Title: Home Is Where The Heart Is
Fandom: Once Upon a Time
Characters: Emma Swan, Regina Mills, Henry Mills, Captain Hook, Walsh, Snow White, Prince Charming, Granny, Zelena, Robin Hood
Category: Romance, Angst, Drama, Memory Loss (I mean, it's Once. According to canon it's not possible to write a story without memory loss.) Canon Divergence AU
Rating: M, for swearing and such
Word count: 57,406 (total)
Summary: Emma Swan is no one's fool. She's certainly not going to drink the strange liquid that the creepy Ren Faire Reject that's been stalking she and her son is offering her in the middle of the street - even if they are in front of a police station. So what's a girl to do? Nothing but go home and get engaged to the great guy in her life. And everything is pretty amazing until her son disappears without a trace. Then she has to go track him down in some tiny town in Maine populated by the strangest people she's ever met and a woman her son has unexpectedly bonded with.
Spoilers/Timeline: For Season 3, beginning with "Going Home"
Author's Note: Many thanks to Oparu for the beta and Race for the suggestions. This fic is better because of them.
Apologies for the posting delay. You miss one day and it's all downhill from there!
Neal's funeral had been held at mid-morning. Rain had come down in a light drizzle the entire time and the sun had never once broken through the dark clouds. At least the weather had suited Emma's mood. There had been more people at the funeral than she would have expected. Not because Neal wasn't a friendly guy, but the man she had known had been guarded. They had supported themselves by tricking people out of their hard earned money. Making friends with the wrong person was the quickest way to ruin that. But here everyone seemed to know him. Sheriff Nolan and his wife were among the crowd. The woman - Mary Margaret - kept staring over at them. Emma wished she would stop. It was creepy and the day was already horrible enough. The old woman who ran the diner and her granddaughter - Ruby - had come. That didn't surprise Emma at all. Neal couldn't cook to save his life - even if he had been so inclined - and he and Ruby would have had a hell of a time flirting harmlessly as she brought him food. Emma smiled. She could almost see it. At the front of the crowd stood another young woman with dark hair and pale skin, looking sadder than anyone else besides Henry. Emma thought she'd heard someone call her "Belle" but she could have been wrong.
Regina stayed next to she and Henry the entire time, her lips pursed into a thin, disapproving line that warned others away. Emma appreciated it. She didn't think she could deal with all the false condolences and sorry-for-your-losses today. They made her skin itch and the desire to hit something lurked beneath the surface. Sheriff Nolan had approached her when they first arrived before the casket and asked if she would agree to have Hook - the man who had assaulted her the day before - there. He had mumbled something about long standing connection to Neal, like family really. Or some other complete bullshit. Neal had been like her; he had no family. Regina had taken one look at Emma's face and drawn Sheriff Nolan away. Emma hadn't heard everything Regina said, but she had caught words like, "promise" and "menace" and "complete idiot" in a dire hiss that would have made Emma laugh if she was capable of it. The look on the Sheriff's face was priceless. The one on Henry's face was killing her. His hand was wrapped around hers and was squeezing so hard Emma hoped nothing was broken.
Regina had come back to them and taken her place beside Henry, sandwiching him between them. Her eyes met Emma's behind Henry's back and she gave Emma the briefest nod. All taken care of. Emma nodded back in thanks. It wasn't that she couldn't deal with it, but Henry. Henry was here and the rage was too close under her skin. Neal's death was so unfair. He should have to face Henry and face her and explain, to try to given the decent, amazing kid that she'd raised a good reason for doing what he had done. The rest of the funeral past in a haze of unhurried motions broken jarringly by moments of crystal clarity that made Emma ache for Henry, for Neal, for herself.
They had gone back to Regina's mansion afterwards and Regina fixed lunch. Chicken and rice, even if she called it something else. Her recipe was similar to one Emma had picked up...somewhere. Maybe from one of her better foster families; Emma couldn't remember. Henry had always loved it and it had become comfort food for the two of them over the years. It was strange how Regina had managed to pick up on that, but maybe Henry had said something when Emma hadn't been in the room. Regina really seemed to dote on him. Emma couldn't blame her, but it was weird though, right? Or maybe not so weird considering Regina had lost a son of her own. Maybe Henry reminded Regina of her kid. Emma wasn't sure how to feel about that. The thought made her earlier petty jealousy of Henry's affection for Regina seem churlish and mean spirited, but she had never had to share his affection before. There had been no other family or close friends of hers for Henry to bond with. Her son was a warm kid, but Emma wasn't sure he had ever said those three words to anyone besides her, certainly not to Walsh or any other man in her life. And if he had said them to a girl, Emma wasn't ready to know that either.
