Troubles in paradise

" Regina! Why didn't you tell me before?!"
" I just forgot to do it, dear. So many things happened and I..."
" No, you don't understand! Have you an idea of how much I missed him? I thought that he was dead! I need to see him!"
" Did you really think that I would have killed him?"
" No, but, for crying out loud, it's been forty years! For how strong he could be..."
" He is, dear. He's fine, I can assure you."
Shaya sighed, leaning against the back of the chair, crossing her arms and shaking her head. " You... you should have told me." she said, feeling a slight resentment contract her muscles. She angrily stared at the table, not willing to look at the brunette until the rage would go away. She didn't want to be enraged with her, it was just a waste of precious time spent together, but this thing...She had never felt that way towards Regina since the utter day she had threw her to Neverland.
Regina's hand entered in her field of view, gently touching her arm. " I'm sorry, Shaya."
The warrior looked away, swallowing. It was hard not to look at her when she had that sorry tone, it was hard not to jump on the other side of the table and just hug her, actually. " Stop calling me that way. My name's Rapunzel, and..."
" If your name's Rapunzel, then mine is Evil Queen."
Shaya gazed at her, ready to object, but her tiny smile stopped her. She closed her mouth, then glanced down.
" I know that you're sorry. I'm just... irritated. I thought that you knew how important is a steed for his rider." she said, locking gaze again with Regina. The pain she saw in her eyes made her immediately regret her words. The former Queen gave a gentle squeeze at her arm before leaning back against the seat-back.
" For irritated you mean disappointed, don't you?"
Shaya opened her mouth to protest, but Regina was faster speaking.
" No, you're right. And it's about time that you notice my flaws, isn't it?"
" Regina, I didn't mean..."
" Shaya, it's all right! I... Just... I know how much one can love their horse. I just didn't think that you cared so much about yours. I thought that warriors didn't care about them, as you bring them in battle. But I didn't consider that it was your horse, and not anyone's."
Shaya sighed again, terribly sorry for having got angry. That argument was somehow painful for Regina, and she surely didn't want to see her suffer again. She leaned on the table, reaching for Regina's hands.
" Rocinante isn't here, right?" she asked in a murmur, afraid of the answer. Regina's eyes filled with tears while she nodded once.
" Right." she answered.
Shaya closed her eyes, bowing her head. " I'm an idiot." she grumbled, wishing to disappear. Unfortunately she didn't know that spell.
" No!" Regina said with a sort of laugh, making Shaya gaze back at her. " I am." she added with a sad smile, still holding back the tears, totally confusing Shaya. There was something she didn't know, and it made her go crazy. She had always known everything about Regina. It had to be something that had happened after the execution of her sentence.
" Regina..."
" Guys, you remember that we're here, do you?"
Emma's voice startled the warrior. She turned to look at the Savior and her son, together with Regina. The warrior gave a bright smile at them. " Sure!" she said, making Henry laugh hard. She frowned. " What? Why are you laughing?"
Henry aimed a finger at her while laughing. " You're lying!"
Shaya alternated her gaze between him and Emma, who had an excessively satisfied smile on her face. She was looking at Regina, who was staring back at her, her left eyebrow arched.
" See? My genes are always visible." Emma said, making Regina stifle a laughter.
Red rushed in the diner in that moment after having screeched to a halt her car in front of the entrance. The werewolf headed to the counter giving them a glance. " Sorry, I made as fast as I could. " she said to Granny, who simply nodded handing her the red and white apron. As she put it on she went to their table, taking their empty dishes.
" Hey, are you okay guys?" she asked while blowing away from her face a disobedient lock of dark hair. She was mostly giving worried glances towards Regina, who looked pretty surprised by it.
" Yes." the brunette hesitantly answered.
" Yep." Emma said while eating the last fried potato before that Red could take her plate.
Shaya just nodded once at her. " How are you?" she asked, slightly narrowing her eyes while she concentrated in order to notice any sign of lie. Because she would have lied, she knew it.
" Fine!" she enthusiastically said, smiling brightly. There it was. The nervousness was more than justified, but there was no reason to lie to them.
" Red."
" Mh?"
" It was more like a rhetoric question."
" Oh."
Shaya smiled at her. " It's fine, cub. I know how it feels."
