After everyone else had gone to sleep, Regina hesitantly came over to where Emma sat against a tree. She sat down next to her, the two women only seperated by a root..
"You know you could go to sleep. I'll be keeping watch," Emma said. She doubted that Regina would do it, though, the dark-haired woman seemed to run on pure adrenaline and witchcraft. Emma hadn't seen her sleep at all since they arrived on the island.
"I like to keep an eye on things," Regina answered.
Emma sighed. She picked up a wooden stick of which you could find an endless amount here and started drawing into the sand between her feet.
"There was actually something I wanted to discuss with you," Regina said after awhile and found it necessary to add: "If it doesn't interfere with your drawing lesson, that is."
Emma half turned to her, lifting an eyebrow as a way of telling the other woman to drop the act. Regina found that Emma looked tired, and not just of her snarks.
"I'm sorry. It's the way i talk when your mother's around. I sometimes forget to drop it," she explained.
"What did you wanna talk about?"
"Henry, saving Henry?"
"We are already working on that, remember?" Emma said defensively.
"Yes, but it's kind of slow coming," the dark-haired former queen answered.
"Well, I haven't heard you adding anything constructive to any of our plans in the last few days."
"Because every time I open my mouth, I get shot down by little Miss Righteous and sandy-haired footstool."
A wicked smile rushed Emma's features at the description of her parents before she remembered that this really wasn't nice. She rubbed a hand over her face but Regina had seen the smile and had trouble hiding her own.
"Well, your plans always kinda involve killing people, and in this case that would mean: adolescents," Emma argued after a moment.
"Adolescents with pointy sticks dipped in a lethal poison. I think whatever we do to them is validated by the fact that they're trying to kill us, Ms. Swan," Regina reasoned.
Emma once again turned toward Regina, a comical look on her face.
"Are we back to that again?"
"To what?"
"Nothing, you… you haven't called me that in awhile, that's all," Emma said and Regina looked questioningly at her for a moment before she realized what she'd called the blonde.
"Ms. Swan… right. Emma then, or should I address you with your title of savior. You'd have to admit that that would be quite ironic, considering you saved the people from MY curse."
"I never asked for anyone to call me savior, Regina. Emma will suffice. As for your plan to kill everyone, though…," she flinched and shook her head.
"That's a nay?" Regina asked.
"They're still kids. And I'm not talking about the evil ringleader but the others… they should still get a chance to get back to their old life, you know?"
"You don't even know where they came from, Emma, They could not even have something anyone would call a former life and they all seemed to be quite happy to stay here with Pan," Regina didn't want to give it up just yet, though she must have known that it was useless to argue with a Charming… Swan.
"There's not gonna be any killing of adolescent boys, Regina. Give it up."
"All right, but there's still something we have to do. The longer Henry is with him… with Pan… it's not the first time he felt abandoned, you know that." A dark, yet somehow hurt look found its way into Regina's eyes. They shimmered like obsidians and Emma couldn't quite look away, couldn't ignore the hurt the woman had endured.
"He's a strong boy, Regina. YOU raised him that way. Believe me, I want him back here with us as much as you do but Pan is obviously not that easily out-maneuvered."
"And he won't be out-maneuvered by anything your parents can come up with. If we want our son back, we need to join forces, Emma. Not them, not the pirate, you and I. We may not have to kill the Lost Boys… maybe there's another way. But there WILL be magic involved, Emma, and you really need to learn to control yours," Regina lectured, but her voice was softer than Emma thought she'd ever heard it when the dark-haired beauty wasn't talking to Henry.
"All right," she consented. "you're right. You'll help me master my powers… beginning tomorrow morning. Are you going to get some sleep tonight?"
"No, I can't sleep… here. Not with those two around, anyway."
"Then I'll get some sleep and you keep watch," Emma told her and grinned.
Regina made a face but it was closely followed by a small smile.
"Careful there, evil queen. You're warming up to me," Emma chuckled.
"Well, don't let your mother know that that feeling might be mutual, savior. She might have a heart-attack… on second thought, let me wake her and tell her the good news," Regina grinned up at the leggy blonde.
"Funny," Emma threw back over her shoulder as she sauntered off to her bivouac.