Chapter 23

Thirty minutes later, they were all outside Granny's Diner. No one seemed to mind that Rhiannon was coming with them. She did look a little odd in pair of David's jeans and Emma's shirt, but they fit her well and it helped her blend in with their motley crew.

Grumpy was the last one to show up. He handed the beans to Charming. He looked around and got ready to throw the bean at the street.

"Remember to think of the Enchanted Forest and that is where you will go. Everyone ready?" he asked but didn't wait for their collective answer before throwing the bean, "Then, let's go home."

They all jumped in. Regina held hands with Emma and Rhiannon. Emma was holding hands with Regina and Henry. They jumped into the green swirling madness and thought about the land that none of them called home.

Seconds later, they hit the forest floor and rolled through the dirt. Rhiannon stood first, a little unsteady, but she made up for it with her composure. She helped Henry to his feet first. Before she got to Emma and Regina, they had helped themselves up.

"I forgot how much traveling by bean could upset one's stomach," Rhiannon stated.

"Don't worry. It'll go away before the 'happiness headache' takes over. Then, you'll understand why I drink so much cider," Regina told her, laughing.

Emma smiled. She knew that it was Snow and her unending happiness that made Regina drink heavily while they were in the Enchanted Forest. She also knew that she would partake of a few too many while she was here. Her own mother was sometimes even a little too chipper for her.

"It'll be okay. Believe me. Regina keeps the place stocked for when we have to come here."

Now it was Regina's turn to laugh. She knew that Emma was joking to a degree, but she was right. Regina did keep a large supply of her hard apple cider hidden in her former castle for her own personal use. She even shared it with Emma a few times when the celebratory wine wasn't working enough for the Savior.

They headed down the road and towards the castle without a care in the world. A few years ago, they would have been fighting flying monkeys or bandits or possibly even Snow herself if things had worked out differently, but today was a quiet day. Snow seemed to be holding back waiting for them at every chance she could. It wasn't bothering Emma, yet, but she could tell that something was up with her mother. It wasn't that she wasn't happy that her mother and her lover had finally come to some sort of arrangement. She was happy about that beyond words. What was bothering her now was her mother's inability to understand that they needed private time.

"Regina?" Snow finally asked when they caught up to the group again.

"Yes, Snow? What can I do for you now? Did I miss something?"

"No, I would like to talk to you in private, if I may."

Emma eyed her mother but didn't say anything. Regina just nodded in response. She looked over at Emma's face and about laughed. Before the other night, Regina would have been making the same face at Snow for wanting to talk to Emma in private. She got closer to Emma and kissed her.

"Look after Rhiannon. I am sure that it is nothing. I'll be right back. She's probably forgotten the code to the cellar again. Don't worry. It nothing, Dear," she told her before walking up to join Snow.

"Yes, Snow, what is it that you need?" Regina asked her.

"I want to talk to you."

"Then talk. You're making Emma nervous. I'm sure that she is having a difficult time understand that we have come to some reconciliation and thinks that we are still plotting to kill each other. We don't exactly have the best record with each other when we are alone."

"That is true. But, still, there are some things that I would like to discuss with you before the ball tomorrow night. They are things that I am not sure Emma would be … responsive about."

"Does it concern Henry?"

"Yes," Snow replied.

"Then, you should talk to the both of us. It isn't fair to hold things back from her just because she doesn't fully understand the ways of the kingdom. She is still his mother."

"I know that, Regina, but you are, too."

"I haven't forgotten that and I never will," Regina replied.

"That is why I want to speak with you, first."

"Snow, I understand your concern, but I assure you that you need to have this conversation with Emma present. I hurt her enough the other night. We both did because we kept the truth from her. How am I supposed to get her to trust me again if I keep this from her?"

"Because it has everything to do with her as much as it does with Henry," Snow told her.

"I guess I don't follow."

"Regina, I gave you my blessing."

"Yes, and I am thankful for that, but I don't know what that has to do with Henry."

"Henry is our heir through Emma."

"You plan on giving him the throne, don't you?" Regina asked her.

"It is the logical choice. It would have naturally fallen to Emma, but seeing how past events will probably keep that from happening, it would go to her heir. Henry is of our blood and he is the son of our daughter. It doesn't matter that you raised him before we all found out his lineage."

"I understand that, Dear, but what does that have to do with Emma?"

"Everything."

"And, me?"

"You are, for lack of better term, her consort," Snow told her.

"Meaning that if Emma were to actually succeed you, I would by default become Queen again."

"Yes, that is true. It would also make you the Queen Mother of Henry. I need to know what your intentions are if something were to happen and Henry was asked to be king."

"I have no desire to be queen unless Emma is by my side. I have no designs on your throne, Snow. The White-Swan throne is safe from me."

