A/N: Does anyone remember this story? If you do then I'm so sorry for taking so long to update but I hope this long chapter makes up for it. I was asked for a sequel, so this is what I came up with, let me know what you think.
Thank you so much to LanaMariaSwan, joyndoug97, Lala Kate, Regal-Hood, hevelinchris, KazyCMfan, luv2read2, Stefangelina, LilacGreen and the guests for your wonderful reviews. and big hugs to my darling Lolymoon for her input, mwah :*
My take on The Cricket Game with an EC twist, I borrowed some dialogue from it. This will be a bit more slow burn but hopefully still satisfying. Enjoy!
It's you and me against the world
Previously on Save me from myself:
She opened her eyes, gasping and she sat up. She found herself staring at David, the real one this time she was almost certain and her eyes widened in panic, there was no way this was happening. Before she could say anything though, a body collided with hers, knocking her backwards.
"I woke you, I woke you," Henry chanted, laughing and crying at the same time, and Regina pressed him against her until he couldn't breathe and had to protest, although he did it reluctantly. "Don't ever do that again, Mom, please. I need you, I need all of you," Henry said and Regina raised her head to see Snow and Emma standing at the foot of the cot.
She noticed Snow's smile was a little uneasy as she looked from David to Regina.
"Welcome back," Regina forced out and it wasn't as difficult as she first thought while having her son in her arms.
"To you too," Snow replied. "Although I'm a bit curious as to why you seemed to think that David had woken you up?"
Regina tried to ignore the way David blanched at his wife's question. "I'm not sure what you mean, I was rather confused. As you know, sleeping curses are rather unpleasant and I certainly wasn't expecting to be woken up at all."
Snow studied her for a moment but seemed to accept the explanation.
Regina caught David's eyes, the message clear "We need to talk."
The silence that followed was heavy and uncomfortable. Despite Henry's tight embrace, Regina could see the way he would discreetly look towards Emma and Snow and she knew what her son wanted.
She inhaled deeply, steeling her resolve, and murmured in his ear. "Go to them, it's alright."
Henry looked up at her quickly, obviously surprised that he had been caught. "But…" He started.
Regina shook her head and cupped his cheek. "You have spent the past several weeks trying to bring them back, even hurting yourself in the process," she said, rubbing the arm that spotted severe burns not that long ago. "You should welcome them back properly."
Henry smiled at her, embracing her tightly against him. "You could come with us," he mumbled against her chest and she grimaced. She could take it upon herself to let Henry go and spend time with his blonde mother and Snow, but there was a limit to what she was ready to do.
"It's been a long day Henry, and even if I spent most of it asleep it didn't feel very restful," she told him, trying not to wince at his disappointed expression. "I will see you tomorrow, we can get breakfast at Granny's if you want."
He considered it for a moment before biting his bottom lip. "Could we make pancakes at home instead?" He asked and she grinned.
"Of course," she replied instantly.
Emma Swan opened her mouth, a noise of protest on the tip of her tongue but she clamped it shut when she was faced with three hard looks. Regina, and maybe Henry she had expected, but David?
"Something to say, Miss Swan?" Regina asked the Sheriff stiffly.
David shook his head at Emma, frowning a bit, and the blonde's eyebrows flew as she stumbled over her words to answer. "Nope, nothing at all."
Regina hummed in approval. "That's what I thought," she replied before ruffling Henry's hair and stroking his cheek. "It will be alright, honey. Just don't get into trouble."
"You neither," he countered smartly, grinning. He hopped up from the cot and hugged her tightly once more.
"Don't worry Henry, I will take her home," David announced and a tense silence fell in the room.
Regina arched an eyebrow, a slight smirk pulling at her lips as she caught Snow's bewildered expression.
David shrugged at his wife. "She was just under a sleeping curse and got you the message that helped you find your way back here. The least we can do is make sure she doesn't wreck her car..."
"She is right here," Regina interrupted harshly. "And she can take care of herself," she added, she knew why David had suggested it but she couldn't agree too readily or that might make the others suspicious. She rose from the bed and swayed a bit on her feet, a wave of dizziness overcoming her. She closed her eyes, grasping one of Henry's shoulders and she felt David's hand catching her right elbow, steadying her.
"You were saying?" He inquired mockingly and she glared at him.
"I think there might still be some sleeping potion left, want to try some and see if you are faring any better?" She threatened but he could detect the amusement in her tone and he wondered when he had become able to read her so well.
"You do realise that it was the original plan, right?" He asked rhetorically, smirking at her crossed expression.
"Okay, this is way too weird for me to process," Emma blurted out, looking from her father to Regina with wide eyes and Snow didn't seem to be handling this any better. "What the hell?" She exclaimed, looking desperately towards Henry, who only shrugged as if he didn't understand what the problem was.
"Things haven't been so bad around here," he replied. "I mean, we missed you and we worked really hard to get you back but we all got along…" He trailed off. "Mostly anyway, there was that time when Mom caught one of Granny's arrows and set fire to it in the middle of the City Hall, and later when Gramps threatened her with his sword…"
"I think you should really quit while you're ahead, son," David interrupted him, exchanging a wince with Regina as Snow and Emma's expression became even more incredulous with each word the boy pronounced.