Henry had been the one to save her from the circles her brain was running around in when they sat sprawled on Regina's sofa after lunch. Emma had offered to help with the clean up but Regina had shooed her out of the kitchen. She had said something about wanting to make sure it was done right. Emma had tried not to be offended. It wasn't that hard when she didn't have to do dishes though. Sitting down next to Henry had been harder. Emma had dropped on to the couch with a lack of grace that she somehow knew would have drawn a comment - or at least an arched eyebrow from Regina - and thrown an arm around Henry's shoulders. He had tensed for a moment beside her and then snuggled in closer to her side without a word. They had sat there in silence until Henry had spoken.
"Can we go to the park this afternoon?" His voice was muffled, but the words were clear and plain, not choked with emotion or the effort it took to hide it. Emma wondered what this meant, but wasn't sure how to ask it.
"Sure, kid." Anything you want. Emma squeezed him a little closer. "Later we need to talk about what I'm going to do next."
Henry stiffened and sat up before he turned to look at her. "What do you mean?"
Emma bit her lip and looked down. She shouldn't have said anything. She picked at the hangnail on the side of her thumb. It was raw and red already and if she wasn't careful it would start to bleed. She made an effort to chose her words with care. "What you came here to do is… done."
Henry blanched and shot off the couch. "Emma!"
The use of her first name startled her and the, "Hey!" shot out of Emma's mouth before she could contain it.
Silence crackled between them like a livewire. Both of them hardly dared to breathe and neither of them knew where to go from there. Emma swallowed hard. "We should talk about this later."
"No!" Henry blurted out, his voice too loud in the quiet of Regina's living room. "We need to talk about it now."
"Henry…" Emma began, but trailed off. The words not having come to her in the last few seconds.
"No!" Henry protested again. "Say it."
"We could go home," Emma said, putting the words out there like they meant nothing to her. It wasn't that she was so eager to return to the city, but her skin was starting to itch with being here. There was nothing good here and she didn't want to stay any longer than they had to. She wanted to go before anything else happened to the two of them. Emma's need to protect Henry had always been stronger than everything else and that was why she kept talking. "Or we could stay longer and I could try to find out why…" she fumbled for a delicate way to say he died and couldn't. "Just..why."
Fear flickered across Henry's expressive face before it was buried behind as blank of a mask as he could manage. It looked so strange when Henry usually wore his heart on his sleeve. "I'm not ready to go home yet," Henry said as he shifted on his feet. He looked at her like he was expecting her to be angry. Emma didn't know what to say to that, so she shrugged.
"Okay. So we go to the park this afternoon and then we figure out the rest tomorrow." She held her arms out to Henry and for the first time in her life she wasn't sure he would return the embrace. She caught his hesitation before he lurched forward and wrapped his arms around her. Out of the corner of her eye, Emma caught a glimpse of a dark figure and turned her head to see Regina leaning against the kitchen doorway watching them. Her arms were crossed over her chest, but Emma couldn't decipher the expression on her face. She gave Emma a tight nod when she caught Emma's eyes on hers then turned and slipped back into the kitchen.
The weather had improved when they reached the park. The drizzle had stopped but darkness still hung over everything as Emma went to park the Beetle. The thudding sound of quick footfalls came from behind Regina as Henry jogged a few steps to catch up with her. It startled her when Henry grabbed her hand in his. She couldn't remember the last time he had reached out to her first; it had been years. She gave his hand a squeeze and tried to smile at him. "How are you, Sweetheart?" They only had a few moments before Emma would be back.
"Mama." Henry hadn't called her that in a very long time either. Not since he had run into she and Emma's arms as Pan's curse was about to bear down on them all. "She wants to go back to the city." He sounded worried and scared. It clenched like a vice around Regina's heart.
"Maybe…" The words burned like acid in Regina's throat. "Maybe you should, just for a time."
Startled, Henry dropped her hand. "No way!" His eyes red-rimmed from the funeral that morning watered on the verge of tears. Henry's hands clenched at his sides in a clear effort to hold them back. "Is that what you want?"
"No!" Regina said as sharply as he had. "It's not what I want at all, but it would be safer for you. There's no magic there. Whatever this creature is that's been stalking Storybrooke has been taking people for weeks now and we haven't found a way to stop it. Baelfire is dead and if I can be certain that you're somewhere safe where that creature can't touch you… The moment you go beyond the town line, you'll be safe."