"I am not worried about the throne. I need to know that you will help Henry become the king that his people will need. He hasn't been to the Forest enough to understand our ways. He wasn't raised here, Regina. He will be just as reluctant as Emma will be. They will need you to help them find their way in our land…their land."

Regina didn't know what to say. She never expected that Snow would ask her something of this magnitude, but then again, she never planned on letting Snow kill her either. It was definitely another turning point in their strange step-mother/step-daughter, mother/mother-in-law relationship. Regina wasn't sure that she would ever be ready to live in the Enchanted Forest, again. She had gotten used to indoor plumbing and all the trappings of the "modern world."

"I don't know what you want me to tell you," Regina finally answered.

"I have a feeling that after I announce that I have pardoned you and freed you that Emma will ask us if she can marry you. If she does and you agree, that would put you back in line with the throne. It does make me wary because of our past, but then I remember what happened to you with my father…"

"I told you that I didn't want to speak of that."

"I am not trying to hash old memories. I need to know that you will be there for them and the people if they need you. I need to know that you will step up and be the Queen Consort that the people can come to respect and follow without fear. I need to know that you will continue to support this family and its throne, regardless of who is sitting on it."

"You know that I will. My devotion to your precious daughter and our son could only be rivaled by your own. I will not do anything to hurt them or the people of this realm. My only concern is for Emma and Henry's welfare. Is that in line with what you want?"

"Completely," Snow replied.

"Then, my Dear Queen Snow, you have nothing to worry about from me," Regina told her giving her a deep bow.

"There is no need for that," Snow told her.

"But, there is your majesty. I am your subordinate now. I have to pay the proper respect, do I not?"

"You never have before, why start now? Besides, I like your constant questioning of me. It helps me ponder things from every angle. If it wasn't for you and the twenty-eight years in Storybrooke, I don't think I would have ever realized that you were a strict but fair ruler. You did a lot for that town, but I know that it was because you were hunting me down."

"That is true, Dear. I had my eye on you every day. It was easier to reign as Mayor than it was as Queen. I am sure that you have found that to be true, as well."

"I have. But, I have also learned more about you as a person. Emma was right. You aren't the Evil Queen anymore. You are just Regina. I think that is all you ever wanted to be anyway. I understand that. There are times when I feel like it would be so much easier just be Mary Margaret back in Storybrooke with David, then being Queen here. I didn't understand the full burden of ruling. I didn't understand what it would entail for me. I was more worried about finding Charming and being in love than I was worried about the kingdom. I was too busy trying to stop you, than I was actually trying to deal with the day to day realities that life here has. I spent more time in Storybrooke, blissfully unaware of my past and my future. Now, I have to plan for everything. I have to make sure that Eva and Ruth will be provided for, that the kingdom will remain steadfast and strong, that Henry will become a benevolent king like his grandfather. There is so much that I worry about. It is nice to know that you are no longer one of the fears that could end the peaceful existence that we have carved out here."

"You have no fear of me?"

"Well, sometimes, I do," Snow replied with a mocking smile and sarcasm.

"I have a question for you, Snow."

"What?"

"You gave me your blessing, a pardon, and your forgiveness."

"I took your life, in more ways than one. It only seemed fair that I restore it for you. But, I am sure that wasn't your question," Snow stated.

"No, it wasn't."

"Then, what could you possibly ask me that you don't already know the answer to?"

"I am not sure how things stand between Emma and me."

"Oh, come on, Regina, she still loves you. If she didn't, she wouldn't have gotten so mad at you. She wouldn't have tried to figure out why she was so mad with you."

"You could tell?" Regina asked.

"Yes, and I told she was being an idiot."

"You did what?"

"Hey, sometimes, we all need a little push in the right direction. She is so used to everyone that loves leaving her that she figured now that you had your powers back you would, too. When I smacked her with the truth that you weren't leaving, that you were just trying to make amends, I think she finally realized how much she loves you and it scared her. It scared her to the core because she has never loved someone like you, who was willing to stay and to fight for her the way that you do. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know how to respond. She knows that you are her true love, but she didn't understand what that meant for her until she saw you dead on the bed. It shook her, Regina. It will take her some time, but she'll remember why she loves you more than she'll remember why she is mad," Snow told her.

"How do you know that?"

"Because I had to deal with the same thing with Charming on Neverland."

"But, you got him back, like you always do," Regina replied.

"And, you will, too. Give her time, Regina. She loves you. If she didn't, she wouldn't have gone against my wishes for so long when it concerned you. She wouldn't have chosen you over coming back to the Enchanted Forest. Sure there was Henry to worry about, but I think that she decided to stay more for you than she was worried about becoming a real life princess."

"Do you really think that Emma will actually propose to me?" Regina questioned.