"Oops," Henry said, chewing his bottom lip, looking sheepish.
"We should probably go, I haven't eaten anything other than chimera and berries in days, I would give anything for a bear claw and proper coffee," Emma stated, shaking her head, still trying to wrap her head around what she had just heard. She turned on her heels, practically dragging Snow by the arm with her, and Henry followed them, looking back at his mother every few moments with a reassuring smile until he was out of view.
Regina sighed and grabbed her hand bag, turning towards David.
"That was a brave thing you did there. I know it can't have been easy to let him go," the Prince told her softly.
Regina scoffed and headed to the front of the shop, calling over her shoulder when he failed to catch up. "I thought you were taking me home."
"You do know you are rather difficult to follow," he grumbled, climbing in his pick-up, as she was already buckling her seatbelt beside him.
"I do my best," she replied. "I should hire you as my personal chauffeur, given how many times you've been driving me around recently. Now that your daughter has returned, she will probably take her job back, you will need to support your family somehow," Regina deadpanned, smirking, but David wasn't amused.
"Could you stop for a minute? It was completely reckless to go under that sleeping curse," he snapped harshly, before softening his tone as she looked down. "Henry was desperate, it would have broken his heart if we hadn't been able to wake you up."
"I know that now," she whispered and he turned his head sharply towards her.
"Did you really believe it wouldn't affect him?"
"You will find it's frighteningly easy to believe those kind of things when you are as used as I am to being second choice and cast aside. He has spent the better part of a year running from me and rejecting every attempt I made at reconnecting, and even if things have been much better recently, I must say that I didn't expect him to stick around once Emma and Snow were back," she explained in a clipped tone, arms crossed, her eyes staring out of the window but unfocused.
David sighed and hesitated only briefly before taking his right hand off the wheel to put it on her knee and squeeze it in what he hoped was a comforting way. He didn't add another word and kept driving until they arrived to the elegant white manor.
Regina got out of the car as soon as the engine stopped and David followed, careful not to invade her space.
She walked to the first flight of stairs at the end of the foyer and stopped there, she didn't really want to go any closer to the living room given what happened between them the last time they were in there.
She sighed. "I guess I should prepare a bag for Henry for you to take back."
David frowned. "It's only one night, surely he can manage with what's left at the loft."
Regina shook her head. "Do you really think your wife and daughter will let him come back and live here as if nothing happened?"
"I think that they will ask Henry what he wishes to do and respect those wishes whatever they are," he answered.
She only looked at him in disbelief.
"I will make sure they do, Regina. I have seen you with Henry, I have seen how committed you are to change and be someone he can be proud of. I won't take that away from you. Also he did just wake you up with True Love's kiss, that's pretty hard to ignore," he sounded so sincere that she could only blink at him for a long moment, unable to process that those words were coming out of his mouth. Could she really have someone on her side, ready to stand for her? And Prince Charming of all people?
"Don't look so surprised," he added grinning, when she didn't respond.
"This isn't at all related to some sense of guilt you could feel over what happened between us, that will eventually fade and make you realise you made a big mistake and cause you to take back everything you just said?" She asked, standing tall, arms akimbo, watching him with a searching gaze.
David found the whole picture quite endearing. "You haven't been over thinking this at all, have you?" He replied, smirking. "Look," he added when she glared at him. "If you had been willing to discuss this at the time, you would know that I do not regret what happened between us that night. Sure cheating on Snow wasn't my finest moment and I'm not particularly keen on her finding out, but I meant everything I said and did then."
Regina shuffled uncomfortably and she found that she couldn't quite meet his eyes.
"Hey," he said, bending a little to catch her shifty gaze. "The woman I saw that night, I wouldn't mind getting to know her better, when she is done hiding."
"I'll let her know when I see her," Regina quipped, wrinkling her nose, biting her lip to stop herself from smiling in response to his laugh. Damn that man. "So you won't tell her anything?" She insisted after a bit.
"Why would I? You needed someone that night and it went further than we expected, no one else needs to know… It's not like we have any intention of it happening again," the slight pause before he added that last part made her cock her head to the side. He didn't seem as convinced as he pretended to be, she thought.
She was still quite surprised that he would keep such a secret from his precious snowflake of a wife but then: "What Snow doesn't know…"
"Can't hurt her," he completed but she shook her head.
"Can't hurt us," she corrected.
He inclined his head and the corner of his lips lifted up. "I see."
They stayed silent for a moment, observing one another and then he walked the couple of steps that separated them and hugged her against him.
She stood stiff, trying to decide if she should accept and return his embrace or not.
"As crazy as that sounds, I'm glad you're alright," he whispered and she drew in a sharp breath, letting her head fall on his shoulder, turning it slightly to breathe him in.
"Thank you for looking after Henry and not letting him give up on me," she replied in a murmur.
"He didn't need me for that but you're welcome," and he let her go, walking backwards to the door. "I will bring Henry tomorrow morning. Maybe I'll even manage to snatch some pancakes."
"Maybe I'll let you," Regina smirked and he chuckled before growing serious again.
