Chapter 10
Regina woke up before Emma the next morning. She was surprised that it was six a.m. already. Her body was sore and tired, but she felt better than she had in years. Who knew that Emma could make her feel this way? She didn't, but now, she wondered what would happen. She sat up and stared back at the blonde. Could they actually have a relationship? Regina wondered. She didn't know if she would be able to handle one. She hadn't really been in a relationship since Daniel and that ended, well, badly to say the least. Emma was special. She had gotten through to Regina, but she didn't know if that would be enough. She wanted it, but she didn't know if it was something that Emma would want.
Her feet hit the carpet of the hotel room. Suddenly, she remembered that her clothes were with the hotel dry cleaners. They should be ready by now and she needed them. She walked around the bed and to the desk. She dialed down to the desk and asked that her suit be brought up to their room.
She waited for the soft knock at the door. She thanked the bell hop und gave him some money. She went into the bathroom, took another shower and dressed. She didn't really want to meet Coraline and Emma's friend, Will in the suit, but she didn't know that she had another choice.
She knew that the Westin was a nice hotel, but she doubted that it had a clothier on site to help her. She wanted something to wear. She grabbed a notepad and a penned Emma at quick note telling her that she was going to find something to wear from a local clothier. She placed it by the bed, grabbed her cell phone and then gave Emma a kiss to her forehead. She hoped that she was back before she woke. If not, she knew that she would get a phone call soon after she woke.
She went downstairs and found the concierge. He was a nice man with graying hair and soft blue eyes. His accent was purely Bostonian and Regina found herself watching his lips to decipher most of what he was saying, but it was obvious that he wanted to help her get whatever it was she needed.
"Yes, Ms. Mills, I can help you. There are plenty of places that I could send you, but most of them aren't open yet. Did you need something now?"
"Yes, I am afraid that I do. Money isn't a problem. Can something be arranged? I have an early lunch appointment. It will be worth their time."
"Give me a minute, Ms. Mills. Let me see if I can contact someone. If not, the earliest that I know of would be Saks. They open at ten, but I could try to get you an earlier appointment."
"That sounds fine. I'll just be waiting over there at the coffee bar. Thank you for your help," she told him as she walked across the lobby to the small Starbucks.
She ordered a coffee black and got a small raspberry muffin. She sat down at a small table and enjoyed her quick breakfast. She knew that it would be enough to carry her through until their meeting with Coraline. She sighed. She was getting nervous and she didn't know why. She began to try to figure out why she was so nervous about meeting her daughter, again, but outside of Storybrooke.
"Excuse me, Ms. Mills," the concierge stated bringing her back to the here and now.
"Yes?"
"I got a hold of the concierge service and personal buyer at Saks. Her name is Veronica and she is willing to meet you in half an hour. Will that give you enough time for your appointment?"
"Plenty. Thank you. Now, I will just need to get there. Can you help with that?"
"Yes, Miss Mills, I can. Would you like a car or a taxi? I can get you either."
"A car will be fine," she replied.
"Yes, ma'am, I'll call one right away," he told her and then left her to her breakfast.
He came back a few minutes later. She smiled at him as she got off the stool at the table. She followed him to the door. He ushered her out and to the car.
"I've charged your car to the room, Ms. Mills. If you need anything else, just call me here at the hotel. I'll call Veronica and let her know that you are on your way. Here's my card," he said, holding it out to her, after he got her settled in the car.
"Thank you, Mr. Madison. I am sure that I will be fine from here. Please let my companion know that I will meet her at our appointment as scheduled."
"Yes, ma'am," he replied and then he told the driver. "Saks Fifth Avenue and wait for her. She has the car for the day. If she needs anything you can`t find, have her call me."
"Yes, sir, Mr. Madison," the driver stated and then pulled away.
Emma woke a few minutes later. She was suddenly cold and she couldn't figure out why. She rolled over to find Regina gone. The covers were haphazardly thrown towards Emma but Regina's side of the bed wasn't made. She blinked a few limes and tried to orientate herself, but she had slept in her contacts and her eyes were dry. She got out of the bed, grabbed her small toiletries bag and ran to the bathroom. After she finished her business in there and taking care of her contacts, she walked back into the main part of the suite before she realized that Regina was not there.
She saw the note on the table and ran to get it. She read it three times before it clicked. Of course, leave it to Regina to go somewhere to find something else to wear. She looked at the clock. She still had plenty of time to get ready. She went back to her small duffel and grabbed some clothes.