Henry shook his head emphatically. "You can protect me."
"Henry," Regina said softly. "I don't even know what it is. I'm not all powerful."
"Please, Mom," Henry begged. "Don't send me away. I don't want to go." He bit his lip to stop it from trembling and added, "What if I can't come back? Emma's not going to let me out of her sight for a long time. What if there's another curse and Storybrooke disappears again? What if Emma never remembers? Staying here is the only way to get her memories back. I want both my moms." His jaw clenched stubbornly and reminded Regina of nothing more than herself in that moment.
The side of Regina that knew that leaving would be the safest thing for Henry to do warred with the one that didn't ever want to let him out of her sight again either. It was hard to blame Emma for that. "Okay, Henry. We'll convince Emma to stay for now." However she was going to manage that. "But if it becomes too dangerous…" She cupped his cheek in her hand and wished she wasn't wearing gloves so she could feel the reassuring warmth of his skin. How many dreams had she had like this of finding her son only to have him fade away before her, no more real than any other figment of her imagination. "You may have to leave and I won't brook any argument then."
"Okay," Henry said, slipping his arms around her waist and falling against her heavily. Her baby was getting so tall. "We'll just have to make sure it doesn't happen."
Above him out of his sight, Regina smiled with pride even as she shook her head as his determination. He was so much their son it was ridiculous.
Henry was just drawing away from her again when Emma's voice came from behind them, "Hey! Everything okay?"
Regina let go and turned to face Emma, noting Emma's hands shoved in her pockets and the wariness in her eyes as she approached them. She recognized the expression well. After all she had worn it for months when Emma had first come to Storybrooke, with perhaps more rage and indignation at what Emma had been threatening to do. She never had done well with a challenge.
It had taken longer than Emma had expected to find a decent parking spot for the Beetle. For a town that was under such a shadow, both literally and metaphorically, it seemed a lot of people were out at the park. Maybe it was a defiant response to the disappearances that threatened the town. Everyone banded together and came out in the relative safety of daylight to defy whoever was behind them. It made no sense to Emma though. She had heard no mention of organized crime or anything like that that would make Storybrooke a target for disappearances like that. No one here was wealthy enough for it to be a kidnapping ring and as far as Emma knew there had been no ransom demands. There were other darker explanations. Serial killers developed everywhere even in tiny towns in Maine. Why the sheriff hadn't called in the state police was a mystery to Emma. Maybe he was just that bad at his job? It didn't matter. If things kept getting worse, no matter what Henry wanted, they would go home. She wouldn't risk losing Henry.
Walking up the gentle slope of the hill in the direction Emma had seen Regina and Henry go, she caught sight of them. Henry had his arms wrapped around Regina, pressed tightly against her. What struck Emma a moment before the burning jealousy was the way they looked so right together. Something about Henry and Regina together just fit in a way that she couldn't explain. It wasn't until Henry began to step back from Regina that Emma noticed how upset he seemed.
She shoved her hands in her pockets and swallowed the resentment that had been welling up in her to stride toward them. "Hey! Everything okay?" Her first instinct was to go up to him and throw an arm over his shoulders, maybe tousle her hair, but Emma couldn't bring herself to. He had gone to Regina not her. There was something Henry was holding back from her. Emma wasn't an idiot. She had noticed it over the past two days, but she had no idea what it was and her instincts told her it would be bad if she pressed too much. Even if the not knowing was driving her crazy with worry. They had always been an inseparable team, she and Henry.
"Yeah, Mom," Henry said, straightening quickly and tucking his hands up under his arms. He had forgotten his gloves again, of course. "We were just talking." He glanced at Regina and seemed to be looking for something.
Regina smiled sadly back at him then turned back to Emma. "I was telling Henry about my father." Emma didn't miss the way Henry's eyes flicked up sharply to Regina. Emma would bet her right hand that wasn't what they had been talking about. "I lost him many years ago." The quiet emotion in Regina's voice wasn't bullshit at all though.
"That sucks," Emma said with as much sympathy as she could muster. Having never had parents to begin with it was hard to feel sad over the thought of losing them. She understood it, but it was a distant way.
"Indeed," Regina said dryly, the emotion gone from her voice, as if she knew what Emma was thinking. It made Emma want to flush in embarrassment, but there was no way that Regina could know about her past. Not unless Henry had told her...
"Mom," Henry said. Emma saw Regina turn to look at Henry at the same side she did.