"You need anything, you give me a call."
"That's very generous. Remember you brought it on yourself if I take you up on that offer."
David nodded. "I'm a tough guy, I can take whatever you throw at me." And with that, he left and she watched on, wondering how long the Prince's good intentions would last before he would throw her under the bus like everyone else ever did.
The couple of days that followed were strange for David, he had tried so hard to get his family back and now that they were he felt oddly disconnected in a way, especially from Snow.
As they were attempting to adjust back to a life together, he found it wasn't as easy as he had once thought. He had been hit by the sudden realisation that they had never had a quiet moment ever since they met. Before the curse, it had been all about finding each other and fighting dark forces threatening to tear them apart; even during their wedding and honeymoon they couldn't catch a break. When they should have been enjoying Snow's pregnancy and the months leading to the birth of their daughter, they were instead meeting up with their council for ways to prevent the Dark Curse from occurring; theories, plans, grasping at straws, and in the end it was all for nothing.
During the Curse, well, towards the end of it anyway, after he had finally awoken, things were very different. They had felt that instant connection to one another but the drive to fight for it they had had in the Enchanted Forest wasn't there anymore, it all felt wrong somehow, and he couldn't deny that he still felt the wedge it had created between them. They had given up, and even if they were cursed, it still hurt.
How weird that the closest thing to peaceful moments he had known in years were spent by the side of the woman who had threatened his happiness, and her son, his own grandson. They had shared meals together, watched over Henry, worked together to run the town when he had understood he couldn't do it all on his own. It had felt almost normal and he wondered why he couldn't quite recapture that with Snow.
When he had joined Emma, Snow and Henry after dropping off Regina, he had had to face some awkward questions about this sudden friendship with the Queen and he had tried to explain the situation as best he could without betraying what had really happened between them. Snow had been convinced but he wasn't so sure about Emma.
The fact that he had driven Henry over to his mother's place the next day and stayed for breakfast probably hadn't helped matters, but he had a weakness for Regina's cooking - among other things- and saying no to her pancakes had seemed like a sacrilege.
For all those reasons, he had been very surprised that Emma had invited Regina to the welcome home party at Granny's and defended her decision to Snow when she had showed how opposed she was to the woman's presence. David had backed Emma up, but as much as he had wished to be able to go and talk to Regina, he had known that doing it there and then would be asking for trouble. He had felt uncomfortable and saddened to see her sitting all alone for the better part of the evening. He had hoped Emma would manage to convince her to stay when she had gone after her but it was to no avail.
He had seen for himself how difficult it was for Regina to put her old ways behind her and become someone her son could be proud of and he wondered how long she would be able to bear it all if no one was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.
He sighed as he wiped the dishes, throwing a look towards Snow, Emma and Henry, all curled up together on the couch, watching TV, when his phone started vibrating on the counter, the screen lighting up. He frowned at the name appearing there, think of the Devil.
"Hello?" He picked up, speaking in a low voice, and moved closer to the bathroom as to not attract too much attention from his family.
There was a long pause that made him check that the call had not been ended.
"Hello? Regina, is that you?" He asked, lowering his voice even more, and stepped in the other room, closing the door tightly behind him.
He heard her take a shuddering breath and his brow furrowed.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have called," she whispered shakily.
"No, no, don't hang up. I told you that you could call me if you needed anything," he said quickly, the tone of her voice did not bode well at all.
"I… I just realised today how very few people I could actually talk to, and since I had a major falling out with one of the two of them this morning, I thought…" She paused, taking another deep breath. "This was stupid, I won't bother you any longer," her tremulous voice tugged at something inside him.
"Heh, why don't you tell me what Archie has done and let me decide how much of a bother you really are," he attempted to joke and it seemed to work as he heard a broken chuckle.
"That obvious? I thought I could trust him but the first chance he got he babbled about our sessions to your daughter, and then tried to justify it by saying it was only to help me show her I was trying to change. The things we talk about…" She trailed off, trying to regain control of her emotions, the struggle clear even through the phone. "How can I expect people to believe I want to change and do better when he is there reminding them of my past sins at every corner? I thought this would help but it's only making things worse. I should never have gone to the cricket," when her words had been broken and slow to come before, she was now talking fast, too fast.
"You need to calm down, Regina," David cut her off, fearing the beginning of a panic attack if she kept going like this.
"That's the point, I can't!" She exclaimed. "I have been trying to control this since this morning but I can't. He betrayed my trust. Even when I try, it's not good enough. It's never good enough," the last part seemed to be meant more for herself than for him to hear but he still did. "I don't want to act upon it but I don't know how long I'll be able to stop myself."
"Heh, it's alright, I know you're stronger than that. Take a deep breath, I'm on my way," he told her.
"You don't have to do that," she whispered.
"Look, I told Henry before and I'm telling you now, no matter what you think, you're not alone", he said pointedly and waited for her to object but she didn't. "I'm on my way," he reiterated and hung up.
He left the bathroom and headed to the door quickly, grabbing his jacket on the way.
"Everything alright?"
"Where are you going?"