She hadn't really planned on staying overnight, but she always kept a change in the car. It was still a fall back from being a bounty hunter. Some of her habits didn't make sense until they were needed, years of bounty hunting and being an orphan taught her how to survive her way. She grabbed her clothes without another thought and took a shower.
She would wait another hour before she called Regina. She hoped that she found something she liked. She knew that Regina was nervous, but she didn't understand why. They were getting Coraline to bring her home to Storybrooke. It wasn't like they were getting at new kid from the orphanage.
Once she showered and dressed in her tight black jeans and light grey tank top, she flopped down on the bed. She looked down at her boots and decided to not put them on until she was about to leave. She grabbed the TV remote and started flipping through channels. She grabbed her cell phone and put it on the pillow beside her, waiting on Regina's call.
Twenty minutes later, her phone rang. It wasn't Regina, though, it was Will calling her. She wondered what her friend needed now. They still had two hours until they were supposed to meet for breakfast at the South Street Diner. She frowned, hoping that Coraline hadn't snuck out in the night. She sighed and then answered her phone.
"Hello?"
"Emma?"
"What's up, Will? Did she run? Did you lose her?"
"No, no, nothing like that," Will said.
"Then, what's wrong? Why are you calling me? What happened?"
"Nothing happened, per se. I was just wondering if we could move the meeting back an hour. Say we meet more for brunch or an early lunch. I don't think that Coraline is going to be ready in time."
"What did you give her?" Emma asked.
"What do you mean?"
"You drugged her so she wouldn't leave, didn't you? What did you give her? You had to have given her something that would give her that wicked hangover. What was it?"
"You don't want to know," Will told her.
"Tell me you didn`t roofie her."
"I didn't roofie her."
"Are you just telling me that?"
"You told me to tell you that," Will replied.
"Damn it, Will! I told you to keep her here, not fucking drug the hell out of her. So, did you or did you not give her some roofies?" Emma asked.
"I might have, but then again, I might not have."
"Dear Jesus! Please don't tell Regina that when we meet. She might bar-be-cue you, literally. Okay, fine, how about we meet at eleven and for the love of anything holy have the girl functional by then. You and I will discuss this later. I just...really...that is what you went with. I told you to never use those but on a mark. She isn't a mark. She's my fucking dau-...gah, I need to go. I need to not be talking to you right now. I'll see you at eleven and you can tell Monty not to worry about coming over," Emma told her hanging up.
She prayed that Regina never found out what happened. She knew that Will's life depended on it. She sighed and dialed Regina. She didn't know what else to do.
"Yes, Emma?" Regina asked answering the phone.
"You can take your time, now."
"Why is that, dear?"
"Will just called. Evidently they got drunk last night. Coraline is hung over and won't be ready in time. We've pushed back the meeting until eleven. I'll go ahead and book us another night. I have a feeling that we aren't going back tonight either. I'll call Snow, too. But take your time. Get an extra outfit. Everything will be okay," Emma told her, hoping Regina didn't catch her lie, but still believed her when she told her things would be okay with Coraline like she promised from the beginning.
"And, why don't I believe you, right now?" Regina asked her, sighing into her phone.
Will went back into her bedroom and tried to rouse Coraline. She cursed at herself for giving her the sleeping pills, but Coraline had all but drug her with to New York before she slipped it into her drink. She knew that Emma was going to be pissed. She didn't know more than the fact that Emma was bringing Coraline's mother with her, who happened to also be the Mayor of the town that Emma was sheriff. She shook her head. She knew that she was in deep and she could only hope that Emma would somehow get her out of this once they met up.
"Damn it, Rumple. When I said, I wanted a new life in a new land where no one knew me. This wasn't exactly what I had in mind. You could have at least made me rich or something," she mused as she stared down at Coraline.
Coraline finally stirred a little in the bed. She was already ready with two aspirin and a glass of water. She held them both out as a peace offering. Coraline sat up and looked at her. She reached out a tentative hand and took the pills. She tossed them in her mouth and sucked down the glass of water, to not only take the pills, but to quench her parched throat.
"What happened?"
"We went to the bar."
"I remember that much. You told me that Emma and Mom were coming. You said drinking would make it better. Then why do I have this raging headache?"
"You kept telling me that you were going to New York City last night."
"I know that. I still need to go. What time is it?"
"A little after nine," Will told her.
"Shit, they're here aren't they?"
"In Boston, yes. Here, no. We are going to meet them for lunch. You'll have plenty of time to get ready and be sober before we go."