Red hesitated a second, then sighed, frowned. " You know how it feels when your friends, the people you shared your whole life with, risk their life to protect you from a stupid man and his stupider brothers who only want to fuck you?" she blurted out, but under her voice. Hers was a perfectly controlled anger, as it had to be.
Shaya pursued her lips, stopping Regina immediate reaction quickly crossing her fingers with hers.
" We were fighting for you and for ourselves. You're forgetting the larger part of our enemies, the Lost Boys..."
" I'm forgetting none of the lives I took, Rapunzel." she whispered, her nostrils and pupils dilated.
Shaya had to bow her head. " Pardon me, it wasn't my intention to offend you. But, friend, you have to realize that what we did was necessary, and it's not your fault if..."
" You're telling me that you'd have forgiven me if she'd died?" Red interrupted her, her voice louder than before, but still calm, as her gaze. Shaya had to swallow back the pain. She couldn't even think about it. The warrior involuntarily glanced at the former Queen, who was staring at the waitress.
" Miss Lucas..."
Ruby went on, unwisely ignoring the warning murmur of the former Queen. " Because it wouldn't have been my fault, uh? We'd be friend, all as before, all fine?"
" Red..." Shaya begged her with her eyes. She would have never answered to her until Regina was listening, so it was just an unnecessary painful argument to speak about.
" What? If Steven..."
" Miss Lucas!" Regina repeated raising her voice. Shaya looked at her. There was danger in her eyes, and Red had to notice it too, because she silenced and stared back at the brunette. " I am here, I would be grateful if you'd be so respectful to speak directly to me." Regina tightly continued, her stare firm on the werewolf. " But, more than this, I'd like you to stop talking about the battle I so hardly tried to keep my son away of. He's already suffered enough because of me, don't you agree?"
" Mom..."
" And so Shaya did. "
" Regina..."
" And Emma, too. So, if you don't mind, I'd like to just sit here, and have lunch with my troubled family in peace, without your awkward and unnecessary reminder that today we could have lost one another. Because we didn't. We won, and we must enjoy our more than well-deserved rest."
Red was open-mouthed, as any of them actually, but Shaya was even sniggering. Why was Regina so beautiful when she had that authoritarian behavior?
The brunette confusedly looked at her. Shaya just shook her head, gazing at Red.
" Forgive yourself, Cub. And remember that we were just defending."
The girl's eyes wetted. She glanced down before basically run away towards the kitchen.
Shaya loudly sighed, glancing at Regina before gazing at Emma.
" It appears that we won't have that dessert you were talking about." she said with disappoint, making Emma and Henry stifle a laughter. The blonde stood up.
" Gotta save the day." she said winking at Henry before walking towards the counter.
Regina rubbed her son's shoulder. " Hey, are you okay?" she asked, sweetness and worry in her dark eyes. Shaya had to look away, or she'd have jumped beyond the table to kiss her. She was simply adorable with that motherly gaze in her eyes.
" I'm fine, mom, don't worry." the child answered " But one thing." he added after thinking a bit about it, totally looking like her when she was thinking.
Regina frowned. " What is it, sweetie?"
" It's just that..." he hesitated, slightly blushing. " Are you okay? Because I can't get it. " he finally said, narrowing his eyes.
Regina, after a moment of surprised hesitation, pressed her lips together in a smile, her eyes wetted, and caressed his cheek. " I've never been better."
" Watch out guys, I've got four fat ice creams and I really don't know how I could carry them till here without pouring them over..." Emma announced, carefully placing on the table the four glass bowls.
Shaya took hers, analyzing its unknown contents. The color wasn't particularly inviting, yet the flavor was mouth-watering.
" Why is it brown? " Shaya asked, skeptic.
Regina shook her head smiling. " It's just chocolate, dear. All types of it. A caloric bomb, in other words..." she added, mysteriously glaring at Emma. The Savior grimaced at her.
" We need energy." she said like if it was some kind of justification to something.
" What's a "caloric bomb"? Should I be worried?" Shaya asked, really confused.
Emma stifled a laughter.
" Only if you're afraid of getting fat." she answered half laughing.
Shaya gazed at the mountain of ice cream before her. " Fat?"
" Or diabetic." Regina scoldingly said towards Henry, who had already almost emptied the bowl. The boy brightly smiled at her.
