A/N: Thank you guys for such a great response to the first chapter of this. Your reviews and messages and follows/favorites are seriously encouraging. I've got an idea where I think I want this to go, and the next couple of chapters should come up soon since I've already written them. No idea how long this will end up, but please continue to review and follow along. Thanks again!
2
"Stay away from me!"
The younger Regina reached inside her coat and extracted a small, yet sharp dagger. She brandished it with uncertain hands, pointing the tip at Emma. Behind her, the horse let out a shrieking whinny before galloping away from the fenceline in alarm.
"Whoa," the Sheriff said, holding her hands up in surrender. "Take it easy. I'm not going to hurt you."
"Who are you?" She demanded. "What is this strange land, and how did I get here?"
Emma took a cautious step forward. "Regina, calm down. Just put the knife down, and we'll talk, alright?"
The younger woman tried to keep her expression stony, but she stepped back further towards the fence at Emma's advance. Her eyes betrayed her, revealing the intense fear she felt, and Emma ached to dismiss that terror. To help this poor, scared girl.
"How do you know my name?" Regina questioned.
"I know you," Emma answered, and the girl raised an eyebrow at her. "Well, a version of you. My name is Emma Swan, and I'm your friend, Regina. I promise. Please, put the knife down."
The girl hesitated. "How do I know I can trust you?"
"Look in my eyes," the blonde urged her, and the russet gaze clashed with green. "I'm not going to hurt you. I want to help you."
Regina stared at her a moment longer before she hesitantly lowered the glinting knife. Emma sighed in relief. After having her heart ripped out by one Regina already today, she really had not liked the idea of being run through by another.
"Emma Swan," the brunette said. "You said that was your name?" The Sheriff nodded. "I'm Regina Mills."
"I know, "Emma said.
"Right," Regina frowned. "How... How did I get here? One moment I was home in the stables and the next... I'm here." She looked at her surroundings with a furrowed brow. "In this strange, strange land."
"It's called Storybrooke," the blonde informed. "It's a town in Maine." Regina furrowed her brow as if Emma was speaking a foreign language. Which, the Savior realized, she probably was to the girl. "I know it's all confusing now, but you kind of created this town through magic."
"Magic?" Regina shook her head. "I don't like magic. It's terrifying."
"You don't like magic now," Emma corrected her, "but one day, you're going to cast a curse over your entire land and banish everyone here to take away their happy endings."
The girl's mouth fell open. "Why... Why would I ever do something so cruel?"
Emma chewed on her lower lip. "It's kind of hard to explain. You did something bad, but you did have cause for it. Even though you were misguided, you thought it would make you happy. A lot of things happened, and you were hurt. You wanted revenge."
"Revenge?" She questioned. "Revenge for what?"
The Sheriff paused. "For a lot of things, I think. You were angry at your mother. And mine, too."
"Your mother? I don't even know her."
"You kind of do." Emma prodded at the ground awkwardly with the toe of her boot. "She's sort of your... stepdaughter." It was extremely unsettling to say the word.
"Snow?" Regina said, and the other woman nodded. "But how is that possible? She's just a child."
"It's hard to explain," the Savior sighed. "Honestly, I don't fully understand it either. You've tried to explain it all to me a million times before, but I'm still foggy on the concept. All I can say is magic is some crazy shit." She looked back at Regina's lost expression and thought a moment. What all had happened to this Regina? Had Snow spilled her secret and caused Cora to kill Daniel? Did this Regina even know Daniel yet? She had to be very careful what she said for fear of overwhelming the poor girl. "You wanted to make my mother pay for betraying you and costing you something you held dear."
The girl's eyes darkened with a burning rage she hadn't seemed capable of before. "Daniel."
Emma nodded. "Yeah. So, you learned how to use magic from Rumpelstiltskin and bided your time for revenge. It took a long time, but you eventually cast the, um, what was it you called it? The 'curse to end all curses.'" She sighed at the younger woman who barely even resembled the town's mayor. "Listen, I know it's a lot to take in. You're probably freaking out right now. I know I was when I found out about all of this. It's going to be okay, though. We're going to sort all this out and get you back home where you belong."
"How?" Regina asked her.
The Savior shrugged. "I have no clue yet, but we'll figure something out." She reached her hand out to the girl. "Trust me?"
Regina's eyes flickered from Emma's face to her hand for a few long moments before finally taking the Sheriff's proffered hand and nodding. "Yes."
Emma smiled at her. "Good. Now, let's get you out of here. Are you hungry?"
It took far too long to convince the young woman that the vehicle parked on the road wasn't a dragon in disguise that would consume her, but Emma managed to coax her into the passenger's seat eventually. Starting the engine caused another fuss from the woman beside her, but Emma soothed her by turning the radio on a classical station. Before driving off, she sent a text message to Regina telling her that she'd found her third self and would be at Granny's in twenty minutes. She didn't wait for a response before pulling a U-turn and heading back for town.