"You really aren't going to let me get out of this, are you?"
"You came looking for answers. Emma has them. She and your mom are worried about you. You just left town with no word or warning. It just happened to be ironic luck that you ended up in my bed the night before. And, do me a favor and don't bring that up with Emma. I'll never be able to live that down," Will told her.
"Trust me when I tell you that she isn't going to want to know about that."
"Oh, okay then. Well, they got delayed. You got drunk and I brought you home, here."
"Really? I mean I drink a lot, but I don't understand. I can't remember anything except going to the bar. That isn't normal is it?"
"It is if you were binge drinking like you were. I thought I might have to take you to the hospital for alcohol poisoning. That would have been a bitch to explain to your Mum," Will said.
"You have no idea."
"Look, I get it. Parents suck. You don't want to deal with your Mum, but she must love you a lot to get Emma to bring her down here. Give her a chance. Talk to her. I am sure that whatever it is that is bothering the two of you can be worked out."
"I don't know that it can."
"It can. Give it time and talk to her. By the way, why did you come to Boston to find out more about Emma? That is the only part of this entire situation that doesn't make sense."
"You'll figure it out when you meet my mom," Coraline told her as her head hit the pillow again.
"What the bloody Hell does that mean?"
"Things are not always what they appear to be and the stories that you are told as a child don't always really have a happy ending," Coraline stated.
"I know that."
"Do you? Do you really? You might think that you do. But, trust me on this one; you have no clue what I am talking about. Your day is about to be shit storm of weird. And, trust me on that. Things are about to get crazy. This diner is public, so at least there won't be any fireballs."
"Fireballs?"
"Oh, yeah, fireballs."
"I think you should take a shower. Maybe it will wake you up some more. Fireballs? Ha! Fireballs, she says. This I cannot wait to see," Will said leaving her to get in the shower.
Will stared at the wall between her bedroom and the bathroom. She began to wonder who Coraline's mother really was if she was so worried about fireballs. It just didn't make any sense. No one in this world had magic, did they?
Regina entered the hotel room. Emma was still lounging on the bed watching TV. Regina regarded her as she went to the closet and put away her new clothes.
"Find something acceptable, Gina?" Emma asked her.
"It will do. And, I will ask that you don't call me that. My name is Regina."
"Yes, your majesty," Emma replied.
Regina gave her a look and cocked an eyebrow at her. She came back into the room and sat on the end of the bed. Emma immediately moved closer to her. She actually came up behind her, wrapping her legs around her waist and pulling Regina back into her front.
"Relax, Regina. Will kept her here for us. She is going to meet us for an early lunch. Things are going to be okay," Emma told her.
Regina leaned into her embrace and asked, "How can you be so sure?"
"I am not, but I have to believe that it will be. If I go into this thinking the worst, then it will happen. It becomes a self-serving prophecy and we both hate prophecies," Emma replied trying to lighten the mood some.
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"Being here."
"There isn't anywhere to be," Emma answered.
"You know what I mean."
"No, I don't."
"Really, Miss Swan."
"Emma."
"Really, Emma, you don't know what I mean?"
"Tell me," she said as she rested her chin on Regina's shoulder, holding her tighter.
"Thank you for coming with me. Thank you for not running when you found out the news. Thank you for caring enough about our future to put your fears to the side and come with me to bring our daughter home. Thank you for not pushing me emotionally when you know that I am not ready. But, most of all, thank you for being you. I don't know that I would have been able to handle all of this on my own very well. I would have tried to find a way, but knowing that you are in this with me gives me comfort," Regina told her.
"Well, I did know what you meant, then after all," Emma said smiling and nuzzling her ear.
Regina turned her head to face her. The look of pain was obvious, but it didn't make Emma's smile falter. She surrendered to Emma's touch and warmth.
"She hates us."
"No, she doesn't know us. She is running to find information and because she's scared. We just have to be there for her now. We have to help her find out whatever it is she needs to stop this thing in the future. She came back for help and that is what we are going to give her."
"How can you be so calm about this?"
"I am not calm, Regina. I am far from it. I am freaking out on the inside. I've gotten better hiding it. It doesn't do anyone any good for me to freak out. I think I did enough of that in the hospital after Henry ate the turnover. I mean: my parents are Snow White and Prince Charming. I don't think that there is anything else that could surprise me more. Then, Coraline came along. Now, I have to help a daughter that I didn't know I had save our futures. What else can I do? I am not going to turn her away. I can't. You can't, either," Emma stated.