" I feel very ignorant..." Shaya murmured, looking again at the ice cream. " Must read a book." she added in a sigh, making Regina softly laugh.
" So the great warrior is afraid of an ice cream?" Emma picked at her lifting her brows.
Shaya looked at her. " I'm not afraid, I'm suspicious. As any royal before any food."
Emma frowned. " What do you mean?"
" Well, poisoning is always a real danger for a royal, especially in young age. So, in my kingdom, we used to have a taster since we were children, and we would never complain, because the stories they told us about poisoned princes and princesses were enough convincing to wait a bit before eating. It's not a thing that goes away with time, trust me. It was quite scary."
" Goddammit, it's traumatizing!" Emma exclaimed, taking a great spoon of ice cream then and managing to eat it all in a once.
" I guess..." Shaya commented, taking the spoon and distractingly taking a little of whipped cream with it.
" But it was necessary, Emma. Better have a scared son than not having one at all."
Regina said the last sentence almost in a distracted murmur, as if she was thinking about something else while talking. Shaya raised her eyes on her, seeing that she was looking at Henry with a guilty face. Fortunately, the boy smiled at her.
" Sounds right." he said, gaining a tiny smile from his adoptive mother and a huge one from his natural one.
The warrior smiled in turn, finally taking a bit of the soft, brown food and tasting it. She googled in surprise, looking astonishingly at the bowl.
" Whoa! This thing is really good! And damn cold, but good!" she exclaimed. Everyone laughed at the table but her, who began eating the ice cream as if it was the only food she was eating in months.

Emma tried not laugh at Rapunzel's attack at the ice cream. It was ended in a few minutes.
" You'll get a bellyache." she said to the warrior, who shrugged.
" Been through worse."
A sudden rumor made Emma look at the entrance of the diner. It took her a second to recognize Sean's father and the District Attorney entering the diner. A few people were standing outside Granny's. The two men stopped three steps after the door.
Regina stood up, imitated by Rapunzel, and the silence fell in the diner.
" George." Regina tightly said, assuming her mayoral, mh, regal posture. Things weren't turning good for George, aka Albert Spencer, aka her... grandfather? Emma hadn't realized it until that moment. If the book was right, that turd head was her grandpa. Troubled family, didn't Regina just say it?
" Regina." he quietly answered. " I'm happy to see that you all are alive after the battle."
" Surely not because of your help." the former Mayor answered, clenching her jaws.
George gave a smirk. " We're here only to thank you. I'm more than sure that without your guide we would have lost the battle."
Regina quietly snickered. " There's no "we", George, but the one concerning you and your brave friend."
George made a visible effort not to yell something surely insulting. His face reddened, his nostrils dilated while he clenched his fist next to his hips, but the he took a couple of breaths and returned nearly calm, trying a smirk even.
" I'm still a King, Regina, you owe me respect..."
Regina snorted. " A King that leaves his people in the claws of the three most dangerous werewolves of all times, a King that sends his son in battle alone, a King that hides himself in his pathetic house while his people fight for their lives, guided by another ruler... Well, my dear, I'm sorry to inform you that such a King wears a crown made of rope, and soon that rope will drop and fasten around his neck."
" He's my son no more." the man growled, gritting his teeth. " He's just a monster now."
Regina frowned. " Are you telling me that you renounce to give him your inheritance?" she asked, slightly tilting her head to the right.
" This is none of your concern!"
" Oh, it is, actually. You see, Snow White is my foster-daughter..."
" You banished her!"
Regina shrugged, smirking. " I retire the banishment and the offer of a reward."
" You can't do it!"
" I can." the brunette steadily said, serious now. " I am the Queen, and this is my kingdom."
" We'll see about that." George said with a sneer. Emma sighed, already looking at Rapunzel. She knew what would have happened. The warrior moved indeed, placing herself in front of the man, making him step back. Her hand was carelessly leaning on her sword.
" Would you please repeat, man?" she asked, a dark light in her eyes. Emma swallowed, grabbed Henry and moved him behind her.
" Momma..."
" It's all right kid. Just taking some precautions."
" No." he insisted pulling her jacket to catch her attention. Emma looked at him. " You can stop this. You're a princess, and the Savior. They'll listen to you."
Emma frowned, skeptically glancing at her grandfather.
" I don't know, kid. According to your book, he's an ass."
Henry shrugged. " You could try."
