The mayor's home is ominously silent as Emma enters, kicking off her shoes, leaving them at her usual place that door. She shuffles into the kitchen, her sock-clad feet soft against the white tiled floor. She rummages through the cabinet, trying to find something fattening and carbo-loaded she can gorge on after her long day, but she's greeted only with minimal organic options.
"Henry!" she calls, her voice echoing throughout the spacious home, but she's only greeted with silence. She frowns, tearing an almond granola bar wrapper open with her teeth, leaving a pile of crumbs across the stark counter as she takes a crunchy bite.
She checks the time on the microwave clock, biting down on her lower lip. It's nearly six. Henry should have been home long ago, and she runs through his schedule in her mind, trying to remember a forgotten practice or a briefly mentioned play date. He's good about letting her know his whereabouts, and until now, Emma has prided herself in being an aware and responsible mother.
Even Regina's absence baffles her. Unless she stayed late at the office, she should have been home nearly an hour ago.
Emma forces herself to push her worry away, curling up on the couch, idly picking up a housekeeping magazine. A few minutes later, she's startled by the front door, swinging on its hinges as the welcome sound of hushed voices and footsteps draw closer.
Emma rises form the couch, tossing the magazine away without a thought. "Where were yo—" She cuts herself off as her eyes fall on Henry, his lip swollen and a sizable bandage on his forehead. "What the hell happened?"
She glares harshly at Regina, quick to blame her, despite how civil and comfortable they have become lately.
"It's fine, Emma," Henry speaks quickly, before Regina edges a word in. "Mom took me out riding today, and I fell. It's nothing, though. I didn't even end up needing stitches."
"You did what?" Emma spits at Regina. She steps toward her injured son, clamping a hand protectively over his shoulder.
"I took him horseback riding," Regina repeats Henry's words, speaking slowly through her pursed lips. "David had begun to teach him when you and Mary Margaret were gone, so I decided to take some time today to further instruct him."
"And look what happened! Are you sure he's okay? Does he have a concussion? What else hurts, Henry?" She darts her eyes down to Henry, her voice gruff and panicked.
"Emma, I'm fine," he assures her. "It was just a little fall. And at the hospit—"
"You took him to this hospital?!" Emma exasperates. "And you didn't think to tell me?"
"Miss Swan, it all happened so quickly, and it ended up being quite mino –"
"How the hell could you take him to the hospital and not even think to call me?" Emma interrupts her, her voice full of anger and betrayal. "I thought we were making progress here, Regina. But apparently I was wrong."
Before Regina can even defend herself, Emma storms off, slamming the back door behind her.
XXX
"Good wine you got here, Madame Mayor," Emma slurs, taking another swig from the open bottle as she lounges across the couch. Her tank hangs off her shoulder, and one of her socks is missing.
Regina, of course, looks as though she just walked out of a Revlon add. She had left for a business dinner before Emma had returned, leaving Emma and Henry alone for the evening. In her anger, she had popped open the most expensive bottle of wine she could find, only intending to get a pleasant buzz in order to sedate her anger, but the pitiful state of her life had gotten the best of her, and three glasses in, she had decided it was more convenient just to drain the bottle.
Regina looks at her with disdain, tossing her trench coat against the arm of the leather chair. "And what if I had been saving that bottle for another occasion, Ms. Swan?"
Emma spits her mouthful back into the top of the bottle, her aim poor as most of it dribbles down her chin. "Here, want it back?"
"Your behavior is deplorable," Regina lets a disgusted cough. She struts across the parlor, closing the gap between her and the couch. Taking the bottle firmly in her grasp, she jerks it from Emma's sweaty palm. "I've had quite enough of it today. And you've had more than enough."
Emma's head spins as she heaves her body from the couch, groping for the bottle that Regina holds just out of her reach. "Fuck you," she whines, staggering to her feet.
Regina steps away, ready to replace the lid, but she's stunned to silence as Emma's hands grab her hips roughly, pushing her up against the nearby wall. "Give it back."
"Miss Swan!" Regina gasps, her breath light and feathery, her heart erratic as Emma's body presses up against her.
"Fuck, please, just gimme it," Emma whines, her breath ricocheting off the heat of Regina's face. "You've taken everything else from me. The least you can do is let me have my damn wine."
"My wine," Regina reminds her, her voice firmer now. "And please, stop it with your endless self-pity. All you do is sit here, wallowing in your pathetic sorrows, like you're the only one who's ever known what it feels like to hurt. You're far from the first person to feel this way, I can assure you Miss Swan."
Emma glares for a moment, before softening slightly, her words suddenly spilling from her. "I'm useless, though," Emma chokes out, swallowing heavily to stop the tears. "How do you think that makes me feel? All I've ever been is a goddamn tool in this whole big scheme. I never got the chance to be loved, to be someone's child, to be someone's mother. All I ever was a fucking pawn, played by Mr. Gold from the very beginning," Emma's voice catches as she finishes, clamping her mouth shut, biting her tongue. She can't cry. She won't cry.
"You honestly think you're the only one he played? Look at me – I know everyone thinks this was my curse, my plan, my destruction, but I was just as much of a tool as you were. He created the curse; he instigated me to enact it. He was there when I was born, Emma. He was the one who chose my name. He was the one who burdened me with the title of queen, long before I knew I was destined to wear it. So don't you dare talk to me like I don't understand," Regina spits out with vengeance, years and years of pent up pain erupting with sudden fervor.
And it is then, in that moment, that Emma finally realizes that she and Regina really aren't that different. Her heart trembles, she bites her lip, loosening her hold on Regina's hips.
And then she kisses her.
A/N: Thanks to youte for the idea of having Regina teach Henry how to ride for this chapter. Also, it's kind of my head canon that Rumplestiltskin was presence for Regina's birth, seeing as it's rumored Cora is the miller's daughter from the original story, just to clarify. Thanks so much for your feedback :]