"I know that," Regina said standing up.
"Regina…"
"No, Emma, I don't need to be coddled. I need to know that my daughter will be okay. I don't know that. I am in a town that I don't know and looking for a daughter I don't know. How am I supposed to be okay with that?"
"You aren't. There is no way anyone would be okay with that. We need to find her and let her know that we are here for her. We will do anything for her. She doesn't believe that right now, and if her childhood was anything like mine, I understand that. Now, I need you to calm down and not be so emotional," Emma told her, but still hadn't moved from the bed.
"Why?"
"You tend to get all fiery when you're emotional," Emma stated.
Regina looked down at her hands. Magic was definitely different outside of Storybrooke and she knew that she didn't need to cause a scene. Emma was right. She needed to calm down.
"I'm trying."
"I know."
"Do you want to talk?" Regina asked her.
"About what?"
"Us," Regina answered quietly.
"You want to talk about what happened last night?"
"I guess we should. Don't you? It affects Coraline, doesn't it? We are together and create her together. I think we should explore it ourselves so we aren't surprised by anything that she tells us. I'm sorry. I am not good at this," Regina told her.
"I know. I'm not either. Everything seemed so much easier before."
"It was because I didn't have to acknowledge my feelings."
"I know. Henry brought us together. He showed us how to love again."
"That he did," Regina replied with a smile.
"What are we going to do?"
"What do you want to do?"
"I want to make you happy," Emma replied, with a smirking smile, as she moved across the bed.
"Why?"
"Because out of everyone in that Fairy Tale town, you deserve some happiness in your life. You could make me happy. I could have my family. I would get everything thing that I want. What about you? What do you want?" Emma asked her.
"To be happy and in love."
"Then, be that. Don't let anything stop you. If you want it, take it. Stop waiting for it to come to you. Stop punishing yourself for the past. You aren't the Evil Queen anymore. The people can see it. Hell, even Snow has remarked on it. I don't know if I can make happy, but I know that I could love you if you gave me that chance. And, if Coraline is our daughter, then she is proof that at one point we shared a love a one point."
"She does."
"Can you try?"
"Can I try?"
"To let someone love you?" Emma asked her.
"Emma…"
"I am serious, Regina. Could you let someone love you? Will you try?"
"Everyone who loves me dies. I don't want your blood on my hands, too. Maybe last night was enough. Maybe it could be enough. I don't want you to suffer because of me," Regina replied.
"You are the most stubborn, pig-headed woman I know," Emma practically yelled at her in a huff.
She grabbed Regina by the arm and spun her around. She stared hard down into her mahogany eyes with her bright green. She saw the fear and the love dancing there. She couldn't understand why Regina was still trying to keep her at an arm's length. She was tired of hiding and tired of fighting her own stubbornness when it came to Regina. She kissed her.
She felt Regina surrender to the kiss. She held her close. She tried to make her understand.
"If I suffer you, Regina, it is because I want to," Emma told her breaking the kiss.
"Emma…"
"No, you don't get to do this. You don't get to tell me you love me, let me love you, and then just walk away. I am done running. I am done not caring. I want you, Regina. There I said it. I want you. I want to be with you. Will you let me?" Emma asked her.
"Yes…"
"Good, because I don't know what I would have done, if you'd said 'no'."
"What are we going to do?"
"What do you mean?" Emma asked her in response.
"About Coraline," Regina stated.
"Well, first off, we are going to meet her and Will at the diner. You two are going to talk and somehow we or maybe just you, will convince her to come back with us to Storybrooke. Once we get back, I have no idea. I am just playing this by ear at the moment."
"You told me that everything will be okay," Regina huffed.
"It will be. She is our daughter. How hard could it be to convince her to come back?"
Regina cocked her eyebrow at Emma in reply. Emma smirked. She knew that if Coraline was anything like them it would be very difficult to get her to do anything that she didn't want to do. And, as much as they both knew about their daughter, she was just like them.
"I know. I know. She is our daughter. She is going to be difficult just like we are."
"Snow, are you okay?" Ruby asked coming over to their table to refill their drinks.
"I…I…I'm not sure."
"I think that she is just a little taken aback about the confession that Emma left her with. She is still reeling from the shock. I know that I am," Belle told her.
"Emma's confession?" Ruby asked, sitting down at the table.
"Yeah, about Coraline," Snow accused her.
"Excuse me?" Ruby questioned.
"She told us that Coraline was her daughter, too," Belle told her.
"I knew that."
