A/N:

Hey guys!

I know I said I'd keep a regular updating schedule but that hasn't really worked out has it? I'm going to try and update every Sunday from now on but I wouldn't hold me to that, just in case. This chapter might be a tad uninteresting but the next chapter will carry on where this left off, where our two ladies have a very interesting night in together. Reviews are always appreciated whether it be criticisms or otherwise! Thanks as always for the views, follows and favourites. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and have a great week ahead.

Happy reading,

Rosie xx

(I do not own Once or any of its characters, no copyright intended.)

The sound of the granite sliding behind her told Regina that the vault had been sealed. She turned around, producing another incantation with barely a move of her full lips. This one was meant to protect the entrance to her "safe" place by stopping certain spells from being used to try and force it open, not including blood magic. This time, Regina hadn't used a single ounce of blood magic, hoping that this would deter her…sister. Regina knew though that if this woman shared even half her genes, she would find a way through if it killed her.

With one final glancing look around the brunette sealed the doors to the Mausoleum and conjured one last spell - out of despair more than anything else - to try and protect her privacy and her family as well as herself. Everything that she was and everything she had been was enclosed in that vault and the thought of someone having free-reign of it made her sick to her stomach. She had, of course, removed the things she thought her sister would be especially intent on procuring; some of her older, darker spell books and their mother's heart to name a few. If she could have taken everything she would have but there were few places in the town safe from that woman and only the most important things could be hidden away.

Her walk back to the mansion was a long one. Regina called Emma to let her know that they would meet back at home. She took longer than intended, however, having taken the long route back to clear her mind.

A sister. I have a sister. Oh, how different my life might have been if I'd found that out 40 years ago and not today.

Regina's thoughts flew about her mind like pinballs dinging about in one of those damn arcade machines; which of course she had never even dreamt of letting Henry near due to their unsanitary condition and presence inside the town's watering hole. No doubt he had experienced them in his life with Emma.

Maybe that was the solution, the Mayor thought as she wandered aimlessly around the own she knew like the back of her hand.

Maybe Henry really would be better off without me. I always seem to bring more pain into his life. This is my fault. His life would be better without me.

Regina briefly thought of making a run for it. Getting in the Mercedes and never looking back, but then she remembered the town lines that were still in tact, which stopped her once and for all from leaving the hellhole she was currently residing in. She contemplated going to live in the woods away from the responsibilities of creating a town, which to be honest, she really didn't want to be in anymore. However, in her swirling mess of thoughts and feelings Regina had subconsciously returned to the mansion. Through the open bay windows in front of her she saw a beautiful sight. Emma, sitting on the couch with their son, tickling him to death for god knows what reason.

The first rational thought in an hour popped into Regina's head. I might bring them pain and suffering when I'm here. But would their lives really be any better without me? The brunette asked herself. Part of her messed up, delusional, damaged mind wanted to say yes. The anxious part of her brain told her that they would be better off without her, that she should leave them to their happiness, that she just ruined everything. But then the blonde, who her eyes had been locked on for several minutes now, glanced up and spied her through the window. The look of shock on Emma's face to see Regina just standing on her own front lawn, staring, was quickly surpassed by an even larger smile than she had worn on her face previously.

Of course they wouldn't.

Seeing the mischievous pair glance out of the window at her again was all it took to convince her neurotic side to give it a rest for just one second. Sometimes Regina's thoughts got the better of her momentarily; sometimes they were debilitating and spoke such atrocities to her that she couldn't think about anything else for days. But this wasn't one of those times. She moved her legs subconsciously, smiling in Henry and Emma's direction before heading towards the front door to let herself in.

By the time she reached the huge silvery archway, wood glinting in the porch light, her son's mother was already awaiting with the door open.

"What happened?" Emma asked immediately, looking concerned. "Where did you go? Where did she take you?"

"Please allow me to step through my own front door before you start interrogating me Miss Swan, it is rather poor manners," came the icy tone from the brunette.

"Sor-", Emma began. But before she could finish even one word Regina stunned her with another admission.

"No," she interrupted, "I'm sorry," looking into Emma's eyes so briefly it didn't even seem to happen at all. "Is your father still here?"

"Yeah, he's in the living room with Henry, why?" Emma asked, even more worried now. Regina didn't avoid subjects. It wasn't her thing.

The brunette looked at Emma seriously whilst closing the door softly behind her. "I need to speak with both of you about what happened. There has been an…" Regina pondered her next words, "unforeseen complication…lets just say."

The pair walked towards the living room where Henry and his Grandfather were sitting on the couch absorbed in some bizarre looking Sci-Fi film. Both David and Henry turned around as soon as his mothers walked into the room.