Emma sighed, turning to look at King George. He was facing Rapunzel. Jerk. Emma really didn't want Henry to witness a murder. She gathered her courage and stepped forward.
" Heard we're related." she began, catching his attention. She forced herself to smile at him, who gave a growling sigh. Rapunzel just gave her an annoyed glance.
" We'd better be. I mean, for you. Being the Savior's grandfather should be a good thing, don't you think?"
George had to nod once. " It should, if the so called Savior wasn't so weak."
Emma swallowed back her anger. " Well, I fought, at least."
George gritted his teeth." I wouldn't risk my life for a handful of peasants!"
" Enough." Rapunzel growled, unsheathing her sword. Emma stopped her by grabbing her arm.
" No!"
" Hey, no killings in my diner!" Granny shouted from behind the counter.
" No killings anywhere!" Emma said glaring at George. " Or I'll arrest you."
" Me?! She was about to kill me and you arrest emme/em?"
Emma shrugged. " You bugged her. And you gave Regina a death-threat. It's enough to press charge."
George huffed form his nose, slightly resembling to a dragon. His face was so red that he could be breathing fire, after all.
" Your office it's a lie! All of this is a lie! You're just a princess, you can't give me orders! I am the King!"
Emma sighed. That jerk was really beginning to get on her nerves. " Just a princess? King? There's no kingdom here! We're in Storybrooke, and even if we weren't, I suppose that this is Regina's territory, and so my mother's, not yours. You have no right here, seen that you have just renounced to be related with us. Now get your ass out of here or so help me I'll kick you out that door myself!"
George was about to explode, Emma was sure. " We'll meet again, Savior..." he said in a whisper, leaning forward, his eyes burning with hate. " Maybe in my kingdom, and maybe I'll have my sword in my hand, and then we'll see who's the real ruler of this people."
Emma glared at him. " Who the people want." she said, disgusted. She might have born in Fairy Tale Land, she might be the Savior, and a Princess, but she fucking hated that way of thinking.
He smirked. " We'll see about that." he said before glaring at Regina and turning to leave.
" Let me kill him." Emma heard Rapunzel whisper in Regina's ear while George and Mitchell were about to exit the diner.
" Don't worry, dear. " Regina answered. Emma turned to look at her, finding out that the brunette was staring at her with an amused smile on her face, and hidden admiration in her eyes. The door shut behind Emma. " He's already digging his own grave."

" How could you do it!? I trusted you!"
" Belle..."
" No! No "Belle"! You tricked me!"
" No, I just..."
" You what? You wanted to protect me? I could handle it, Rumple! I faced the Yaoguai, have you forgotten it? I'm not an unwary girl, i don't only read books, I can fight, too! Ruby's my friend!"
" And you're my woman!" Rumple bursted out. Belle muted, catching her breath. He leaned forward. " I love you, Belle..."
" If you loved me..." she said behind her tears, struggling to keep her voice firm. " ...you'd have let me go."
Belle watched him crumble, trying hard not to fall into pieces in turn. She had feared that moment all the time, the moment when he would have totally turn into the Dark One. She had thought that she could save him. How silly she had been. She wasn't enough, she would have never been enough. If Baelfire, his own son, hadn't been worth renouncing to power, how could she have been so presumptuous to think that she was it?
" I did wrong." he murmured, crying. Belle had to swallow back the giant knot of pain that was choking her. " I'm sorry, Belle, please... I'm so sorry..." he fell on his knees, making her step back.
" Stand up..."
" No!" he shook his head. " I was just afraid! I can't lose you... Please... I'm a coward, I know... I'm sorry..."
She couldn't stand it. Seeing him plead her... it killed her. She still loved him, she would always love him.
" Rumple..." she began, but then the words stopped in the middle of her throat. He gazed up at her, his weepy eyes full of hope. How could she harm him now? And yet... " Rumple, I... I can't let you do this to me. I love you, but I must love myself too. I know what you did while the others were fighting..."
He gave a start. " It's true that I couldn't fight against the three brothers!"
" But you could against Peter Pan!" she objected, and his glancing down was the only answer she needed.
" I had to do it, Belle. It was my only chance to revenge Bae..." he whispered without looking at her.