Snow just picked up her hot tea and drank it. Belle drank some of her water and watched the two friends. Ruby studied Snow, unsure of what to say.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I didn't know."
"That's crap. You knew something. I know that you knew something," Snow stated.
"I knew that Coraline was Regina's daughter just the same as you did. I found that out about that the same time that you did. I figured out that she was related to Henry in some fashion before that, but I wasn't sure. I couldn't be sure. I didn't any information. I couldn't tell you something that I didn't know for sure myself. You know that magic is different here. Which is why I tried to get Emma to investigate it, but she didn't understand the ramifications of what such actions would do or what I meant when I told her that Coraline smelled like Henry. She didn't trust me and my wolf side enough to understand what I was trying to tell her, like you would have. However, Regina did. Regina is the one that investigated Coraline, I guess. Anything that I learned from that point was just information that Regina fed me and my curiosity, nothing more. Which by the way was the other day here in the diner," Ruby told her.
"What about yesterday when you dragged her out of the diner?" Snow inquired.
"That had more to do with Regina and Emma and nothing to do with Coraline."
"What does that mean?" Belle asked.
Ruby sighed. She didn't want to get into this with them. She wanted Regina and Emma to tell them. There had to be some way that she could get out of the conversation. She looked around the diner. There was no help from any other patrons. Ruby was on her own.
"Coraline is both of theirs, Belle," Snow stated like it answered the question.
"I know that, but what does that have to do with Regina and Emma being together?"
"She is of both of them," Snow said a little more matter-of-factly.
"Then she is a magical baby?"
"That is one way of putting it," Ruby replied.
"But, there is only one other instance of that happening that I know of…" Belle started.
"And, what was the cause of that baby?" Snow asked already afraid of the answer.
Belle's eyes got wide. She looked to Ruby for help and then at Snow's wondering gaze. She swallowed hard and whispered only loud enough for them to hear her.
"True Love."
"That would mean that Emma and Regina…"
"They couldn't be, could they?"
"They could and they might be," Ruby stated. "But, you'll have to let them make that choice for themselves. Too much has happened to the both of them for them to go down that road unwillingly. But, do yourselves a favor, and don't judge too harshly. You might not like what others have to say if you disagree with their union if there really is even one."
"I would never," Belle started. "She is my sister. Well, she isn't really, but she thought enough of me as a caretaker to wish to be my sister here. That in itself tells me that I cannot turn my back on the girl. Sister or not, she is partially my responsibility and I will care for her."
"I'm not worried about you, Belle. I know that you won't judge her harshly. I'm talking to Snow on that one. You've judged Regina harshly for her past actions, but she has done nothing since the curse ended but support you and Emma. I'm not counting the incident with her mother. You can't blame her for that. Her mother, well…we all know what Cora is. Regina cares for Emma. She'll do anything for her and Henry. If you can't see that, you're blind."
"I am not denying that, Ruby, but she is my daughter. I just can't… It's Regina of all people. I don't know if I can handle that," Snow told her.
"Alright then. How about this? Do you remember who Regina was before your father died?"
"Yes."
"Did you love her then?" Ruby asked.
"Like a younger sister…like she was my mother and then an older sister. She never treated me like a daughter. She treated me more like a younger companion and sister, even when she was angry with me. She never treated me ill until after Daddy died," Snow stated.
"Then give her the chance to prove it to you again. She's changed her ways. She supports the town. She'll do anything to keep it alive and well. She's done the same for your own grandson. Give her the chance to show you that she can love Emma," Ruby told her.
"If Emma loves her, there isn't much that you are going to be able to do, Snow. Emma is someone who loves fiercely. She isn't going to give up Regina without a fight," Belle stated.
"You're right. I'll give them a chance. I might not have to like it, but I'll leave them alone."
"That is all that Emma would ask of you."
"I know. I am doing this for Emma, because I know how she'll react if I try to forbid it. She is like her father in that manner," Snow said.
"I think she is more like you than you realize," Ruby told her and then left their table.
"We are almost there, Coraline."
"Okay," she replied.
"Are you sure that you are going to be okay with this?"
"No, I am not. There is so much information that I want to know and there is so much information that they want to know. I don't know what to do. Things are difficult between us."
"Just tell them the truth. Explain to them why you left and why you are upset. Tell them whatever you need to tell them. Let them question you. Then, question them. It is the only way that you are going to find out what you want to know. If you don't give them this, you will never know whatever it is that you are looking for. This trip would have been for nothing."
"I know that."