Emma and Snow asked simultaneously, looking down when a sleeping Henry shifted at the sudden raised voices. The words left David's mouth before he could think about them.
"Yes, it was just Mrs Fisher. Her cat fled again and she won't stop calling until I have helped her find it," it was disturbingly easy to lie to them and he didn't feel as bad as he thought he would using the little old lady Dr Whale had recently diagnosed with Alzheimer and who called the station regularly about her missing cat only to forget all about it in the morning.
"Do you really have to deal with that tonight?" Snow insisted, pouting slightly.
"She is going to call all night until someone comes, believe me I'm used to it. I hope I won't be too long," he explained and sent them a reassuring smile.
David wasn't exactly sure what to expect when he arrived at the mansion and let himself in as usual, but finding Regina pacing back and forth in the foyer was somewhat reassuring. Pacing was good, pacing meant she wasn't destroying her house -again- or drinking herself under the table, which certainly wouldn't help her keeping a clear head.
"Regina," he called out and the brunette stopped for a second to throw him a look before resuming walking the floor.
"You hung up on me, that's rude," she said without preamble, still going from one wall to the other and he smirked, shaking his head at her antics.
"Well, I'm here, am I not? It was easier to drive without the phone to be honest."
"What excuse did you give to get away?" She was clearly trying to avoid the real problem here but he indulged her, at least for a moment.
"If anyone asks you're an eighty-years-old, little grey-haired lady, looking for her cat," he replied, biting his bottom lip when she paused, turned towards him and tilted her head to the side.
"Is that supposed to be an insult or something?"
He laughed. "No, I just told them I was going to help Mrs Fisher."
Comprehension dawned on her face. "Oh, Crazy Cat Lady!" She said. "I resent that," she added, scowling.
"Sorry about that, first thing that came to mind," he explained but her scowl only deepened.
"So the first thing you associate me with is Crazy Cat Lady? Nice."
"You are deliberately misinterpreting what I said to distract me from the real purpose of my visit," he told her, pointing an accusing finger in her direction.
She raised a single eyebrow. "I hope you didn't sprain your tongue over those big words, you're not usually this articulate," her tone was patronizing and it was his turn to glower, miffed.
"Must be your influence. At least it was that that I picked up and not the various and colourful ways you have to torture and kill," he shrugged.
She rolled her eyes and walked to the kitchen, leaving him behind in the hall.
"That was low," she said when he joined her.
"It was. I apologize."
She studied him for a minute and nodded. "Coffee?" She asked.
"Sure," he acquiesced and she busied herself preparing it for him and some tea for herself. He smiled privately at the thought that she certainly didn't need any caffeine at the moment.
"How is this supposed to work? I pretend there is nothing wrong until you decide to talk or can we act like grownups and save some time?" David wondered when she only sipped her tea silently for a full minute.
"You tell me. Think you know how to do that?"
"Trying to aggravate me won't distract me from the fact that you called me and didn't sound too good. What's the point of putting up the façade now?"
Regina looked down, tracing the rim of her cup with her index slowly.
"Force of habit I suppose," she said, sighing, still engrossed in her cup. "I'm used to handling things on my own."
"I know that, but you called. That has to mean something," he insisted.
"I wanted to use magic. I even told Archie he was lucky I had changed because I really wanted to punish him for speaking out of turn," she admitted, clutching her cup in both her hands, absorbing the soothing heat.
"But you didn't," he stated, and she lifted her head, waiting for him to elaborate.
"That's it? I tell you I wanted to hurt him, using magic, and all you find to say is that I didn't?"
David shrugged. "Well, what else is there to say? You wanted to use magic and didn't, you controlled yourself, Archie is still in one piece and when you have had the chance to cool off, you and him will talk about this calmly."
Regina gaped at him. "How can you make it sound so simple?"
"Because it is. People fight all the time, they get upset over things, they argue and they make up. I won't deny that what he did wasn't wrong, on the contrary I don't think he should have talked to Emma about your sessions, but you know Archie, he meant well and he is probably torturing himself over the fact that this will set you back and cause you to be more guarded around him."
She stared, unblinking and his brow furrowed.
"You thought I was going to judge you for that?" He added and she acquiesced, biting her bottom lip. "You still have trouble with that friendship thing, don't you?"
"The only friend I had, I imprisoned in her dragon form under the clock tower for 28 years, so yes you could say I have trouble," she revealed wryly.
"Hm good thing I don't know how to transform into a dragon then."
"That could be arranged, if you piss me off one day."
"At least, you've got the banter part right," he grinned. "You feeling better?"
"Surprisingly, I do. Trust is not something I have ever given readily and what Archie did only reminded me why, but you're right, I so easily fall back into my old ways of reacting to betrayal that I was blinded. I will talk to him in the morning, and maybe even listen to what he has to say for a change," her smile was shy, tentative, but he had no doubt of her sincerity and he felt proud of her for reasons he didn't even want to begin to analyse.
"Poor guy will be shaking in his boots when he sees you arrive."
"That will serve him right."
They finished their drinks, talking about anything and everything, mostly Henry and the necessity for Regina and Emma to come to some sort of agreement for his custody.