Belle sighed. " That is exactly my point. You sedated me to keep me safe, yes, but even to be free to go there and kill her, I don't even want to know how. You could stay here with me, at least. You could lock us in and stay here with me, it would have been better. "
" I didn't want you to be anxious about..."
" About my friends probably dying out there? They have husbands and boyfriends too, girlfriends, and parents, you know? And what about Shaya? I thought you cared about her, at least..."
" I do!"
" And you let her alone? You knew that she'd do anything to protect Regina! You said that she died in Neverland because there was Regina there!"
" I knew that she wouldn't do the same mistake again, and she's the greatest warrior, Belle, trust me..."
" Sure, but a little of help from the Dark One never wastes during a battle, don't you think?"
Rumple couldn't reply. He just kept staring at her with that begging gaze. Belle sighed.
" Stand up, Rumple. Please..." she murmured. She couldn't stand it anymore. The Dark One slowly stood up, never stopping to look at her.
" I love you, Belle." he whispered " I'll do anything you want, I promise, just..."
" No." she said in a whisper, holding back the tears. " I... I can't trust you anymore..."
" I'll never use magic again! I swear it, Belle, I swear it on my life!" he said in haste, grabbing her arms, crying. " Please, Belle, give me another chance... I can't lose you..."
The librarian looked in the eyes of the man she loved, loosing herself in the desperation that harbored in them. Was he telling the truth? Would he really give up magic to stay with her? Belle choose to believe him.
She gave a tiny, tensed smile. " Okay."

Mary Margaret entered the diner, pretty sure to find her daughter there. Her fridge was probably empty, Emma had had to get out of home to eat something. What Mary Margaret didn't know was that her daughter was sitting on a table with Henry, Regina and Rapunzel, blushing at something that they had said. She glanced at David, who was closing the door behind them before walking next to her.
Emma saw them right when Snow turned back to look at her.
" Mom! Dad!" she exclaimed, managing to knock over her chair and to bump the table at the same time as she stood up. She somehow grabbed hold of the chair before it hit the floor, then walked fast towards them. " What are you doing here? Hey, how are you?" she asked, first to both of them, then towards her father only, with an embarrassed smile.
David smiled at her. " I'm fine, don't worry. " Henry, in the meantime had leapt up and run to him, hugging him tight. " Hey, Henry, all fine boy?"
He repeatedly nodded against his belly, making him chuckle. David locked gaze with Emma again. " We just didn't want to eat the thirty years old sandwiches in the hospital's dispenser for lunch, and we thought you could be here too, so we came." he said shrugging.
" Ah, well, we..." Emma looked behind her shoulder. After a moment of silence, Regina stood up, and Emma looked back at them with the same embarrassed smile she had before. " ...we've already lunched..."
Snow forced herself to smile at her. " Oh, don't worry, I know we're late! We just wanted to see if you're okay." she said, involuntarily glaring at Regina, who was putting on her jacket.
" Don't mind me, dear, I'm going. " she said with a smirk, tidying her hair with few, expert moves.
" Will you become a werewolf?" Henry asked to David, making him frown. The falsely casual silence in the diner made him blush.
" Uhm, dunno Henry. We'll see. " he answered, trying to smirk at the boy. Snow secretly rubbed David's back, gaining a grateful glance.
Regina passed behind Emma, letting her hand slide on the Savior's back, startling her and lightening an uncontrolled anger in Snow White.
" We shall see you later, Emma. Remember to take the toothbrush. Here's the key. " she said with a sneer and a glance at the furious stepdaughter, handing a single key to Emma. Snow clenched her fists. What was Regina trying to do? She glanced at Rapunzel, standing behind Regina, waiting. She looked a bit tensed. The warrior suddenly looked at her while Regina was listening to Henry, who was proposing to stay with them at the diner with the promise of not eating another ice cream.
" We have to talk." Rapunzel said in such a serious way that she frightened her. Mary Margaret swallowed, hesitantly nodding.
" Okay."
The warrior nodded once, somehow elegantly, so that it looked like a curtsey. It always blew her mind how delicately that lethal body could move.
" Tomorrow?" Rapunzel asked, slightly smiling at Snow's agreement. She then delicately bumped her fist with Henry's and Emma's and followed the former queen out of the diner.
David mockingly gazed at her daughter. " What's the fist thing?"
Emma shrugged. " Henry said that we're a team, and so we must have a special greeting or something, and he came out with this thing..." she shrugged again.
