"What- why are we stopping Regina? It's pouring rain out here. We can see the Inn..."

"Scared of a little rain?" Regina didn't let Emma answer. Pulling the woman to her, their lips meeting.

When they finally separated the rain seemed to be evaporating as it hit their faces. Regina took a hold of Emma's hand. "Okay, now I'm ready."

Emma frowned as they walked towards the Inn's front door, "Ready?"

Regina pushed through the door and all eyes went to them. A voice from by the serving bar spoke, "Regina? Daughter?"

Regina's mouth dropped open, "Father?"

Emma frowned, as a large bear of a man enveloped Regina in a crushing hug, nearly knocking Emma to the ground in his rush. He was quite solid for a man who was supposed to be dead.

"My daughter is home... Regina." He took a step back, his hands still on her shoulders, "A feast, we should have a..."

Regina patted her father's hands, "Father... we'll only be here for the night, then we must go onto the castle."

"We?"

Regina stepped from her father's arms and pulled Emma to her side. "Emma Swan, my father, Henry. Is..." Regina took a breath, "I was expecting mother to be here..." she trailed off, not saying that she hadn't been expecting him to be in her childhood home since she'd been the one to kill him.

Before Henry could answer Regina's spoken question a woman with salt and pepper hair that looked quite like Regina stuck her head out of the door to the kitchen, "Henry. We have customers to serve. Get in here now..."

It seemed that nothing would spoil Henry's good mood, "Ilsabil... Ilsabil... our daughter's home. Regina's home."

Ilsabil gave Regina a look, up and down, then her eyes went back to Henry. "Food Henry. To those who want it."

Henry gave Regina a kiss on the cheek and quickly went back to the kitchen.

Emma frowned and spoke softly to the stunned dark haired woman, "Regina... your father's dead."

"I.. he..." She looked down at her hands, "It was the only way to get the dark curse to work correctly. The heart of someone I... so, I took his heart. Em..."

Emma caught Regina as she nearly fainted, and helped her over to a bench. "We'll figure this out. Just like we figured out Rump, and how to break the curse. 'Kay? Nod for me Regina."

Regina nodded.

"Uh... can I ask the story?"

Regina watched as her father came out of the kitchen with plates of food. Deposited them and went back in. "Ah... my mother and father lived here. It wasn't much of a life, but the forest kept them fed and travelers through the forest kept them busy enough. It was just the two of them. My father thought they were both happy. He was happy. One day he was out looking for deer, or something for the dinner plate. Ah, he came upon an injured bird, a sparrow, who could talk, apparently the sparrow was an enchanted prince. He could have killed the sparrow, but he let him go, and so the sparrow gave my father a wish. But..."

Regina smiled a little as she watched her father exit and enter the kitchen with food and plates again, "...he couldn't think of anything. I guess he had nearly everything he'd ever wanted. He told my mother of his meeting with the sparrow and she told him he should have wished for something. He explained that he couldn't, and she came up with something for him. A stone castle. She didn't like their little inn. She made him go back with his bow and the sparrow granted the wish for my father. But... after they'd lived in the castle awhile she wanted more. To be king... then to be Emperor, then to be Pope." Regina paused, "Every time my father went back and the sparrow granted the wish. Finally my mother demanded that she wanted to be like God."

Regina shook her head, "My father went and asked the sparrow for it. But, instead of granting the wish the sparrow asked my father a question. What he wanted."

Regina had fallen silent. Emma put a hand on Regina's thigh and Regina looked up, "He wished for you? A daughter?"

Regina nodded, "The... the sparrow said that he could do it, but that there would be no more Pope's lodgings, Pope's trappings, that he and mother would live in the inn again. My father agreed to it..."

Emma nodded, "That's why your mother hates you. She carried you for nine months, raised you for years, even though she never wanted children." Regina nodded back, mute. Emma closed the distance, squishing onto the chair next to Regina. "So, you were prepared to face her wrath so that we could have a night in a bed." Emma pulled Regina to her, "Oh Regina..."

"And, hey... your father's here."

Regina stared at Henry as he came through the kitchen door and headed for the two women, "What if it's a trick? And why doesn't he remember me killing him, or the other things I've done, made him do?"

Emma kissed the side of Regina's head, "If he's a clone, or a robot, or a re-animated corpse or whatever," that coaxed a small chuckle from Regina, "then we'll deal with it. 'Til then."

Henry stopped in front of the two women, his hands on his hips, "Well."

Emma frowned, "Well... what?" She looked between Regina and her father.

Henry narrowed his eyes at his daughter, "You know what young lady."

"Uh..."

Henry threw his arms open, "Have you made her an honest woman of her yet?"

Emma cleared her throat and chuckled. Regina was still stunned silent, so Emma answered for the former Queen. "Ah, no, she hasn't, not quite. But... I bet that you're invited when we do."

Henry started to say something, but was cut off when Ilsabil threw down two plates. "You'll want a room of course. Last room on the right on the second floor if that's good enough for you."

Ilsabil glanced at Emma, "I could have been.. a queen.. or more if it wasn't for this... woman. So, don't let her hold you back girl."

Ilsabil stomped back towards the kitchen. Henry winced. "I'm sorry. Regina, Emma..." and went after his wife.

Emma moved the food around on her plate and leaned towards Regina, whispering, "Ya think it's poisoned?"

Regina looked over, surprised, and then a small smile came to her lips, mirroring the one on Emma's. "Sorry about that. Somehow she's- Even though my father tried his best with me... I guess my track record means that I got more of her than him in me."

"Family is family because we don't get to choose it. Would you choose Snow?" Regina made a face and Emma brushed Regina's still wet hair out of her eyes. "And, I think that you have just enough of each of them. Do you- do you want to stay here with him until I get back with Maine the dog?"

"No... no..." She stood and pulled Emma up as well. "Let's skip the food, and... see how many beds are in the room my mother gave us." Emma chuckled, "Anyway, my father- at least, he used to- makes the breakfast."

A/N: The story that I used for Regina's backstory wasn't my own. It's based on 'The Fisherman and His Wife' by the Brothers Grimm. If you do a Google (or your preferred search engine) search for it you'll find it (I put Grimm in the search as well). Pitt has it, as well as other places. I did change stuff in it (fisherman to guy out hunting, enchanted fish prince to an enchanted sparrow prince, no pigsty instead an inn... you get the idea). Anyway, it's a good read, actually, All of the Grimms tales are. :)