"So, we're friends here in this land?" Regina questioned, and Emma glanced over at her.
"Uh, yeah, more or less," she shrugged her shoulders.
"We've always been friends?" The younger woman pressed.
Emma chuckled. "No. Not at all. We absolutely hated each other at first."
"Why?" The brunette asked, furrowing her brow curiously and folding her hands neatly in her lap.
"It's kind of a long story," the Sheriff replied. "I don't want to throw too much on you at one time."
Regina set her jaw. "I can handle it. I assure you that I am tougher than I may first appear."
"Alright," Emma yielded to her. "If you say so. In this world, you and I kind of have a son together."
Her jaw dropped in awe. "This land must be quite strange indeed if you and I could... concieve a child together."
The Savior couldn't stop a snort of laughter. "No, not like that. Biologically, he's my kid, but I had him young and gave him up for adoption. You adopted him. A few years ago, he found me and brought me back here to break the curse. You and I didn't get off on the best foot."
"What's his name?" Regina inquired.
Emma smiled over at her softly. "Henry."
The brunette gasped, and a smile came over her gentle lips as she looked ahead out the windshield. "Henry. He must be wonderful."
"He is," Emma conceded, turning her attention back to the road. "Absolutely amazing. You did a great job raising him."
"It sounds as if he's the one thing I managed to get right." There was a frown on the younger woman's face, and it hurt Emma to see her so forlorned. Reaching out, she covered Regina's hand with her own and gave it a supportive squeeze.
"Not the only thing," she told her, and the girl smiled back in appreciation, but she was clearly not convinced.
Emma parked in front of Granny's and stepped out. She hurried over to the other side and opened the door for her passenger, who was too scared to even try and work the door handle. When she got out of the car and caught all the confused eyes trained on her from those passing by, she clung to Emma's arm like a lost child.
"Why are they looking at me like that?" She whispered.
Emma smirked slightly. "Because, believe it or not, they're more freaked out right now than you are." She looked down at the girl. "Come on. I'm starved."
The two entered the diner together and sat down in a back booth away from prying eyes. Ruby came and took their orders with a confused expression, but thankfully spared them any questions. Emma ordered for the two of them, a pair of grilled cheese sandwiches and curly fries to share, and the waitress left them.
Emma looked at the woman across from her sympathetically. "How are you holding up?"
"Narrowly," she answered. "Everything here is so different from anything I've ever known before."
"I know," the blonde nodded. "It's a lot. But, let me tell you, Granny's grilled cheese is magic in its own right. Cures any and everything." The younger Regina laughed a light, bubbly giggle that reminded Emma of the mayor's own. "Hey, there's the laugh I like to hear so much. We'll work this out-just keep your head up, Regina."
"How can I not when I'm around you?" She said back, and Emma was embarassed by the warmth that pinkened her cheeks. This Regina was so refreshingly open and honest. The defenses that Emma had gotten so used to chipping away at day in and day out, often without making any progress, didn't surround this younger woman, and she was freer in expressing her emotions and thoughts. "Promise me something, Emma. Promise me that you won't leave me. This place is frightening, and you're the only one I can trust here."
The Sheriff nodded her head without hesitation. "I promise, Regina. I'll stick by you through this." The brunette smiled warmly.
"What a lovely little scene this is."
The cold, callous voice made Emma's fists clench, and she was on her feet in an instant. The diner fell eerily silent in fear and shock as the Evil Queen appeared in a plume of shimmering smoke before them all. The younger Regina stood as well only to cower behind the Savior, one of her hands finding Emma's.
"Who is that?" She whispered. "And why does she look like me?"
"Because she is you," Emma answered, eyeing the queen harshly. "She's the you who cast the curse and caused all this."
"Guilty as charged," the queen beamed proudly, eyes shining with mirth. She looked at her younger self with amused contempt. "She's quite fond of you, isn't she, Savior?"
"What do you want?" Emma demanded, and those inky eyes flashed back at her.
"Can't a girl pop in to say hello?" The queen feigned innocence.
"A girl can," the blonde shrugged her shoulders. "You, however, cannot."
"Oh, come now, Emma," Regina sighed poutily as she stepped closer to the Sheriff. She didn't stop until they stood mere inches from each other, noses nearly touching. The intoxicating scent of magic doused the queen, and it made Emma's breath catch to be so close to her. Green eyes roamed the dangerously beautiful face that was slightly paler than what she was used to, as if powdered heavily. "Don't try and pretend that you and I don't share a connection." Her fingers skated across Emma's chest, circling the spot where she'd only a few hours ago reached inside, and the Sheriff felt her pulse quicken at the touch. "I can see it in your eyes. Deep down, you like me." A grin formed on the queen's face when Emma didn't immediately deny the statement. "Don't worry, dear. Despite your unfortunate parentage by Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, I find you to be most appealing as well."
