Thank you to all you 28 followers. You guys make my day.

Happy reading!

Chapter 3

Destiny and Taking Chances

.

Regina had had Little Bitty Pretty One stuck in her head for the past half an hour. Emma was more or less levitating things around, even if her skills only allowed her to do so very slowly and only with non fragile objects. It wasn't so much the floating books as much as Emma's obvious glee that was sending flash backs of the Matilda movie. She truly looked like a six year old at that moment.

It made Regina wonder why Emma had been so resistant to her teaching before. The blonde was obviously enjoying herself, just as much as she had the first few times she had taught her. What had blocked her so much during the past year?

The blonde was bent forward, her hands in font of her calling for the book floating her way. Her golden hair was shining at the light of the candles, her lower lip turned red after hours of being bit out of nervousness or excitation.

She looked a little like a seventeen year old Snow. Except maybe that there was a blunt honesty on Emma's expression, something that had been tamed by years of princess training for her mother. How would Emma had turn out to be if the Evil Queen hadn't taken away her childhood?

"Something wrong?" Emma asked, the book finally in her hands.

"No, just... thinking."

Regina reached to grab the volume and found out that it was Henry's fairy-tale book. She sighed heavily.

"What were the odds," she whispered to herself, brushing the cover with her thumb.

"Of it being that book?"

"No, of you being here, Regina answered, suddenly finding herself in a funk. The child of Snow White, learning magic from me."

"Yea, I guess that part wasn't written in any book."

Emma was trying to lighten the mood but Regina just found herself thinking of Robin. She quickly raised her head, wanting to chase the image away as fast as possible.

"What would you say about being part of operation Mongoose?"

Emma looked surprised and smiled at her with curiosity as Regina sat down one of the wooden case.

"Henry...?" the blonde asked, sitting next to her.

"In fact... no. Henry's part of it but it was my idea and I came up with the name."

"What a surprise..."

Emma was smiling crookedly, apparently aware of the mongoose's favorite breakfast.

"So, what is it about?"

"Finding the author of this book. Yes, I didn't think of it either until a couple of weeks ago, but someone must have made this book and enchanted it."

"Yea, I never really though of that," Emma answered, opening the book on Regina's lap to look at the first few pages.

"The location spell didn't work and there is nothing in it indicating who wrote it."

"Rumpelstiltskin? He was the one who created the curse. Maybe the book came with it."

"Unlikely..."

Regina hesitated a little more. She stood up, putting the book on Emma's laps, and walked to her coat. When she came back she felt fear and almost backed away. The blonde was just looking at her with her green honest eyes. Part of the former queen simply really wanted to trust someone again, and not only her son or half-lover. And part of her just wanted to break the holiness of that secret. It was something that belonged only to her and Robin and that bothered her. It made it special, important, and she couldn't have that. The thief was married, she needed to back off. Maybe this would help.

Regina finally gave the paper folded in four to Emma. As the blonde was opening it, she sat down, her hands clasped in fond to her, a little trick her mother had taught her to prevent them from speaking things she didn't want to say.

Emma starred at the picture of her and Robin meeting and then turned her head, looking confused.

"There," Regina said, opening the book at the right page.

"Ok, so in this you turning away from..."

"From that," she completed, pointing at Robin and herself. "It's what could have happened. That's why the page is already in the book."

"I'm... totally lost."

"I never went inside that tavern. Like the book said, I turned away. But yesterday Robin found that page in his bag. It appear out of nowhere right after Snow gave me talk about "hope, puppies and rainbows"."

There was more sarcasm in her voice than she had intended but she was feeling awkward and exposed. Emma didn't seem to notice, looking at the book and the new found page. She stayed silent for a moment before looking up with a strange expression.

"You mean someone, or something, gave you a page of a happy ending you could have had but didn't get?"

Regina nodded.

"That's fucked up! What kind of cray asshole would do that?"

Regina stayed frozen for a second. Then she lips pulled into a smile. She started laughing nervously, bending forward, putting her head in her hands. God, she was exhausted!

"Robin called me like it was some kind of divine sign that I could have a Happy Ending. And for a second I felt that way. But..."

Regina didn't finish that sentence, just looking at Emma who seemed to understand, her face painted with disbelief and disgust.

"Yea. It's fucked up, that's what it is."

The blonde folded the image, putting it on her knee, under the book, like it could make it disappear.

"So... you and Robin..."

Emma was hesitating, apparently unsure if she was allowed to ask. Regina had admitted having no murder wishes towards the blonde but she understood that people where careful around her. The Evil Queen was still lurking down below.

