Regina returned home from a long day at the office with both girls. Nina ran into the den shouting something or other about a doll house after her coat was taken off whereas Danni ran upstairs slamming her bedroom door behind her.

The brunette kicked off her heels and gently massaged her feet before leaning back up and stretching her neck; trying to release the stubborn kink. "Oh what I would do for a massage. Where are you Emma, when I need you?" She closed her eyes and smiled to herself at the thought of her wife. She relished the moment and took a few deep breaths to brace herself for another night as a single mom before it was broken with 'Mommy I needs help, its too heavy!'

"Oh god what is she up to now." Regina opened her eyes, releasing herself from her calm state and rushed to find her youngest daughter.

"Danni, your dinner will be ready in ten minutes." Regina lightly knocked on the bedroom door that the blonde girl had locked herself into for the last week.

A scuffle and a few ruffling noises could be heard through the door. The brunette narrowed her eyes feeling like something was off "Can I come in?" her mother intuition kicking in.

She placed her hand on the brass handle, pausing for a reply before opening the door.

"I was just…"

Clothes, scrunched up pieces of paper, dirty drink glasses, video games and lacrosse equipment were scattered across the room. It was a bomb site. Only a teenager could say this was a liveable environment.

"What?" Danni snapped as she sat up from her sprawled position on the half made bed.

Clenching her teeth at the state of her step daughter's room and the disrespect, she took a deep breath before she began. "Dinner will be ready soon. Nina should be out of the bathroom so you can wash up."

"Whatever."

Regina sighed and climbed over the obstacles of muddy sport equipment in her immaculate work clothes to the closed window to open it. "Danni I wish we could get along. It would make the time whilst your mother is away much easier… and nicer for all of us."

Suddenly Regina was blasted with the smell of fresh air as is diffused through the seven day old stuffiness. She breathed in the crisp autumn air and closed her eyes to relish the moment and then turned around to find Danni face down listening to music through headphones on her bed. The brunette mother knew the teenager probably had not listened to her but she decided to choose her battles and this one was not worth it.

After yet another quiet dinner between the two with a few whinges from Nina who refused to eat her vegetables, Regina asked Danni if she could tidy her room whilst she got Nina ready for an early night. She was answered with another 'whatever' – a word Regina was beginning to hate – before the teen slammed her bedroom door shut.

"Why do I needs to go to bed erlays mommy and Danni doesants for not eating her veggies? It's not fairs." Nina screamed as Regina guided the four year old upstairs, who was dragging her black booted shoes across the floor.

"Walk properly and stop your screeching young lady!"

"But whys am I getting put to bed early and nots Danni too?"

Regina sighed trying to figure out a way to tell the four year old why the teen was getting away with something she was not. It wasn't fair; Nina was right but her step daughter was not listening to her. That was something Nina had not picked up on with the help of Regina making up stories to explain the relationship. It wouldn't do Nina good if she knew the real reason. Regina would then have a four year old spouting of demands trying to run the household as well as a twelve year old.

So Regina knelt down to Nina once they entered the purple princess room and told her yet another story, "Danni is missing her mommy so she is feeling a bit off."

The little girl rubbed her watery eyes with her small hands at the realisation, "She nots feeling well?" Nina answered with worry in her voice.

"Yes, something like that."

"Thens she needs to take some of that yucky medicine thens mommy ands lots of hugs ands kisses." Nina nodded to her mother waiting for her agreement who gave her a warm smile.

"I don't think she'll appreciate any of that sweetheart, but I'll have some of those hugs and kisses from my special little girl."

"Are you sick too mommy?" Nina's worry returned and her bottom lip drooped.

Regina gently pulled the said lip between her thumb and pointer finger, "Tuck that lip back in young lady, you should not pout."

"I'm sorry mommy."

The brunette no longer lived as a queen but she still could not forget the lessons that were drilled into her when she was a little girl.

Regina relaxed her features and rubbed the little girl's arms, "It's quite alright dear. Now let's get you ready for bed." She stood up and walked to the large chest of drawers.

After Nina was settled into bed she opened up her arms for a hug, "Time for hugs and kisses from my little angel."