Mary Margaret couldn't contain a scolding glare. " You're sleeping at Regina's tonight?" she roughy asked, crossing her arms.
Emma frowned. " Y-yes... thought you two needed some... privacy..." she hesitantly answered, slightly blushing.
David's arm rounded Snow's waist, pulling her closer to him. His warmth calmed her a little.
Her husband leaned forward while talking to their daughter. " Emma, you are not a guest. That is our house, and with our I mean yours, too. You don't have to sleep at Regina's just because you think that..."
" I sleep at Regina's because Henry asked me to. " Emma stopped him. " And you two really need some time together. End of the story. Nothing wrong, nothing to feel guilty about."
Snow sighed. " It's not about guilt. We're just worried for you."
Emma frowned. " Worried? Because of Regina?"
Snow nodded once, pursuing her lips. " Emma, she's..."
" A manipulative bitch, a killer, a witch, I know. I was here to directly experience it, remember? But she's a mother, too, my son's mother. She truly loves Henry, and you have no idea of how much she loves Shaya, too. Well, you know it, actually, but I felt it, really, and... I... "
Snow looked her daughter's eyes fill with tears while she was talking. She moved to caress her cheek, but Emma stepped back.
" No, I got it, I got it. Just, I had never felt that way. And Regina neither. "
Snow lifted her brow. " What are you talking about? She loved Daniel, that's why we're here, actually..."
Emma snorted. " I'm not talking about love, that I felt it already. I...I was talking about family." she concluded, lowering her tone and glancing down. This time nothing could stop Snow White. She hugged her daughter before she could even realize it, rubbing her back, trying hard not to start crying. This... she would never forgive Regina for having ruined Emma's life.
" We're here, now..." Snow whispered, hugging tight her daughter. David had joined them with just one arm, the only one he could move.
She felt Emma nod beyond her head.
" I-I know. But..." Emma moved, breaking the hug. She locked gaze with her, a plead in her green eyes, so similar to hers. " ... Regina is, too."
Snow opened her mouth to protest, but Emma continued. " She's my family, too, because she's Henry's. She's been it for ten years, mom. I wasn't here, and she took care of him, her way, but she did."
" Emma..."
" But I'm here now, as you are for me. Henry needs his family, just as I needed it at the time." Emma paused, taking a deep breath and glancing down, as if she had to dig deep inside herself to find the bravery to go on. " Please, I don't wanna chose between you and her. I can't leave Henry again. I won't." she finally said, her face contorting in pain at the last sentence, a glance to her astonished son, all eyes on her.
Mary Margaret pressed her lips together, swallowing back the tears. She couldn't forgive or trust Regina, but she couldn't even make Emma suffer because of it. Maybe Emma was right. Maybe Regina didn't mean to harm her anymore. She had somehow demonstrated it in the last period, yet many times she had looked friendly, affectionate even, and then she had tried to stab her in the back. How could she trust her?
" If you say that she's okay, then she is. I may not trust her much, but I trust you." David was saying, smiling at their daughter. Emma gratefully smiled back at him. " And she's loyal, after all. She always warned us before attacking us." he smirked, making Emma and Henry softly laugh.
" Sure, but when she murdered my father."
Emma goggled at Snow, instinctively passing a hand over Henry's shoulders and pulling him towards her. She tried to say something, failing. Snow sighed, glancing at Henry. Emma, with that move, was unconsciously trying to protect Henry from her. Was that what she had become? A threat to her grandson? Mary Margaret gazed at her husband. His eyes didn't show the hint of a doubt. He knew who she was, he always did. And, as always, he remembered it to her.
Snow White gazed at her daughter. " I'm not saying that I won't try." she added, trying hard to smile at her. But Emma gave her a bright smile and hugged her, making her forget why she was so annoyed, worried or sad. There was just Emma now, the solid body of the beautiful woman she had become, without her help, without her guard. Emma didn't need protection, she never did. Emma needed a family, she needed to be loved, to be supported, she needed that hug, for how she could try to hide it with that tensed posture.
" Thank you." Emma said while hugging her, and breaking the hug a moment after, with an embarrassed face.
Snow swallowed back her tears and smiled at her, feeling the dumbest person in any realm.