"I just want her to acknowledge that I am his mother, the only one he had for ten years. I adopted him legally, no one forced her to give him up and to sign off her rights. Is that really too much to ask?" Her eyes were flashing, her fists were clenched and he encircled them both in his hands.
"He actually told her something of the sort the other day. He is starting to realise that he may have treated you unfairly for the past year, and when he heard Emma and Snow arguing about you, he wanted to make things clear to them."
She blinked back tears. "He did?"
David nodded and chuckled. "You should have seen and heard him, he is your son through and through that's for sure."
And she smiled, a true, bright smile, the like of which he didn't remember ever seeing on her face before.
When he looked down at his watch, he started when he realised he had been there for two hours.
"I better go," he exhaled but made no move to get up from the stool.
"You should yes," Regina confirmed but she stayed put as well.
"When I think that just a few weeks ago, I could barely stand the sight of you." he cracked up.
"And the feeling was quite mutual." she concurred.
"We have come a long way, and I'm sure that other people will see the person I see before long," he declared, squeezing her hands one last time before finally standing up.
"As long as my son doesn't forget that, I don't care much about anyone else's opinion," she replied, leading the way to the front door.
"You'll be alright?" He asked, stepping on the porch, looking back at her standing in the doorframe.
"No one will get hurt tonight, don't worry," she assured him.
"That's not what I meant and you know it."
"I'll be fine. Thank you for coming, you really didn't have to."
"Let's agree to disagree on that. Goodnight Regina."
"Goodnight David."
He should have known things couldn't be that simple, he should have known the relative peace of the past few weeks couldn't last.
He was at the station with Snow, who had just brought him some coffee from Granny's, when he got Emma's call. It took him a minute to absorb the meaning of the words "Archie" and "dead" together in one sentence but when he did, the expression on his face immediately alarmed his wife.
When Emma arrived, accompanied by Ruby and Pongo, Snow was still sobbing on his shoulder and he was stroking her hair comfortingly.
"What happened?" David asked them.
"We don't really know. Pongo led us to him, he was lying on the ground in his office, no sign of a break-in but it was a mess in there. He has been transported to the hospital, maybe Whale can tell us more," Emma explained, looking quite pale and shaken.
"Who could do something like this?" Snow asked tearfully, raising her head from her husband's shoulder.
David saw Emma and Ruby exchange a loaded look. "What is it?"
Emma sighed. "Ruby says she saw Regina going into Archie's office last night," she announced and a bomb dropping probably would have shocked him less.
Snow gasped. "What? You think she could…" she started but David cut her off.
"When was this?" He asked instead.
The three women looked taken aback but Ruby thought about it for a second.
"I was closing up so it was around 9 pm," she answered.
"Are you certain?" David insisted.
"Yes, I am," Ruby confirmed. "I looked at the time after seeing her, wondering what the hell she was doing there at this hour."
"Why are you asking that?" Emma questioned, narrowing her eyes at her father.
"Because it can't have been her. It's not Regina you saw Ruby," David replied.
"I assure you it was her…"
"And I'm telling you it's impossible."
"How can you be so sure?" Emma inquired.
David scrubbed his hand over his face and then combed it through his hair. "Because I was with her at that time."
A chorus of "What?" greeted his answer and he grimaced.
"Care to clarify that a bit?" Snow demanded, her voice cold, as she took a couple of steps away from him.
"The phonecall I got last night, it wasn't Mrs Fisher, it was Regina."
"Why did you lie?"
"What did she want?"
Snow and Emma asked simultaneously.
"She needed to talk, she was upset so I told her I would come over."
"And you decided to lie about it," Snow said, glaring at him.
David sat on the edge of his desk. "Look, the important thing right now is that she didn't do it and finding Archie's murderer is what we should focus on."
"We are not done talking about this, David," Snow pressed on.
"Mary Margaret, David is right, we need to find out what happened to Archie," Emma tried to appease her mother. "You'll both have time to discuss this later."
Right on cue, David's cellphone rang and he gulped when he saw who was calling.
"Hello?" Was all he could manage to say before Regina's voice invaded his ear and he wanted to headslap himself for forgetting that she was supposed to go and see Archie this morning. "Yes, something did happen. Look, we're at the station, it would probably be best if you came down here so we could tell you in person," he paused as she replied. "Believe me, you don't want to hear this over the phone… Okay, see you in a bit," he said and he hung up.
"That was her, wasn't it?" Snow stated more than asked, emphasizing the 'her' with all the bitterness she could manage.
"It was Regina, yes. She wanted to see Archie this morning to talk about their argument."
"They do say the culprit always comes back to the scene of their crime," Snow remarked causing David to roll his eyes.
"Snow, this is the last time I'm going to say it and then you will drop it, she didn't do it, she couldn't possibly have done it."
"She is a witch, she could have cast a spell on you to make you believe she was here, or she could have sent a body double, or I don't know what else her twisted mind could have conjured to create herself an alibi," Snow argued.
David only stared at her. "Where is the person who always wanted to see the good in Regina, even when no one else was willing to? Where is the woman who stopped her execution because she thought there was still hope?"