"Are you still feeling sicky?" Nina asked after several hugs and kisses.

Regina laughed at her child's innocence, "I'm not sick Nina. I just like your hugs and kisses."

She pulled back from the child and gave her one last kiss. "Goodnight darling. Sweet dreams."

After leaving the door slightly ajar, Regina walked over to the next room to check on Danni's progress with her room with a new found optimism. She was in mom mode. Surpassing knocking as she never got an answer, Regina opened the door to find the room untouched since the last time she saw it.

Brown eyes zeroed on her step daughter, who was sitting at her desk "Danni, can you please tidy your room. It is not healthy for you to live like this."

The girl picked up a pencil and decided to spin it acting like her step mom was not there. Her determination to not submit to her mother's new wife was running on a high.

The brunette sighed heavily as her patience wore thin as she was not used to taking such utter disrespect from anyone. She climbed over the few items of clothing to stand on front of her step daughter. Regina said her name softly again to get her attention but the reaction she got was a large grin and then the girl swinging round her chair like it was some sort of game.

If an employee treated the Mayor with this type of behaviour, they would be at the end of a swift tongue lashing and an official warning. If it was Emma, she would be on the couch for a week. Or even if Nina decided she was going to take her mommy on, she would be sent to bed with a sore butt.

This was Danni though; how do you deal with a step daughter of just over a month? Regina knew if this girl was her own from the start, Danni would be receiving the same punishment as Nina would get. But she knew she couldn't. It would not be fair and she didn't feel she had the right to discipline her. That was Emma's territory.

However something had to be done. Regina was the town Mayor. Nevermind her pride but if the townspeople heard Danni speaking to her in such a way willy nilly, they would then question her parenting. Then they would question why if she couldn't keep a pre-teen under control then who is to say she could control a town.

"I would like to remind you that whilst your mother is away I am to take care of you and that includes control of all privileges. So if you carry on with this display of insolence Danni, we will need to take a look at those privileges." Regina calmly said putting a hand on a slim shoulder, hoping to not initiate a drastic reaction from the blonde.

A hideous chuckle instead exploded from her. The slim body suddenly lent forward wrapping her hands around her stomach, kicking her legs; pretending to be in a fit of laughter.

If Regina didn't know better, she would have thought the girl had gone crazy but she knew the signs of a coping mechanism from all the years she spent with the Mad Hatter in the Enchanted Forest.

Regina gave the girl a few moments to get it out of system. The pre-teen probably just needed to register what had just been said, she thought. But Danni kept it up and wouldn't let go.

"Danni calm down!" She stood on front of Danni and firmly put her hands on both knees.

The room suddenly went silent: the chuckles had stopped, only heavy breathing was left behind.

Happy that her step daughter had quietened, Regina tried to get a look at Danni face through the golden locks she inherited from Emma.

"Don't. Touch me." Danni spat out though gritted teeth, startling her step mother who took a step back. Her leg muscle's twitching from the touch.

"I was trying to see if you were alright." Regina took her eyes from her and took a deep breath, counting to three. "Can you please tidy your room Danni." She went back to the matter at hand as she didn't want to battle with her wife's daughter.

Danni looked up eventually and focused her eyes onto brown ones. She placed her bare feet firmly onto the floor and used the arm rests to push herself up to her full height. Teen attitude coursed through her like it was part of her body. Danni matched the attitude with an equally twisted know-it-all smirk. A smirk that would push any parents buttons to the max.

It caught Regina off guard but she kept her face blank, thanking her years as the Evil Queen to perfect the art. Only her stormy eyes gave away the anger that exuded from her as she watched her step daughter saunter past her with ease and lazily jump back onto the messed bed with her arms behind her head, breathing out an 'Ah' as her body reached the mattress.

Regina turned her back to Danni, needing to take a few moments to think.

She wasn't going to listen. Danni was not going to listen to her. Regina knew this would happen but Emma would not listen to her; Emma was too wrapped up at the chance to play hero… 'NO, I can't think like that! I can't blame Emma.' This was Danni. Yes the girl was going through a tough time but so was the rest of the family. It didn't give her a free pass to treat her like crap or did it? After all, she was used to having Emma all to herself and now Emma's time and love was split between three people.