" I'm sorry, Emma. I did it all wrong, I was... But I understood now. " she took her daughter's face between her hands, startling her. " Now I know. Whatever makes you happy will be fine to me. " she managed to say before her voice broke. Snow sniffled, drying the couple of tears that had fallen without her permission. " I'm sorry." she repeated " I was letting my dark side take control. I was doing exactly what I feared you could do under Regina's guide. But you're stronger than me..." she said stifling a laughter, letting the tears fall. Emma tried to object, but she stopped her. " No, it's true, trust me. I know you. I'm your mother."
Snow White watched her daughter's eyes slowly fill with tears, but Emma managed to hold them. She did until Snow leaned forward and kissed her forehead, at least.

Regina couldn't help but smile while watching Shaya literally hug Maximus, although a little of worry for her feet, as the horse looked a bit nervous. If he stepped forward, Shaya risked a fracture.
" I'm sorry to disturb you, dear, but you don't want to be walking with a limp, don't you?"
Shaya jokingly glared at her. " Are you trying to teach me how to deal with my horse?"
Regina shrugged. " I've rode him for thirty years, I kinda know him."
" And you forgot to tell me."
" Shaya..."
The warrior snorted. " I was just kidding, love. But, as you can see, I can't even pretend to be angry with you. It's frustrating, you know?"
Regina walked to her, uncrossing her arms to caress the stallion's snout. " Mh... what do you say, Maximus? Can she ever get frustrated?" she asked directly to the horse, that puffed and shook his head, making her smile.
" What do you mean? I most surely can!"
Regina gazed at her confused face. " What do I mean? You're the most patient person I've ever met, Shaya, that's what I mean. I'm pretty sure you never get frustrated. I do, often, but you don't. "
" This... this isn't true! I've been frustrated in my life, a lot! " she answered her cheeks reddening. So, was she getting angry now? Shaya's anger lasted barely a second. She looked just concerned now.
Regina frowned. Was it even possible that... " But not with me." she hazarded in a murmur.
Shaya slightly blushed. " No." she said hiding a smile by catching her attention with those calm, wise blue eyes, deep as the sound of a heart beating. " I wouldn't waste our precious time together that way. I lived for anger, I killed for it. It ruled my life enough. Now I allow it to touch me only if it's to protect someone else. I've been the Golden Death for too long, Regina. Now I can be your... " she hesitated, blushing, her eyes slightly wetted. Regina repressed a smile and the storm of feelings that was menacing to drive her crazy, and leaned forward, getting closer to her, their faces almost touching.
" Why don't you say it?" she asked in a murmur.
Shaya gave an awkward smile, blushing more. " I-I don't know... I'm... It's weird..."
Regina leaned her fingers on her cheek, touching the soft, burning skin. " You're lying..." she whispered with a smirk, narrowing her eyes in a scolding glare. Shaya glanced down, so she had to push under her chin to have the possibility to stare again at those gorgeous, fearful eyes.
" I'm sorry."
Regina smirked again. " Don't. Just tell me why."
Shaya sighed, leaning her forehead on hers and closing her eyes. " I'm afraid." she whispered while a tear slid on her cheek, caught by Regina's thumb. " I'm afraid that if I say it you'll realize it, and... "
" And what? I love you, I've already realized it!"
" But... but it's wrong, Regina! I am a woman, you are a woman! You're supposed to marry a man and have children with him..."
" I have a son already."
" ... we can't marry! They would have burned us alive in the Eastern Lands! It's a crime, especially for a Queen!"
Marry? Did she really just say it? Regina couldn't repress a smile. " We're not in the Eastern Lands. Here is all legal, and we can even get married. As in the Enchanted Forest. And even if it wasn't so, we are the queens of those lands. The decision is only ours."
Shaya's face radically changed. She looked regretful, angry and sad at the same time. The warrior glanced down, stepping back, frightening Regina as never before. She never meant to hurt her.
" I'm no queen. The throne was never mine." she said with a throaty voice that never belonged to her.
" But it is yours, it has always been. " Regina objected, gaining a glare from the warrior. " You have the right to claim it..." she continued in a tone lowered by Shaya's glare.