"Yeah, kid?" Emma asked, struggling to keep her voice even.
"I'm going to go feed the ducks down by the pond, okay?" Henry said, hands shoved in his pockets as he backed away. It wasn't often that Emma thought Henry looked like her. He was his only little person, but he did so much in that moment that Emma couldn't help the smile that tugged up on her lips.
"Sure, kid." Emma waited until he had jogged out of earshot, before turning to grin over at Regina. "Definitely interested in the ducks, not the girl down there that kept shooting glances up here at him at all."
Regina chuckled, but it sounded a little forced. "I hadn't noticed."
Emma shrugged. "It's a mom thing."
Regina flinched and gave a little nod. Emma opened her mouth to say something, but Regina beat her to it. "There's a bench over there," she tipped her head in its direction. "Unless you'd rather stand or walk. This park has some lovely paths."
Emma shook her head. "The bench is fine. I had enough walking yesterday." She wrinkled her nose. "There's so much forest around here."
"I take it you're not a nature person, Miss Swan," Regina said, a teasing smile curving over her lips.
"Something like that," Emma said with a soft snort. She plucked at a blade of grass that was sticking up through the frame of the bench. "It was Emma yesterday."
"Yes," Regina agreed, looking startled for a moment that Emma would bring that up. She probably thought Emma hadn't even noticed it, but the word had cracked like lightning, shivering over her skin.
"You can keep using it," Emma said grinning fully at Regina now. "I don't mind."
"You're too kind, Miss Swan," Regina said with that same dryness from a moment ago. "I make no promises."
Emma laughed. "Do I have to offer some incentives to get you to use it, Madame Mayor?" Emma saw Regina stiffen, but couldn't figure out what she had said. Maybe someone had accused Regina of taking a bribe before? But that was ridiculous. Emma could already tell Regina was one of the most upright individuals that she'd met in public office.
"Perhaps you can just promise not to call me that again," Regina suggested.
"Awww," Emma said with as much irritating charm as she could muster. "You want us to be on a first name basis too."
"Ms. Mills will be fine, dear," Regina corrected, not quite burying her irritation. But Emma thought she was more amused than truly upset. Regina's default seemed to be prickly with anyone but Henry. It was an interesting thought. Emma was almost a little jealous of Henry. She did her best to ignore the thought. She wasn't hear to socialize.
"She is," Emma murmured before she could stop herself. She felt her cheeks grow warm and tried not to look at Regina. Maybe she wouldn't notice what Emma had said.
"I wasn't for quite some time after I lost my son," Regina said, thankfully taking Emma's words literally, or at least ignoring what Emma might have meant. She wasn't smiling now. "It's okay, not to be for a while."
Emma wrinkled her nose. "It's not like I've seen Neal since-" she bit off 'he ditched me to take the fall for him.' Emma wasn't ready to see that look on Regina's face, the one that was a mix of pity and contempt. "Since before Henry was born. I shouldn't' even be sad." She looked up at Regina, silently daring her to say something. "He kind of screwed me over and he was never a dad to Henry. I had no idea the kid even thought about him, much less wanted to meet him."
There was a pause. Regina's fingers twitched like she might reach out to Emma as she had in the back of the patrol car. Emma wasn't sure she could handle it, but all Regina did was offer her a sad smile and say, "You're a good mother, Emma."
It was the combination of her name from Regina's lips - which was quickly becoming something Emma aspired to achieve - and the words that seemed out of context but Emma hadn't realized how badly she needed to hear that hit Emma like a blow straight to the heart. "Thanks," Emma said, the word snapping out of her mouth so shortly, she knew it would sound rude. She hoped Regina might get it - might understand that she really meant it - as Emma felt her cheeks grow warm with embarrassment. She couldn't bring herself to look over at Regina so instead glanced out across the park. Sheriff Nolan and his very pregnant wife were walking along on the far path, separated from them by the pond and another gently rolling hill. There was another woman walking with them. She wore a green cloak against the chill and damp, but Emma couldn't' make you more than that from this distance. There was something about her that looked familiar though. Maybe Emma had seen her at the diner.
Emma grimaced as she thought of the diner and her encounter with the sheriff's pastel wearing wife. There were a lot of strange things about this town, Emma was realizing. Lots of little things seemed outdated, from the prices on Granny's menu to Regina's car and even the decades old movies playing at the drive in. Not to mention the drive in or the gang of short, old men she had seen walking down the street with pick axes slung over their shoulders yesterday, whistling as they went. Not to mention the woman with the motherfucking tiger. "This town is so weird," Emma said, turning back to Regina, forgetting that she was still embarrassed by Regina's kind statement. "It's like it's under a spell or something."
