snow paused. "Besides telling her mother about Daniel."

"And...?"

Snow smiled a little. "I wasn't the most empathetic child. And Regina was in a lot of pain when we were living together. I think she probably still is."

She played with her cup and Emma watched her.

"You still love her." It wasn't even a thought that had ever occurred to her before. Snow White hated the Evil Queen. That seemed like a given one could at least accept from the stories.

Mary Margaret chuckled, "It would be so much easier if I didn't."

Somewhere in the back of Emma's mind she shut down a similar thought before it could even be formed.