Note: This is a short story that will not leave my head. So I finally gave in and wrote it down. There will be 4-5 chapters. I wrote in the past and present tense for this story. I tried to catch any grammatical mistakes, but I am sure I missed a few.
Disclaimer: This is not a happy story at first. You will hate Regina. You have been warned.
-Past-
"How are you, dear?" Cooed Maleficent as she poured the Evil Queen a goblet of wine. She passed the goblet to the Queen, who took it without looking at it.
"I'm doing fine." The Evil Queen answered in a bored voice.
"Are you?" Maleficent answered in a way that was not unkind. "If it were me, I'd be simply tortured watching that flake of Snow so happy. Weren't you about the same age when you were to be married? Before she ruined it all...Oh, that's right. Yes, you were." Maleficent said with a smirk.
The Evil Queen glared.
"Yes, it was about the same age you were when Sleeping Beauty got the best of you, my dear Maleficent." The Evil Queen answered in a monotone voice.
Maleficent, not easily baited, replied, "I soldiered on, as you will too. Hopefully."
"Enough games." The Evil Queen snapped. "You know why I'm here. I need my curse back."
"It's not yours anymore," Maleficent said matter of factly. "A deal's a deal, and I traded you my sleeping curse."
"Which failed! Undone by a simple kiss. Now please, return what's mine."
"The dark curse? Really?" Maleficent replied back, placing her goblet of wine down to pet her pet. "You must know that not even its unholy power can bring your loved one back from the dead. Have you considered a pet? They can be quite comforting. Or have you considered finding a new true love? That, my dear, will bring you comfort."
Evil Queen sneered at the idea of another true love. "The only comfort for me is Snow White's suffering."
Maleficent smirked. "Well, it's her wedding night, and I doubt she's suffering right now."
Tired of the conversation, Evil Queen snapped, "I need that curse. I know you keep it hidden in the orb above your staff."
Maleficent sat back in her seat and stopped petting the animal beside her. "Hidden for the good of all, old friend..Whoever created that monstrosity makes the two of us look positively…moral." Maleficent twisted in her seat to look the Evil Queen in the face. "Who did give it to you?"
Evil Queen stood. She walked near the fire. "Where I got it is none of your concern, dear. "She turned and faced Maleficent. "Hand it back."
Maleficent looked at the Evil Queen and shook her head. "Must we do this?"
Evil Queen grinned. "Alas, we must." The Evil Queen looked at the fire, used her magic to control the fire in the fireplace, and aimed it at Maleficent. However, Maleficent knew her friend's tricks, and she was able to deflect them with ease.
Love is a weakness. The Evil Queen thinks as she summoned multiple weapons in the room and aims them at Maleficent's pet unicorn, who happened to make whining noises at that moment.
"No!" Maleficent yelled as she jumped in front of her pet and deflected the Queen's attack again.
While distracted, the Evil Queen then flipped her wrist and caused the chandelier to fall on top of Maleficent and trap her. The Evil Queen, with ease, walked over to Maleficent's staff and took it.
"Love is weakness, Maleficent. I thought you knew that, dear? Love only gets you hurt."
"Love is not a weakness; it is what bested the last curse you tried." Maleficent spat out but changed her voice to something that sounded serious.
"Don't do this. This...curse. There are lines even we shouldn't cross. You don't understand what you'll be giving up." Maleficent said.
The Evil Queen did not respond as she shattered the orb on the staff and took the curse scroll inside. The Evil Queen smiled to herself.
"All power... All magic comes with a price. Enacting it will take a terrible toll. It will leave an emptiness inside you. A void you will never be able to fill. You will never be able to be happy truly. Anytime you are close to happiness, the curse will take it away, or even worse; you'll take it away yourself."
Evil Queen sneered at Maleficent as she walked out and left. "So be it."
-Present Day-
Emma storms past the table where Regins and Henry sit in Granny's Diner. Emma did not even slow down when she passed the table and into the storage room's back area. Emma knows all too well that Regina will pursue after her.
Once in the storage area, Emma turns towards the door and waits. Once Regina enters the storage room, Emma grabs her.
"It's true, isn't it?" Emma yells as she pushes Regina back against the wall. "All the rumors that are flying around town. You and .."
"What are you talking about?"
"It's true, isn't it!" Emma yells again as she pushes her against the wall again. Regina's head hit the wall with a sickening sound.
The guilt, the shame, and the pain came across Regina's face only for a second, and then it was gone. Only anger shows on her face now. Emma lets her grip loosen when she hears the following words from Regina's mouth.
"Yes," Regina bites out. "Yes." Regina hisses a second time when all Emma did was stare at her. "It's all true."
"Why? We were... Why." Emma says, letting her go and taking a step back. She almost said happy, but Emma knew that Regina was never happy, not really.