"Mom!" he expelled loudly, not moving from his spot, "you're back! We were worried about you." He said, making eye contact with his blonde mother.

"What happened Regina?" Charming asked with genuine anxiety, probably for his kingdom and his wife over her, but it was still a welcomed change.

"I am indeed," Regina replied lovingly to Henry, "and you will find out soon enough" she continued, giving a quick glance to David at the same time. She stood still with her legs crossed politely. Emma was leaning against the back of the plush sofa running her hands through her son's hair. If anyone had seen the way Regina looked at the pair of them in that moment, well, lets just say, she was glad no one had. She quickly averted her eyes, walking towards her son instead, and continued, "Anyhow. I think it is your bedtime young man. I need to speak to your mother and David."

Their rascally son looked at both of them with his best puppy dog eyes.

"But Moooommm, I'm old enough to be included in these things now, you said so yourself!" He insisted, looking at his blonde mother for back up. Emma looked at Regina and raised her eyebrows and shrugged her shoulders in Henry's defence.

"I know what I said," she replied sternly, "but there is something I need to discuss with the adults first. I promise," she said, making eye contact with him and crouching down to his level in front of the couch, "as soon as I know what is happening, you will. Okay?"

The boy affirmed his mother's request and grabbed his book as he lifted himself from his usual spot in the corner.

"Night Mom," he said as he was pulled into a quick embrace by his brunette mother. "Night Grandpa."

"Night Henry," replied David, smiling, "I'll see you for sword training tomorrow. I'll pick you up at 7."

The young teenager moved himself around the side of the couch and towards the huge double doors leading to the atrium. As he flitted past her Emma ruffled his hair once more. "Night Ma!" he said finally, looking back at her as her left the room.

"Goodnight Henry", "Goodnight Kid," came his mothers' reply in unison. They made brief, fleeting eye contact before they settled down to business.

Regina took a seat in her favourite armchair whilst the Saviour took Henry's place next to her father. The brunette woman was on edge; legs crossed politely, her hands folded neatly in her lap.

"So fill us in," Emma said, awaiting Regina's instigation.

"Well," Regina began, not really knowing how to continue, "we transported to my vault."

"Your vault?!" Emma asked, shocked, "but I thought no one but you could teleport – or whatever it is you do – into there?"

Regina looked exasperated; even more than usual, Emma noticed. "Miss Swan, if you would allow me to finish?" She said, raising her eyebrows and waiting for her son's mother's consent.

Emma merely looked at her apprehensively, which was enough sign for the brunette that she wouldn't be interrupted any further.

"We transported to my vault. I realise now that since the blood magic on my office was broken, the magic concealing the crypt can be broken just as easily. I've now taken further measures to lock it so she shouldn't be able to access it again. However, our curser has a more personal vendetta that we all previously thought…"

At this an hesitant look washed over Emma's features, and her father looked more like a ghost of his former self than anything else. On reflection, Regina thought, she shouldn't have used the word 'personal', because it wasn't personal to them. This crusade was against her, not anyone else.

"Don't look so alarmed, Charmings," Regina said, an expression which Emma didn't take too kindly to. "This feud doesn't concern your family. It concerns me. The woman who cursed us is my sister. And no, before you ask, I don't have any other information about her. That is it, she poofed away before I could interrogate her and I didn't think it wise to use her magic trail twice in one day when I am so relatively unfamiliar with that type of magic." The Mayor paused.

"Okay…" Emma said nervously, her worry tied between Regina getting mad at her and the severity of the situation. Mills women were tough, they were cold and ruthless and notoriously, evil. Regina was different now, but that didn't mean that she hadn't been all of those things at one time. "So what does this mean? For you, for us, for Henry?" she asked, her body on edge.

Before Regina could reply to Emma's question David's low voice came from the opposite end of the couch.

"We need to know how we are all going to fight this," he looked up at Regina and gained her eye contact. "You are not alone in this fight Regina, we will do all we can to help. I promise. If we were still in the Enchanted forest I would tell you that you have my army," he nodded, smiling at Regina in a way she had never really experienced from the Charmings, other than Emma of course. She had never really warranted it in her parent's minds though.

Regina's rosy lips curved upwards into a small smile, as she gracefully readjusted her legs into a more comfortable position.

"Thank you, David," she replied.

Emma could see the well-practiced mask stretch back out across Regina's complexion. She had started to notice it happen in Neverland, and more importantly she started to be able to read the brunette's emotions through the icy walls she was always building between herself and others. Emma was good at reading body language, feeling people's emotions - her life had required it - but with Regina it was different. She didn't even need to look at her son's mother to know what her face would look like at any given time, to know what she would be feeling. The blonde had wondered on more than one occasion whether magic was something to do with it. If they were linked after the shared magic they used to save their son from Peter Pan's entrapment. It sounded to Emma like a likely thing to happen, so she usually just went with it. It didn't occur to her that there could be some other connection between her and the woman she so loved, usually, to loathe.

