Authors note: Trigger Warning: Talk about rape and spousel abuse! I hope I do the talk justice. Enjoy ;)
Snow was following her former step mother to the living room. They both sat down on the white couch. For moments they just stared into space. Not knowing how to begin.
Snow eventually broke the tense silence. "Cora manipulated me, you know. Into telling her about you and Daniel.
Regina just stared at her with a cold expression. "You were 12 years old. Old enough to know what a secret was. I begged you not to tell her, but you still betrayed my trust, you betrayed me. I know my mother was manipulative, I've lived with the woman my whole life."
"And I'm so sorry, Regina. I'm so, so sorry."
Regina felt tears fill her eyes and shook her head. "Sorry won't just make me forget all the horrors I've been through, just because you wanted a mother."
Snow saw how Regina pulled her walls up again. "I know. You can't possibly know how sorry I am for betraying you. I realize that I've cost you everything."
Regina closed her eyes so the tears wouldn't escape. "I never wanted to be Queen. I Would've been happy being the wife of a poor stable boy, raising our children." Regina caressed her stomach lovingly. "I never wanted power. But I realize that it was unfair to put the blame only on you. My mother was very good at manipulating people."
Snow looked at her with sorrow. "Please believe, Regina. I never wanted to cause you any pain."
Regina couldn't stop the tears from falling any longer. "I know that, dear. But it doesn't change the fact that I've been trapped in a loveless and abusive marriage for over 13 years."
"And I'm so sorry for that. After you told me that Daniel had run away and that you were going to be my mother, I was so happy. I thought that you would be happy too."
"I still loved you, you know? That's why I didn't tell you that Daniel had died. I didn't want you to live with that guilt. But after time it got harder. Every time I tried to get over my hate, I felt like I was betraying him. It was physically hurting me to love you, you were the girl that got my true love killed. It didn't help that your father was still in love with your mother, Queen Eva."
Snow looked down at her hands. "He was such a kind man."
Regina shook her head and looked up. "He may have been a kind father, and a kind King. But to me he was a monster."
Regina looked down and her eyes crossed with Snows. Snow let out a soft gasp at the amount of pain she saw in her step mothers brown orbs.
"I can't tell you about this. Snow. You don't need to know about this."
Snow grabbed Regina's hand and held in her breath, wondering if she had overstepped her boundaries. When Regina didn't pull away her hand she let the warm breath escape her mouth. "Yes I do, Regina. I need to know. I need to know what my father did to you, because I was one of the reasons that you were trapped in that position."
Regina took a deep breath. "He was kind at first. But it all changed when we got married. He expected me to... produce him a male heir. And when I refused to have sex with him, he would... he would force himself on me."
Snow felt tears run down her pale cheeks. She never knew.
"I was always glad when you had had a nightmare and you would ask me if you could sleep in my bed. Even though I couldn't stand you, I was glad when you called for me. At least when you were in my bed, the King wouldn't try to have his way with me again."
Snow remembered that. Regina always seemed to be relieved whenever she would ask if she could stay with her.
"Everyday I could feel my heart grow more and more darker. I was getting better at magic with the help of Rumplestiltskin. And then your father brought the genie. I used his... obsession with me, so that I could convince him to... kill the King."
Snow gasped at the confession. She always suspected that Regina had something to do with her father's death, but to actually get the confirmation was a whole different thing.
Regina looked Snow in the eyes. "I know you always thought that I killed him to ascend the throne, to reign over the kingdom alone. But that was never what it was about. I never wanted power, I never wanted to be Queen. I killed him so that I wouldn't be scared anymore! Scared that he would come into my bedchamber at night and rape me in my own bed! Scared that he would beat me if I didn't allow him to touch me!"
The room was engulfed in a tense silence. Snow swallowed and finally started talking again. "There are things that you've done that I can't forgive you for. And I know that there are things that you can't ever forgive me for. It would be foolish to think that we can just talk things through and then we would be one big happy family. But we can at least try to get over the past, for your child, for my brother or sister. But most importantly, for us. We can't keep living in this downwards spiral, Regina."
Regina nodded her head slowly, letting Snow's words sink in. "You're right. We can try to be civil and maybe even some sort of friends. But it's going to take some time."
Snow nodded and smiled. "I'm glad we finally really talked, Regina."
Regina smiled back. "I'm glad too, Snow."
...
"What are you so happy about?" Emma asked when she saw her mother enter the appartment with a big grin on her face.
"Regina and I finally talked."
"Really?" Emma asked surprised.
"Yes, really. We agreed that we would try to get over the past. For her child and my little brother or sister."
Emma smiled. "I really have to start drawing a family tree, this is getting really complicated. My sons adoptive mother is also my step grandmother, which makes her also Henry's step great grandmother." Emma massaged her temples. "Wow, this is confusing."
Snow laughed. "Yes it is, Emma. It sure is."
...
"I had a talk with Snow today." Regina said to her fiancé, who was spooning her from behind and caressing her slightly protruding stomach.
"How did it go?"
Regina smiled. "Great, actually."
He kissed her neck. "I'm glad."
"Yes, me too. Really glad."
Maybe there was still a chance...
...
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