Regina froze and Emma remembered too late that she was speaking to the Mayor of this tiny, crazy place, and Regina probably wouldn't take too kindly to her town being insulted. Emma wasn't wrong. Regina's smile slid away. "We're just a small sleepy town like many others in Maine. Perhaps stranger than some because of our isolation out here in the forest, but not so odd as all that. I think I would find your city very strange, Miss Swan."
Damn, Emma bit back the word, but not the thought. She had lost her first name privileges again - and so quickly. That was okay. She could win them back. Emma laughed, hoping it came out less awkward than it had sounded in her own ears. Probably not. "I'd be happy to show you around my city sometime." Regina didn't respond so Emma plowed on. "You might have to come back with us actually," Emma said. "When we do go. I'm not sure the kid would leave without you. He's really fond of you and you're really good with him." Emma felt herself babbling, but couldn't make herself stop. "Maybe he's under a spell too."
Emma risked another glance at Regina. Her usually warm skin was pale and she sat stiffly with her fingers twisted together in her lap as she stared out over the pond. Somehow Emma just knew Regina's gaze had found Henry down there.
"He reminds me of my son." Regina had said it before, but it hit Emma harder this time, not distracted by the immediacy of finding Henry again.
"I'm sorry," Emma said and surprised herself by reaching out to put her hand over Regina's. Her fingers were cold. Without thinking Emma rubbed her thumb over Regina's fingers, like she would to warm up Henry's. When she realized what she was doing, she gave Regina's hand a hurried, fumbled squeeze and yanked her hand away. "I almost gave Henry up for adoption when he was born," Emma blurted out. It was her day for sharing things she hadn't thought she would in a million years apparently.
"I was-" Emma's voice trembled and she shook her head. "I wasn't in a good place when he was born and I didn't think I could give him his best chance with me." She sniffed, pretending that there weren't tears welling up in her eyes. "But there was this doctor. He asked me I wanted to hold Henry. I hated him so much because he didn't get it. He didn't understand. I opened my mouth to say no, and I just didn't." The smile Emma tried out turned into a grimace. "The first time I held him in my arms, I knew there was no way I could give him up."
"What about giving him his best chance?" Regina asked, her voice choked and hoarse as she broke into the silence that had grown between them. Emma's head snapped up at the question, but the look on Regina's face wasn't judgemental. She was focused inward instead. Maybe Regina was thinking of her son.
Emma shrugged as if that question hadn't on her too when Henry was a baby. "I thought if I wasn't his best chance right then, I would do everything I could to become it. I took every parenting class I could and I tried. I got lucky a lot." Emma looked down. "I didn't always do the best, but I never stopped trying for Henry." When Emma finally looked, Regina was nodding, her face a mask of determination. Something prodded Emma to ask - maybe the realization that she didn't know - and somehow that seemed wrong, just to call the child 'your son' and not know his name. Emma Swan knew no child should be forgotten. "What was his name - your son?"
Regina gave her a pained smile, meeting Emma's gaze without flinching. "Henry."
"Oh! Shit, Regina," Emma breathed, the enormity of what the woman had been dealing with for the past few days and the way every glimpse of Henry or mention of his name must have been like salt in Regina's wound slowly dawned on Emma in its entirety. "I'm so sorry. If I'd known, we never would have intruded," Emma babbled. "We'll be out of there this afternoon. I promise."
"No, please," Regina said, her hand shooting out to catch Emma's. "Don't go." The desperation in Regina's voice was plain. "You have no idea how having you two here in the house has helped. Last year was a very dark time. It's nice to have some light there."
Emma hesitated. "Are you sure? You've done so much for both me and Henry already."
Regina nodded. I"m sure." There was so much vulnerability in her gaze as she looked at Emma. "If you really feel that way, do this for me." Regina tried to smile again. "Until you're ready to go back home, of course."
It surprised Emma that she found herself not wanting to go home in that moment. Regina's invitation felt welcome, not constraining. "Okay," Emma said, feeling her smile grow as she looked over at Regina. "We'll stay. And I was serious earlier. When we go home you could come visit us sometime. The kid would like that - and so would I," Emma said, adding that final truth shyly.
Regina's tremulous smile outshone even the most glorious sunset Emma had ever seen. "I would like that," Regina agreed.
Emma let out a relieved laugh and sagged against the back of the bench next to Regina. Their shoulders brushed. "Cool."