"Come on. I'll sit with you. It looks like there is a table there in the corner. Looks like the perfect place for us to sit. Come on," Will told her, pulling her into the diner.
They walked across the diner and took a seat. It was still going to be a few minutes before Regina and Emma showed up. Will knew that Coraline was nervous, but they were in a busy restaurant at lunch time. It was the perfect set up to not have a crazy interaction.
"Coraline, calm down it will be okay."
"You don't know my mother."
"I am sure that she isn't mad at you. I'm sure that she is just worried. You scared her by leaving. By the way Emma was talking, she was ready to tear Storybrooke apart to find you. Emma knows Boston. She knows me. It was just sheer dumb luck that we hooked up, Coraline. Just give her a chance to explain. If after that you want to run, I promise I won't help them find you," Will explained to her.
"I guess I should be grateful for that."
"Emma can be convincing when she needs to be."
"Don't I know it."
"If things weren't that bad in Storybrooke, why'd you leave?"
"Because I need to know more."
"You just need to know more? Know more about what? What could be so bad that you would have to leave town to find more information on it? You live in a small town. How much more information could you find out about your problem or whatever outside of town?" Will asked.
"I don't know. I just needed to check on some things, put some things into perspective for myself, things that I couldn't find out in town. You just wouldn't understand."
"Like what?"
"Who my father really is?"
"You don't know who you father is?"
"Well, I do, but I don't know anything about them as a person. I know their name. I know where they are from. I know the basics, but I don't know them," Coraline replied.
"And you came to Boston to find out about them?"
"Yes."
"Did it ever occur to you to ask Emma for help? She used to be a bounty hunter. She can find people and dirt on them like the best of them. She would have been the first person I would go to in your situation, but that is just me. It's your life. Do it how you want."
"I would have, but there are some extenuating circumstances that prevented me from going to Emma. And, no, it has nothing to do with her being the town Sherriff. It has more to do with how close she is to my mother," Coraline told her.
"Well, here comes Emma."
"Are you going to stay?"
"I'm going to go talk to Emma. Stay here. I am sure that your mother will be here soon," Will told her.
When Will looked up again and looked out the window, she saw Emma talking with a slightly smaller brunette. When the brunette turned around, she met Will's eyes and Will had to maintain a sense of unrecognition. She turned and looked at Coraline, again. Her heart leapt into her throat and she had to not run out of the diner.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a spare key to her apartment. She pushed it across it across the table and to Coraline. When Coraline looked up at her with a strange gaze, she smiled and pulled out her phone. She faked a quick call to her office. When she was done, Coraline saw her fidgeting with her red-stoned, class ring. She looked like she needed to tell her something.
"I've got a case I need to deal with. Take the key. If things don't go the way you've planned this afternoon, go back to my place. I'll meet you there later. I'll take you to New York myself. I promise. I need to go handle this," she told her as she handed her a business card. "Call me."
Coraline watched her run out of the diner through the side door and not the front door just as Emma and Regina walked in. She wondered what happened that made her lie about a case and needing to leave. Was there something that Will wasn't telling her?
Emma and Regina found Coraline easily. They crossed the diner and sat down. Regina sat on the inside of the booth and Emma took the outer seat. She smiled at Coraline as she sat down.
"Mom, Emma."
"Coraline," Regina stated in greeting.
"Where's Will?" Emma asked, looking around the diner.
"She said that she had a case to work."
"Oh," Emma stated, looking a little dejected that her old friend wasn't there.
"She told me to tell you to call her," Coraline lied. "She wants to hang out with you before you go back to Storybrooke. I think she missed you."
"I've been a bad friend."
"We all have," Regina stated.
Emma leaned back. She knew that Coraline had lied about Will, but she couldn't figure out why. It didn't make sense. She decided to not push it. She was here for her daughter, not for herself. Coraline was her responsibility.
"So…"
"Yeah," Coraline said.
"Why did you run?" Regina asked, addressing the elephant in the room.
"I needed to know more."
"More about what?" Regina questioned.
"Emma," Coraline stated, looking down at the table and memorizing the pattern on it.
"You know who she is to you?" Regina asked her.
"Yes, I do. I've always know who she is to me. I've always known who my parents were."
"And, you never told us?"
"I couldn't. There is so much that I can't tell you. I have to get my information and find out how to get home. I didn't think that I would be able to get to know you and find out about my family and heritage. It wasn't a priority for me. Breaking the curse that I am under in the future is the only thing I am truly worried about."
"Then, why did you come to Boston?" Regina asked her.