A/N: Half-way through! Reviews are love. :)


Zephyr -

The windows open early for spring, but even soft, mild breezes fluttering parchment and strands of hair in Regina's eyes can't quite dampen the triumph (the relief) of the unprepared winter almost behind them.

Voices carry from below – a young boy's throat-trapped giggles and the easy murmur of a man she tries to avoid – and she's soon distracted by death pains of a particularly theatrical murder.

She could close the shutters. (But if the wind softens more than just her hair, briefly, if a smile curves in a moment of their company – no-one need ever know.)

Paperweights are useful things.