It was Regina's turn to let out a laugh, low, rich and mocking. "Cool, Ms. Swan?"
Emma nudged Regina with her shoulder. "Don't make fun of me. You like me." Emma wasn't sure of it, but she said it with confidence, drawling pride anyway.
Regina shook her head, but she was still smiling at Emma. "I suppose I do."
Emma managed to keep her "Yes!" and fistpump of victory on the inside this time. Instead she found her gaze dropping from Regina's dark, sparkling eyes to full, red lips. The thin scar above her lips caught Emma's attention and she almost blurted out a question about it, but managed to swallow it back at the last moment. Emma shivered. "There's really something about this place, you know." She eyed Regina, drawn closer to her with every breath she took. "Are you sure about that spell thing? I think there must be one on me too, not just the kid. I never talk...like this...to anyone." Staring at Regina as she spoke, Emma kept losing her train of thought and barely calling it back again. It would have been embarrassing except for the way Regina was watching her back just as intently.
Emma raised her hand slowly as she held Regina's gaze, waiting for an objection, any sign Regina wanted her to stop. Regina arched an eyebrow and Emma froze, but then the corner of her lips turned up into a smile and Emma could breathe again.
"Yeah?" Emma's voice came out rough, but that wasn't surprising. The things Regina was doing to her right now with nothing more than a look and a smile.
"Yes," Regina said with a tiny nod.
Emma cupped her cheek and brushed her thumb across Regina's lips. They were soft and a little slick from her lipstick. She wanted so badly to kiss Regina Mills and there would only be one first chance at it. Keeping her eyes on Regina's, Emma tilted her head and leaned in, anticipation fluttering her stomach. Their lips met and Emma sighed. She couldn't hold it in as Regina's moved against her, soft and slow. There was something careful, but not uncertain about the way that Regina moved that tugged at Emma. She wanted to deepen the kiss. She wanted... Regina's hand gripped her hip, her thumb finding it's way under the thin material of Emma's t-shirt as it stroked upwards. Emma almost purred against Regina's lips, melting into her.
"Mom!" Both women jerked back so quickly Emma almost fell off the bench. "Mom!" Henry repeated, head down as he jogged up the sloping hill toward them from the pond.
Emma shot a glance over at Regina as Henry approached, but Regina was focused on Henry. She looked not the least bit flustered. Her expression was as unreadable as it ever had been for Emma. There was no chance to talk now, to decide where they stood or what this meant, if anything. For now Emma needed her racing heart to slow before Henry realized she was breathing harder than she should have been sitting on a bench and started to worry about her. It had been one hell of a kiss.
The walking path that circled the park had allowed Zelena to keep an eye on her dear sister and the clueless savior for most of their walk. Charming and Snow were inane, but clueless companions and it gave Zelena the opportunity to keep an eye on her soon to be born, pure, innocent, true-love baby. What she hadn't expected to see was the Savior kissing Zelena's own dear baby sis. What was the Savior playing at?
Hook had claimed that he was the Savior's True Love when one of her winged monkeys had followed the note the Dark One's pathetic boy had sent to Hook to get Emma Swan and bring her back to Storybrooke. Zelena had intercepted him, of course. Light magic was what it took to break her curse, after all. It wouldn't do to have the Savior and her magic in play. That Hook was the Savior's True Love was a ridiculous theory, of course. Zelena had known men like Hook in her own village, in the tavern where she had worked. No matter the pretty words men like Hook said, they only cared for themselves. Some were more stubborn about their pursuit than others, priding themselves on not giving up on the woman they loved, but they were all the same in the end. When they didn't feel like they were being properly honored by the object of their affections, they snapped and turned violent with all the obsessive focus and dedication of their so-called love.
So there had been no harm in letting Hook try. It put him on her side and gave her control over his attempt to bring back the Savior. And just in case, Walsh was there as her beautiful back up plan. So far it was working wonderfully, but Zelena had doubts that it would last. Still it would soon be time to put her spell into play and before Zelena went back to fix everything, she wanted Regina to know and understand what Zelena was doing and why. She wanted her dear sister to appreciate the full horror of what was being done to her and everyone she loved. Zelena didn't want Regina to have any friends or allies who might try to help her. It was time to take the Savior away. There was a phone call she needed to make - delightful inventions phones. She could see why Regina liked this world so much. Phones aided her plotting ever so.
Apologies for yesterday's chapter mix-up. Here's yesterday's and today's to make up for it. :)