" Aye, I do have it, but I won't. " Shaya said, gritting her teeth. " My people sees me as a monster, a traitor, a fratricide. They forgot my name, they sullied it with false accusations. They left me alone in a tower for fifteen years, alone, a child! Do you know how many times I thought that I was going crazy? My guards, my personal guards brought me there. I trusted those men. The council that decided my fate, do you know who they were? They were my preceptors. They saw me come to life. My people served him, their own enemy. They payed him duties, they fought for him, they accepted him as a king since the first day. There wasn't even the rumor of a revolt. They didn't even think that I could be innocent. I loved them, I wanted to become knight to serve and protect them, I would have given my life for any farmer, even the elder one, but they threw me in the mug in return. I could never rule over them, Regina. I still hate them. How could I serve them? I wouldn't be a queen, I'd be a slave."
Regina, for how inappropriate it could be, smiled and kissed Shaya, surprising the warrior.
" Regina...?"
The brunette snorted. " Have you an idea of how childish you make me feel?"
Shaya furrowed her brow and slightly shook her head in denial.
Regina smirked. " You're the only real queen here, and anywhere. Kingdom or not."
" But I just told you..."
Regina leaned forward and kissed her again, passing her arms around her waist and pulling the blonde against her, enjoying the contact of their bodies although the clothes.
" Shush... Your Majesty..." the brunette murmured with a smirk, her lips rubbing against Shaya's.
The warrior tried to distance from her, but Regina moved her right hand over her shoulders and pulled, keeping her close.
" Don't call me that way..." Shaya said on her mouth, seriously staring at her although the poor distance.
" Ah, sweet, sweet vengeance..." Regina whispered, smiling, hoping that it would have been enough to make her smile. She loved to see her smile. So, when the angles of the blonde's mouth curved up, Regina chuckled and kissed her again, and again, and again.

Killian gave a start when he saw Swan talk with Victor in the corridor from the open door of his room. He didn't expect her to come to see him. He was beginning to lose his hope with her, but this changed everything.
" Swan, what a surprise!" he exclaimed when she entered the room, making her roll her eyes.
" Don't ya up, Hook. I was around."
The pirate sneered. " Aye, sure. Why do we always have to meet in a hospital? It's about the third time..."
Emma took a chair and sat next to his bed, distant enough for him not to be able to touch her.
" Guess it's a sign." she answered with a mysterious gaze.
She had his full attention. " A sign, you say?"
Emma grinned. " Yes. For you." she said, lowering her voice in a husky whisper. Killian felt the blood leave the upper part of his body. He hoped that she would keep looking at his eyes.
" Me? And what should I get from this sign?" he asked, leaning forward towards her, ignoring the pain darting from his wounds.
Emma's grin widened, her eyes brightened. She leaned forward in turn, her face getting close to his, dangerously close.
" Well..." she began, her fresh breath moving his hair. " ... you should understand that..." she got even closer, her gaze slightly fogged, locked with his. " ... you'll end up here again if you keep praising my butt." she ended snapping a light slap in his forehead, and leaning then back on her chair.
Killian aimed a finger at her, peeved. " I didn't praise your butt yet!"
" You did, this morning. Before the battle."
Oh, right. That praising. But he would never admit it. The pirate arched a brow, a half smile on his face. " The closeness with the Queen is influencing you, Swan: this is a revenge!"
Emma crossed her arms, lifting an eyebrow. " Regina has nothing to do with this, trust me."
" I bet she does."
" She doesn't!"
" She does."
" She doesn't!"
" And then what, you're revenging for a compliment?" he grinned, a grin that had brought many women to him, but just a few punches from the Savior and her father, unfortunately.
" Quite a rough compliment..."
" You seem to like it rough, Swan..."
" Killian!" Emma squealed, instinctively looking behind her shoulder, and then glaring at him. He smirked.
" Looks like I got it..."
Emma blushed. " You're a pervert!"
" I'm a pirate." he sneered, winking at her.
Emma rolled her eyes, sighing loudly. " You, apology for Jack Sparrow..." she whispered, totally confusing the pirate.
" Who's this Jack Sparrow?"
Emma eyed him with a resigned face. " Maybe I'll introduce him to you, someday." Something passed through her eyes, making them shine, and a smile curved her lips. " It could be funny."
Killian frowned. There was something wrong with her expression. She was looking at him like the crocodiles looked at the mutineer walking the plank.
" I'm not sure that I wanna meet this man, Swan."
Emma grinned. " You just convinced me that you absolutely have to know him."