"Get back," Emma breathed in a voice that even she found unconvincing.
The queen's smile widened gleefully. "You could give into me, Savior, or I could simply force you to." Her palm pressed flat against her chest, and Emma shivered. "It's your choice, dear."
"Get your hands off of her." The voice filled the diner until there was no space left. Its fury was easily heard, but there was more to it as well. A tremor of fear. Concern.
All eyes darted to the front of the diner where the mayor stood with both hands stretched out in an offensive stance. A collective gasp filled the restaurant as gazes swivelled from one Regina to the next. Emma herself found being in the same room with all three forms of the mayor to be overwhelming and staggered back a step while her head swam.
"Are you alright?" The youngest Regina asked, still holding tight to the Sheriff.
"Yeah," Emma said after a moment, shaking her dizziness away. "I'm fine. I thought one Regina was a lot. Three of you? That's fucking intense."
The Evil Queen smirked at her. "Tell us, dear, which one of us is your favorite?"
Emma rolled her eyes at her. "Well, you're a psychotic bitch." Her insult only encouraged the queen's prideful glow. She pointed back to the younger Regina behind her. "This one's too scared of her own shadow to stand up on her own." She looked to the mayor. "And that one... well, that one's complicated."
"This entire situation is complicated," the mayor answered, arms crossing.
"What do we do now?" The younger Regina inquired.
Emma spotted Ruby emerging from the kitchen with her order and dropped back in her booth unceremoniously. "I'm still really fucking hungry, so I don't know about you all, but I'm going to eat." The young girl immediately sat down next to her, pressing herself against the Sheriff timidly.
Emma was surprised when the queen moved and sat directly across from her in the booth. "I could use a drink, actually."
Glancing back at the only Regina left standing, Emma shrugged her shoulders. "May as well join the party, Regina."
The mayor huffed in annoyance before finally walking over to them. Eyeing the queen with loathing, she reluctantly perched herself next to her, careful not to touch her. Ruby brought the two plates of food and took the queen's order for a spiked cider and the mayor's for a black coffee quickly before retreating back into the kitchen. Picking up one half of her sandwich, Emma bit into it. As she chewed, she glanced up at the three sets of brown eyes trained on her and sighed.
"You three are going to have to stop doing that," she said. "This is weird enough already."
The queen smiled. "This must be your most awkward date, I imagine."
Emma shrugged. "I mean, you haven't flipped the table or tried to punch me yet, so no. But it's a pretty close second." She went to take another bite of her sandwich before freezing, eyes sliding back up to the positively giddy queen. "Date?"
"That is what I said," she giggled. The laugh held a more maniacal tone than that of the younger woman or the mayor, but it still sounded familiar to Emma. Still sounded like Regina.
"It's not a date," the Sheriff frowned at her.
"Of course it isn't," the mayor nodded.
"What's a date?" the youngest Regina questioned.
Emma furrowed her brow. "People don't date in the Enchanted Forest?"
"Some people do," the mayor mused, sad eyes on the table. "I didn't."
"We just got sold into marriage to the highest bidder," the queen growled, lip curled in disgust.
"Oh," the blonde mumbled, blushing at her ignorance. "That really sucks."
"Sucks what?" Young Regina piped in again.
"A fat one," Emma answered and busied herself with the fries. "Here. Eat some of these. I got them to share." She glanced up at the other two at the table. "Want some?"
"You know I do not consume that greasy garbage, Miss Swan," the mayor said back sharply. Emma rolled her eys, then held out a long, curly fry out to the Evil Queen.
"Want some?" She asked. With a big smile, the queen leaned across the table and snapped her sharp, white teeth on the fry.
"I want the whole thing, dear," she grinned, arching an eyebrow. The mayor glared at her furiously while Emma simply laughed.
"You failed to mention how sexually charged you used to be," she said to the mayor.
"Things were different in the other world," she said with a frown. "I was a queen without a king in a society that didn't see women as equal to men. I had to use my sexuality as a bargaining chip and weapon more times than I'd care to admit. Seduction is a very powerful tool for manipulation."
"Mhmm," Emma said, and her eyes involuntarily drifted back to the queen's low-cut dress. Knowing precisely where she was looking, the queen leaned further over the table to offer up an even better view of what lay beneath her complex gown. The Sheriff's mouth dried, and she quickly turned her attention back to her food. The mayor did not miss the interaction between the two and scowled at the blonde.
With one Regina trying to seduce her, another holding to her for protection, and yet another frowning at her in disapproval, Emma tried to focus on eating and forget the strange predicament she currently found herself in. The thought kept running through her head.
We've got to fix this before I lose my goddamn mind.