"She got burned one too many times, David. She got separated from her daughter and her husband for 28 years. That's what happened to her! Regina tore us apart, how can you trust her?"
"Because I saw what you always wanted me to see. I saw the Regina you met all those years ago. She promised Henry not to use magic and she put herself through hell to keep that promise. You weren't there Snow, when I went to get Henry back and I had my sword at her neck and she didn't flinch. She could have sent me flying with a wave of her hand but she just stood there. When we didn't hear from her for a few days and Henry was worried, we went back to her house and what we found…" He stopped, pressing a hand against his forehead, gathering his thoughts because the vision of the once all powerful Queen, sitting so weak and helpless on her bathroom floor was something he still had trouble coming to terms with.
"Magic is a drug, Snow, a hard drug, and for 28 years she didn't have access to it, she was completely free of it, but then Gold brought it back and it was like waving a free sample in front of an addict. She had to quit it and it wasn't pretty but she still did it, for Henry. So yes, she was angry with Archie last night, very pissed off, with good reasons, but she would have never risked to throw it all out of the window, not with her son's trust hanging in the balance. She used magic a grand total of two times since that day, one of those she didn't have a choice and I'm pretty sure she would have rather died than have to do what she did; and the other was because Henry and I asked her to, to find you and we know how that ended," he felt as if he had run a marathon after his speech and Snow looked like he had slapped her in the face.
The sound of a throat being cleared made him raise his head sharply, and when his eyes caught Regina's pale face he wondered how much she had heard.
"What is going on here?" She asked, one hand absent-mindedly petting Pongo's head, the dog having left the corner where he was mopping to greet her excitedly, as usual. She looked from Emma to Ruby to Snow and finally David, raising her eyebrows expectantly at him.
He opened his mouth to talk but Emma beat him to it.
"Hum, Regina, there is no good way to announce this. We found Archie earlier this morning, he was in his office, dead," it was blunt, nothing delicate or soft in the way Emma delivered the news and Regina faltered, gaping at the blonde, loosing her footing and leaning against the wall for support, abandoning Pongo in the process, causing the dog to whine.
It took her a few moments to recover, she attempted to talk several times but had to swallow back whatever words were on the tip of her tongue for they wouldn't come out. Finally, she looked up at them, taking in Snow's expression, the way she was watching her like a hawk and she easily understood the situation.
"You think..." she started but had to clear her throat to rid her voice of its gravelly quality. "You think I did this?"
Emma looked at Ruby and then at her parents, looking for the right words.
"Well, Miss Swan? Are you going to put on the handcuffs now or will you at least give me a chance to defend myself?" The unofficial Mayor inquired, joining her arms in front of her and raising them towards the newly reinstated Sheriff.
"No need for the dramatics, Your Majesty. David already gave us your alibi," Emma informed the brunette who turned towards David in wonder.
"You did?" Her tone was disbelieving enough to bruise his ego a bit.
He widened his eyes at her comically. "Thought I wouldn't?"
She shrugged. "You will forgive me for being cautious."
David smirked and a witty reply was already forming on his lips but Snow interrupted them angrily.
"Oh just stop with the banter already," she snapped. "The reason we believe you did it is because Ruby saw you going into his office last night."
Regina turned towards her, her eyes cold, her expression neutral, too much so, and Pongo, sitting by her side, must have felt her growing tension for he growled at Snow, whose eyes widened in surprise.
"I'm sorry, did I miss your appointment as Sheriff, dear? What business do you have here?" Regina asked her former step daughter in such a poised and calm manner that the Princess was taken aback.
"I… I am one of this town's leaders…" she stuttered and Regina sneered.
"Are you certain everyone is aware of that? Because I am still the one receiving the paperworks, thanks to your husband actually. My eviction from office lasted a week before they all realized that David couldn't do it all on his own. Of course, they pretended that I wasn't the one working behind the scenes, but still it doesn't appear they believe much have changed with your return."
"Regina.." David tried to appease her before things escalated.
"Don't you 'Regina' me, David. I have just been announced that one of the very few people I could actually call a friend in this town has been killed and your precious wife is accusing me, despite having been given an alibi by none other than you. It seems even your word isn't good enough for her. I refuse to be insulted in that way by someone who has no authority to do so," she exclaimed and Snow's jaw dropped.
"Are you going to play the victim here? After everything you have done, that's your angle?" the younger brunette blurted incredulously.
"Oh no, that has always been your thing, dear. You have been doing it for so long I could never hope to master that craft quite as well as you," Regina quipped, her sneer widening, her eyes crinkling as she enjoyed ruffling the one whom she still considered a girl's feathers.
"That's enough!" Emma hit her fist over her desk, startling them all. They had forgotten about her and Ruby's presence. "Mary Margaret, Regina is right," she announced to their utter astonishment. "You shouldn't intervene in this case and you are obviously too biased to see things clearly. David gave us her alibi and she didn't know anything about Archie's death until we told her, that's good enough for me. Now, instead of tearing each other into shreds maybe we should focus on finding Archie's killer," her speech was met with a deafening silence, all too surprised to speak.
"You are taking her side?" Snow's lips were trembling as she pointed to Regina with her finger, silently begging her daughter.