Feeling a little guilty from her assessment of the situation, Regina's anger simmered which she was thankful for. It never did anyone good to be at the end of her wrath. Emma's mother knew that all too well.

She turned her head and looked at the display of her step daughter, sprawled back as if she were queen. Regina smirked at this. If Danni wants to play this game she didn't want to give the girl the satisfaction of playing along with her, because what is a game if there is only one person to play.

"I am going to get you some black bags and a duster. And when I return I would like to see you have made a start Danni." Regina said firmly and walked out the room with her shoulders back.

Downstairs in the utility room, Regina picked up the holder with all the day to day cleaning products and picked up a roll of black bags and balanced them on top of the bottles. She switched of the room light and walked to the kitchen to collect two glasses of water before making her way back to the staircase with her hands full.

"Eh where do you think you are going at this time of night?"

There was Danni with her blue leather jacket and brown boots, skipping down the stairs.

Regina was greeted with yet again silence. She moved forward with the cleaning equipment and glasses still in her hands to the bottom of the stairs, blocking the blonde who was none too happy about it as she tried to get past.

"You are supposed to be tidying your room Danni." Regina ignored the girls struggle to get past her and she persisted to try and dodge her way through the narrow passage. "Now why don't we go back upstairs and make a start on it?" She took a step up waiting for Danni to turn back up the stairs.

"Move." Danni spat as she glared at her step mother, green eyes poking daggers at brown.

The older woman was not phased at all by Danni's rudeness as she has become accustomed to it. "Danni I can assure you that your mother would not like you to speak to me like that and I for one do not tolerate insolence when I'm at work from my staff so I sure will not tolerate it from my family. So I ask you to mind your manners…"

"Move…please." Danni spat out again but with more sarcasm.

Regina took another step up the stairs which gained her the height advantage, "Don't be rude. Now let's go upstairs." Not wanting to fight with the blonde was becoming an ongoing battle; she fought the nerve to take the bait that Danni so gladly put out. But she was not going to be out done by a 12 year old. She used to be the Evil Queen for goodness sake.

Yet again Danni stood her ground. She was stubborn just like her mother. But she was also quick tempered; that was not Emma. Her breathing grew heavy as each second went by when she didn't get her own way.

Regina moved her head forward to encourage the girl to go upstairs, but was quickly soaked by the water glasses as Danni barged past her knocking the glasses with her shoulder against Regina's red shirt.

She gasped at the shock of the cold liquid seeping through to her skin but quickly put the holder she had down on the step on front of her.

Danni was just running down the few steps to the front door when she felt a hand on her shoulder, "Right Madam, I have…"

"OH, THERE SHE IS! My one and only daughter, Regina. I thought I would drop by dear, since you have not called… to tell me you got married! I had to hear from Rubes." Cora closed the door with a sharp flick of her hand, with Ruby collapsing on top of the suitcases with exhaustion.

Regina looked at the scene on front of her, opening then closing her mouth; lost for words. To say she was shocked would be an understatement. She knew she had some explaining to do. 'I cannot deal with this right now.'

Danni however, after releasing herself from Regina's loosened grip, stood to the side embracing the moment with a large smile. Her step mother was obviously in deep shit with her mother. 'Oh it sure as hell is going to be fun around here.'

Exciting stuff ahead: Cora lays into Regina, Danni lays into Regina. Poor Regina. But Regina will not take the punches without fighting back. ;D

Hope you all enjoyed. Please tell me if you liked or disliked, I need reviews to help me see where I am going right/wrong.

I am back to writing again so keep your eyes peeled for an update.

Oh yeah, if any of you know this fic - Emma curses the whole town and gives everyone their happy ever after and Regina ends waking up being married to Emma and Emma is Mayor - I have looked for this fic for ages as I never finished reading it. It may have been taken down but if not please tell me the name if you know it.

Thank you for taking time to read. Speak to ya'll soon. ;)