Regina had been sitting in jail for a week, and Emma felt like she was being punished. Henry wanted to know why she was keeping her (mostly because no one wanted to tell him how badly she'd hurt Leroy) and she didn't want to speak ill of his mother to him. But what was even stranger was how mad Mary Margaret was at her over it. She knew her mother could be imperious, but it really was the first time she'd seen Princess Snow in all her glory. She'd at least had the tact not to mention that she looked like Regina when she was indignant at not having her orders followed.

The one person who didn't seem all that bothered was Regina.

She'd asked for paperwork and spent her time in the small Storybrooke jail cell doing town business as if it was her temporary office while hers was redecorated.

Emma passed her lunch to her through the bars, a salad and grilled salmon from Granny's.

"Are we done throwing a fit yet, Miss. Swan?"

"Excuse me?"

"Are you ready to let me go?"

"You nearly killed a man."

"And your mother so kindly arranged for him not to press charges."

"Regina... you went full on evil sorceress in the middle of main street!"

"Yes."

"I have no idea how or why Mary Margaret got him not to press charges, but you nearly killed a man."

"Yes."

"Can't you feel a little bit sorry like, you know, a human being?"

Emma was exasperated. Mostly because she had started to think she understood this woman. Maybe even liked her. Maybe even felt something... else. And then she had to go ruin it...

"Because I'm not?"

"Sorry or a human being?"

"Both?" She asked casually, opening the bag and starting to take out the containers.

Emma slumped down in a chair at one of the desks facing the cell.

"You are."

"Sorry, or a human being?" Regina asked amused, "because I can assure you I'm not the least bit sorry."

"A human being. You are a good mother, you adore Henry, you are even sitting in that jail cell entirely because you want to show him there are consequences for actions and to set a good example." That had been part of the argument Mary Margaret had used. That the cell didn't hold Regina, she was just choosing not to leave it. "Which by the way, implies you know what a good example is and it's not choking a man to death in the street because he annoyed you."

"Dwarf."

"That doesn't make a difference."

Emma was actually losing her temper, made only worse by the fact that Regina seemed deeply amused by it. "I was teaching him a lesson. A well overdue lesson."

"Regina you aren't a thug."

"No, I'm a queen, and a powerful sorceress. And I'm not going to have the people in this town think I'm going to take their abuse."

"It's not your kingdom. You don't have the right to teach that kind of lesson."

"Really Princess? And you have the right to hold people when there are no charges against them?"

"Don't call me that."

"But isn't that how you have the right to hold me?" Regina put aside the budget figures she had been reviewing. "Or is this because you are still mad about me sleeping with you."

"You pointed out once we didn't sleep much."

Regina smirked.

"Do you imagine that it gives you power over me?"

Regina smiled and stood from the cot and walked up to the bars, as if Emma were the one in the cell and not her. "If I remember correctly, you certain liked to call out my name. And you did ask to be punished once. In front of the entire town."

Emma balled her fist. Alarm bells were going off in the back of her mind. Regina was baiting her.

"Why do you have to be such a colossal bitch, Regina?"

"Because you need to stop trying to get into my head."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want you there. I don't want your pity anymore than I want Snow's. I don't want you to sit there and think, 'poor Regina, what a hard life she's had, look how weak she is.'"

Emma blinked. "Weak? You are afraid of looking weak?"

"I'm not weak."

Emma actually laughed. "No, you are crazy, and sometimes delusional, but that's one word I'd never use to describe you."

"Even after I fell back in with my mother?"

Emma tilted her head to the side. "Projection."

"What?"

"You're projecting on me what you think yourself. You are judging yourself for what you did out there in the street. Know you over reacted, Your Majesty?" Regina stood at the bars, stony faced. "Mad at yourself for falling for your mother's tricks again?"

"What would you know about mothers?"

"You tried that card on Mary Margaret. Works better coming from a stepmother to her stepdaughter I think."

"I was not her mother."

"No. Your monster of a mother murdered hers."

"And your monster of a mother murdered mine."

"Projecting."

"You want me to be something I'm not Emma. You want me to be Regina Mills, small town politician with delusions of power you can mock. A lover whose secrets you can tease out of her after sex. I'm not that. I am far worse than that. I'm a monster. And I've killed. And I'll kill again."

"And you are standing in that cell because you want your son to learn better values than you did. It seems to me that you are punishing yourself for what you did as much as I am." Emma smirked. "And I think that might actually be remorse."

The queen stood erect. "It is not."

"Of course it's not."

She took the jail cell key out of her desk drawer and walked over and unlocked it. "You are free to go, Madam Mayor. Please do try not to nearly kill someone next time you need to prove to yourself that you are in control of your life."

Regina was almost growling as she picked up her overcoat and headed towards he exit.

"Regina?"

"What?"

"I'm not going to stop trying to find out who you are under all that anger."

"Miss. Swan, the anger is all there is."

Emma just shook her head. "If you are quick you can probably get to the bench before he gets out of school. I'll see you Monday morning for breakfast."