Emma sighed and looked away from her mother. "I am taking Archie's side. He would want us to find who really did this to him and not to lock away an innocent."
"Innocent? Innocent? This is Regina, we're talking about. She is the least innocent person in this whole town," Snow exploded and Pongo barked, Regina needing to take hold of his collar to hold him back.
"She is innocent of this and I think you really should go now," Emma replied.
Her mother gasped but when she realised how serious Emma was, she grabbed her bag and headed towards the exit, stopping right in front of Regina to hiss "I hope you're satisfied" and then made sure to crash her shoulder into the other woman's, not that any of it fazed the Mayor in the least.
"Well, now, I would like to be the one to talk to my son if you don't mind," Regina declared, and if she worded it like a request, it was obvious she wouldn't take no for an answer.
Emma exhaled, her patience tried beyond measure. "He was supposed to stay with you tonight, so I don't see any problems with that."
Regina nodded at her and left without looking back, Pongo close behind.
Emma sat heavily in her chair as soon as they couldn't hear the clicking heels anymore.
"That was… That was… I don't even know what the hell I just watched actually," Ruby stammered.
Emma snorted. "Yeah, me neither. I didn't even get a statement from her. This whole case is going to be one giant mess. If words get out before we can clear things up, I don't want to imagine how people are going to react."
"I won't say anything Emma, you can count on me," Ruby said.
"Thank you, I will take your deposition and yours too David, and then we should probably go back to Archie's office and search it. Maybe the person who did it left something behind."
As they went over the crime scene with a fine-toothed comb, David could feel Emma's gaze on him every so often and he wished his daughter would just tell him what she was thinking.
"I didn't say anything in front of Ruby because things are already complicated enough but I would really like to know what is going on between you and Regina, and this time if you could try the truth instead of that half-assed explanations from the other day when we came back, that would be nice," she said at last and David leaned his head against the cabinet full of files he had just opened.
"There is nothing going on between me and Regina. We are friends, sort of. We learned to tolerate each other for Henry's sake and we had to work together to get you two back. As unbelievable as that sounds I came to trust her. That's all there is to it," he explained, skimming through the folders.
"I might be able to believe you if you could tell me this while looking me in the eyes. I thought something was weird before but seeing you two today. That sounded like a lot more than simply two people who had to 'tolerate' each other," she quoted him, her tone biting.
"I really don't know what you are looking for here!" David exclaimed, turning towards her. "There is nothing going on between me and Regina."
"But there was! Something happened! It had to, you don't come to befriend your sworn enemy in one night just like that!" Emma shouted.
"Whatever you imagine, you're wrong! And we didn't become friends in one night. It took time and efforts and attempted murder and weeks of not knowing what the hell to do about each other and Henry's meddling. Emma, I never saw Regina as a person before this. Back home, she was always this crazy, sadistic witch who was after the head of the woman I love, and was ready to do anything to get it. She had to be taken down, no matter the cost. I didn't care who the hell she was, or what happened to her to make her this way, or even why she hated Snow like that. I didn't see her as a person because it was easier to only imagine her as something to destroy, until I didn't have a choice. She is not at all who I thought, or at least not anymore. It's just very sad that it happens when your mother doesn't seem willing to believe in her anymore," David finished his little speech, his tone heavy and sad, and he let his daughter process his words while he continued his search.
He heaved a sigh when he pulled a file out of the cabinet and found it void.
"What is it?" Emma asked, jumping on the chance to change the subject and David didn't mind it one bit.
"Regina's file, there is nothing in it. The only empty one," he responded, showing it to her.
The Sheriff grimaced. "This is really starting to look like a bad frame job. Don't know if you realise it but it's usually hard to find evidence against someone, and here it seems to be piling up by the hour. I don't think Regina would be so careless."
"No, I don't think so either."
"Now, who would try to accuse Regina, be able to use magic to make Ruby believe she was here instead of at her house, and resort to murder to get what they want?"
"There is only one person that fits all the criterias."
They barged in Gold's shop, interrupting what looked like the beginning of a romantic picnic between the man and Belle, and demanding answers.
Answers it seemed the Dark One was unable to provide. The only thing they could get out of him, after a reasonable amount of taunts, was that there had been a witness they had missed.
David came from the Enchanted Forest, he had seen things that would appear unbelievable, impossible, all sorts of crazy to the native of this land without magic, but even he felt a bit ridiculous when he called Regina to ask her to bring Pongo to the shop because there may be a way to find out the truth through the dog.
The brunette arrived shortly after, snapping that this better be good because Henry would be out of school soon and David guided her to the back room where Rumplestiltskin greeted the dalmatian with praises no one would have thought him capable of, and kneeled on one knee to pet him. Belle even called him out on it, taking her wary eyes off Regina to focus on the way the imp interacted with the dog.
"That's fascinating, but unless you speak dog, how is Pongo gonna tell us anything?" Emma remarked dryly, leaning against a table, watching the scene with a mix of amusement at the ludicrousness of the situation and defiance as she wondered what kind of tricks the magician would pull.
"Excuse me? What the hell are you talking about?" Regina intervened, her grip on the leash tightening.