"We were what? Good?" Regina looks into Emma's eyes and smirks. "Or were you going to say happy?" Regina laughs, and Emma flinches.
"We were never good, and we were never happy. This wasn't a relationship. This was..one side. Fake. Not real." Regina sneers. "You know nothing, Miss Swan."
"You know, one thing that I do know is... I know that I'm nothing like you. You really are evil." Emma said with fire in her eyes. "And you're a coward."
"Miss Swan. You're just a child throwing a tantrum because she did not get what she wanted."
"What I... This was a relationship, Regina. No matter what you say. I was in love." Emma says. "You were in lov-"
"No, this was you trying to play house! With someone who did not want you." Regina sneers back at Emma. "I can't help that you fell for me. I warned you. I warned you from the first time you kissed me that this would not end well. I told you I do not do love, but you kept pushing it on me since you entered this town."
"Of all things you could have done. Why didn't you just talk to me?" Emma yells at her. "Why did you cheat on me, Regina," Emma says as tears form in her eyes.
Regina just smiles. Just like she is the Evil Queen that Henry always goes on about. "Because dear, you meant nothing to me. You were just a bed warmer."
"I can't do this. I can't talk to you." Emma lets go of Regina, steps back, and then turns and bolts from the room.
Regina looks at the door and lets her smirk falls now that no one is watching her.
- six months ago -
"Everyone deserves to feel safe in their own homes. That's why Sidney Glass is my choice for the post of Sheriff. This man has put the needs of Storybrooke above his own for as long as any of us can remember as chief editor of the Storybrooke Daily Mirror. Please welcome your new Sheriff!" Regina said as she went to pin the badge on Sidney.
"Hang on a second," Emma said as she entered the room. The reports turned towards Emma.
Regina, who tried and failed to keep the anger out of her voice, said, "Oh, Miss Swan, this is inappropriate."
With a cocky smile, Emma steps into the office and toward Sidney and Regina. "The only thing not appropriate is this ceremony. She does not have the power to appoint him."
"The town charter clearly states the Mayor shall appoint-" Regina started to say, but Emma cut her off.
"A candidate. You could appoint a candidate. It calls for an election." Emma smiled sweetly at the Mayor, knowing the camera was on them.
"The term 'candidate' is applied loosely." Regina quickly stated back to Emma.
"No, it's not," Emma said, matter of factly. "It requires a vote. And guess what, Madam Mayor? I'm running." Emma steps closer to Regina.
"Fine. So is Sidney." Regina said as she stepped back from Emma and turned toward Sidney.
"I am?" Sidney said before looking at Regina. "I am." He stated more firmly.
"With my full support. I guess we'll learn a little something about the will of the people." Regina said as she turned back to Emma.
"I guess we will," Emma said, turning to leave.
"Miss Swan, a word, please," Regina said as she walked past Emma and the reporters out of her office and down to another empty office.
"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Regina asked as Emma shut the door. "You cannot run for Sheriff."
"Look, Mayor, with all due respect; I can. I am the deputy, and it only makes sense I make Sheriff." Emma said.
"You will not win." Regina stepped closer to Emma as she hissed the word win.
Emma could feel the Mayor's breath on her face.
"Scared?" Emma laughed.
"Of you? Not quite Miss Swan." Regina started. "Why are you doing this? To get close to Henry? I won't allow it. You will never be allowed to be close to him."
"What if I am doing it to get close to you?" Emma said with a cocky smile and raised an eyebrow. "Good Day, Madam Mayor."
The Mayor just stared after Emma, unsure what to make of her words. What game is she playing?
- Present time -
"Mom, what did you do?" Henry yells when he comes through the front door heading to the kitchen, knowing his Mom will be cooking dinner.
"Well, hello to you as well, dear," Regina said as she cut up some vegetables.
"What did you do," he repeated again as he stepped into the kitchen.
"I am not sure I know what you mean."
"Emma is crying, Mom. She told me to go home." Henry says as he puts his bookbag in a chair. "What happened? What did you do."
"Henry, really. Why do you always think it is me that does something." Regina asks as she puts the knife down and looks at her son.
"Because you are the evil Queen. It is always you that does things that make people cry."
"Enough, Henry." Regina snaps at him. This makes Henry's eyes go wide. His Mom has not yelled or scolded him in months, and ever since Emma started spending the night, she has been almost...happy. With that thought, Henry looks at his Mom with wide eyes.
"You were afraid she would break the curse, weren't you? That's why you pushed her away. You can't do this, Mom. She has to break the curse! She has to give everyone their happy ending!"
"I said enough, Henry! There is no curse! You do not know what you're talking about. Now go to your room and get ready for dinner." Regina sneers.
Without saying a word, Henry turns and runs away from the kitchen.