"Yes. And no. He's married and he has no intention of leaving his wife."

"You deserve better, Regina."

That startled her. She did? Emma was looking at her with compassion and pity, not anger or disgust. Regina looked away to try and gather her thoughts.

"Do I? After all the things I did maybe it's just... karma."

"No it's not. You're just... well honestly, you're just making bad decisions."

Again, Regina tough. She stood up, took the book and the new page before walking away.

"Regina," Emma said gently, putting her hand on the brunette's shoulder.

The former queen tensed, not expecting the unusual contact.

"What I meant was, this is in your hands. There is no karma or... destiny. If Robin doesn't work, you just need to keep looking."

"Is there no destiny Miss Swan? What were the odds of me adopting your child? Of Henry finding you only 4 hours away from Storybook? Of his father being Rumpelstiltskin's son? You were prophesied to come back the day of your 28th birthday, and you did."

"Yea well I though of all of that and you know what? I could have lived in India that Henry would have gone after me. Neal being his was father was a coincidence, and it could have been anyone it would not have changed anything. I probably would not have kept any child I had. And Rumpelstiltskin found Henry for you. That was not destiny that was him and him plans. And the book appeared exactly when needed but maybe the author of that prophecy and the one from the book are the same, and that was all planned out. I don't believe in destiny, Regina. I don't want to."

There was a long and comfortable silence, Emma letting her words sink in as Regina just starred at the book cover. The words of the blonde had touched her. She didn't want to believe in destiny but she was loosing hope. Robin had been her ray of light, her way to pretend like all the evil she had done never existed, and of course that had been taken away from her, just like Henry in a way.

"Evil doesn't get a happy ending," she finally said, not looking up.

"Well luckily, you're not evil anymore."

Regina smiled, felling a wave of pain and relief lifting her heart. Emma hadn't said that she had never been evil, she had acknowledged her change. She had seen her at her worst and yet, she truly believed that there was still hope for her.

"Plus, the blonde said," pushing the former queen slightly to access the book. "If you really look at all of these, the author of that is quite a douche bag."

Regina looked a little confused as Emma turned the pages, finding happy ending after happy ending.

"White and straight," she said, showing Cinderella and her prince. "White and straight," this time it was Marian and Robin. "White and straight," Snow White and Charming. "White and straight, even is she's half of a fish."

Regina smiled.

"I had never noticed that. Seems like Happy Endings are racist and homophobic."

"I'm pretty sure there are some black couples out there having a blast, but apparently that wasn't worth putting in here."

"So... We are looking for an asshole, douche bag, racist and homophobic. Did I forget something?"

"Hum... maybe a little bit of a sadist too."

Regina giggled, and it felt strange. When was the last time she had actually laughed? She turned to the pages, looking at Ariel and Eric, not finding them so intimidating and cruel anymore. She smiled to herself, putting her hair back behind her ear. She touched the pages with gentle finger. Maybe it was just that she wasn't meant for the handsome white prince of his golden hair.

When she looked back up, she found Emma starring at her intensely. There blonde wasn't moving and their eyes locked for a moment. Regina felt the blood racing up her cheeks and took a step back, breaking eye contact.

Emma seemed to wake up from her daydream. She brushed her hands on her jeans and looked around, visibly uncomfortable.

"So... What's next?"

"Next is tomorrow. Can you arrive two hours earlier? I thought you would be exhausted after three hours down here but you haven't even started crying."

"Crying?"

"Yes, that happens when you over use your magic. It pulls on your mental and physical energy and after a while you get emotionally exhausted. Generally that means crying."

Regina walked away, putting her coat on and starting the turn off the candles.

"Did Rumpelstiltskin make you cry?"

"Almost every time," Regina answered casually.

She had long past accepted it, and didn't feel any shame in that. It was an exhausting training she had gone through, both physically and emotionally. There was nothing wrong with that.

"The guest room is still yours if you want it. I haven't touched anything and the spell is still working."

They were getting out of the vault. The night had fallen and the air was cold and damp. Emma shivered in her leather jacket, puling her bob out of her pocket. It made her look like a nut in Regina's opinion but she couldn't see herself making comments about fashion choices with the blonde. Not just yet.

"Thanks. I'll take it for tonight. Tomorrow I'll start looking for an apartment. It's way past time I get out of the crowded loft."

Regina held her tongue. Yes it was past time the thirty one year old woman moved out of her parents' place...

"If I find a place, will you put on that spell for me again? So that I don't blow up the all building."

"I will."

Emma smiled brightly and Regina didn't hide hers. Three hours, she thought. Almost three hours without thinking of Robin Hood. Emma was helping.