"Through magic of course. It won't allow us to communicate, but it will allow us to… extract his memories." Rumple answered Emma, royally ignoring the Mayor, who straightened to her full heeled-height, her lips thinning.
"Extract?" David asked worriedly, moving slightly to put himself between Regina and Gold.
"You don't have to worry. He won't feel a thing," Gold reassured him, standing back up, leaning on his cane, smirking a bit at the protective gesture between the Prince and the Queen Interesting, he couldn't help but think, storing this with all the other pieces of information he had gathered on the two lately.
"Why should we trust you? Couldn't you just as easily use magic to fool us?" Emma objected, catching Regina's eyes and finding the other woman agreeing with her for once.
"Because I'm not gonna be the one using magic. You are," the Dark One dropped and relished in the surprised expression on the Saviour's face
"Me?" she asked, the disbelief clear on her face. "How?"
"You have it within you. Told me so yourself," Gold affirmed, walking to an ancient, heavily decorated wooden wardrobe and opening it.
"You have magic?" Regina asked faintly, looking at the blonde woman, hoping she would deny it, and rolling her eyes when she didn't. "Of course, you do," she muttered under her breath.
"Emma, you don't have to do this," David broke in, not trusting the wizard one bit when he looked so smug.
"If it tells us something about Archie's death, then so be it," Emma replied, now determined to do what she felt was right.
"Now, do you know what this is?" Gold inquired, showing her what he had pulled out of the wardrobe.
"A dream catcher," Emma answered, swallowing the lump that was forming in her throat as the object reminded her of another life, where fairy tales where only that and her sole preoccupation was where she and Neal would sleep.
"Well, it's capable of catching so much more," Gold retorted, chuckling slightly, unaware of the Sheriff's thoughts. Everyone tensed as he approached Pongo once more and passed the dream catcher over the dog and it shimmered with a golden light.
"What is that?" Belle wondered, frowning.
"Memories," Rumple answered. "Now, Miss Swan, you show us how," he added, handing the enchanted object to Emma.
"How? It's just a jumble," the blonde demanded impatiently.
"Will it," the Dark One explained. "Will it and we shall all see."
Emma took the dream catcher from his hands, exhaling deeply. She looked into the swirling light, trying to make sense of it.
"I can't," she said, after a moment.
"Yes, you can," Rumple whispered, watching her intently.
Emma focused harder, closing her eyes tightly, and Regina griped David's wrist when the first images appeared.
"Emma, you're doing it…" David breathed out, before freezing when the scene unfolded. He felt Regina's nails dig into his skin, and she was so pale he wondered if she would faint.
"This is… this is...impossible," Regina stammered.
"Thought you had taken care of all your loose ends, Your Majesty?" Gold smirked, immensely enjoying his former student's distress.
"This isn't what happened! You know it, right?" Regina pleaded, looking from David to Emma.
The blonde looked doubtful but her father didn't waver. "Of course, we know it. If only for the simple fact that our main witness doesn't seem to be very scared of the person who apparently killed his master."
"David, we can't just ignore this. Pongo's reactions are not the most reliable…" Emma started but David cut her off.
"If we are trusting those so called memories then he is a witness, and if you haven't noticed he has been very protective of Regina ever since she came to the station, even against your mother. Is it possible that someone else in this town could magically change their appearance?"
Regina gasped, covering her mouth with a shaky hand, and turned wide eyes towards Gold.
"It's her, isn't it? She found a way to get through. She is here!"
Gold raised his eyebrows. "I have no idea what you mean, dearie."
Regina stepped closer to him, until they were toe-to-toe. "Rumple, if I have ever been anything more to you than a pawn in that twisted plan of yours. If you still have one shred of humanity in your dark heart, you will stop playing games and answer me. I got you here, I cast your damn curse and you tried to kill me. This," she pointed to the dream catcher in Emma's hands, "could mean losing my son forever and I won't allow it because I didn't kill Archie. We have known each other a long time, if I had done this, either no one would know, or I would be bragging about it. This isn't my style, but it's hers, manipulation, working in the shadows to get what she wants, she learned from the best, didn't she? She is here."
"What do you want me to say?" Rumple asked, his eyes never leaving hers, the tension in the room so intense everyone got the impression the very air was crackling with electricity.
"You can feel her magic, you know it better than anyone else, you awakened it. This reeks of her," Regina paused for a moment, searching his face. "If I'm right and you deny the truth, you will be vulnerable to her. If she is here, she is coming after us both and we better be prepared and united if we want to have a chance."
Gold pinched his lips and held out his hand towards Emma, his gaze still firmly on the Queen. Emma handed him the dream catcher and he raised it in front of his former student's face.
Archie's murder replayed but when the pretend Regina was choking the therapist, he paused the image, concentrating until smoke surrounded the impostor and was replaced by Cora.
Regina stepped backwards, almost tripping on Pongo's leash. "I need to go," she whispered, heading to the back door.
"Regina," David called after her. She looked back at him and the sight of unshed tears in her eyes made him take a step forward.
"I have to go to Henry, make sure he is safe," she said and left.