"I am very grateful," Regina continued, "for the sentiment. And for the help. I will need every assistance in catching this woman, and making sure she doesn't do harm to this town." It was difficult for her to say, difficult for her to feel. The Charmings were…she wouldn't say friends, but there was definitely was a magnitude less animosity between them than there used to be. To Regina's mind they were infuriating, petty and downright annoying on frequent instances, but they were tolerable. Even though they now stood in higher stead than they had even only a few months ago, she really didn't enjoy admitting thanks to anyone. She supposed that it was due to her mother's influence; being told that she should never thank anyone for anything because it made her look weak and helpless. It was hard for her to say, but she had said it anyway.

The trio sat discussing their options for the best part of an hour after that. Regina told them about how she had informed her sister, rather unceremoniously, to fight her. Emma laughed entirely too loudly and gained a scathing look from Regina which she knew meant that she should behave herself. They anticipated, to be safe, that the woman would acknowledge Regina's challenge and concluded that they would prepare the town and townsfolk accordingly; doubling up patrols and getting everyone to pitch in, not just them, the dwarves, Red and Granny, even the fairies; everyone needed to help.

Regina knew that that the woman would fight, because she was appearing to be more and more like their mother every time they encountered one another. Even the Witch's presence gave the former Queen strange nostalgic feelings of Cora's power.

Finally, Emma and Regina showed David out of the door. He informed them that he didn't expect them to be up when he picked Henry up in the morning; focusing particularly on Emma for that comment. They waved him off quietly before returning into the house.

Regina abandoned the armchair and settled on the couch where Emma had been sitting previously. She appreciated the warmth that still lingered from the blonde's form, but immediately her brain caught up with her body and she berated herself for even considering thinking about such a thing. Elegantly she slipped off her heeled boots and pulled her feet up beneath her in the comfortable position she always found relaxing.

The blonde returned to the room and took the vacated spot on the sofa, turning once she was sat to face Regina. It was awkward. Neither knew what to say to the other. Emma didn't know what the Mayor thought about this whole sister thing and she didn't want to make any assumptions. She had gone through exactly she same thing with her parents. Of course she was happy she had found them in the end, but there was a never-ending void within her that was filled with sadness for all the years she had lost with them, everything that she had to endure throughout her time in foster care and in more ways than one she resented she them for it. In the past she had thought that if it wasn't for Henry, she might have been better off never finding them but she didn't feel like that anymore, of course. They were good people and she did love them, even if it wasn't in the conventional way a person loved their parents. She loved them more as friends, but that was fine with her, she supposed.

Regina's mind was a swirling vortex of thoughts; having a sister was something she had never even considered. She didn't want to think about the differences it might have made in her life but she couldn't help it. What she was more focused on however was the fact that she was going have to defeat - and almost definitely kill - another one of her kin.

Emma interrupted Regina's thought process with a question, and the brunette was more than grateful for the distraction from the mess that was jumbling her brain into mush.

"You must be starving," the blonde asked, concerned. It was just filler to the silence, but the older woman was appreciative and she had indeed forgotten that food was a necessary part of one's day-to-day existence.

"I am. I would also like a drink," Regina stated, moving to get up off of the sofa and retrieve what she was craving.

Emma looked up at her skeptically, the woman had barely eaten all day, and she had used a considerable amount of magic. She must have been exhausted, and Emma thought that drinking was the last thing she should to be doing right now.

"Maybe we should eat first Regina?" she said sheepishly, always wary of telling her son's other mother what to do, usually doing such a thing came with a death wish.

"You are welcome to dear, but first I would like a very cool, very large glass of cider."

Disbelievingly, the blonde looked up at the woman and smiled. She was really something.

"Well okay then," Emma replied, "I'm going to order pizza for us because if we're drinking we're gonna need pizza. " She removed her phone from her pocket and began looking for the number while Regina just watched her incredulously.

"And what made you think you were invited to drink with me?" she asked sarcastically, her mean sense of humour coming out to play as she toyed with the Saviour.

That gained Emma's attention.

"Well one, because I'm buying pizza and two, because who are you gonna bitch at when you're drunk if I'm not here?" she asked playfully, something glinting in her eye.

"You have a valid argument. You're lucky I'm willing to eat pizza at all though," Regina replied with finality, just the hint of a smirk on her face.

"Too right. Get us some booze and I'll ring for pizza."

"Miss Swan, I do hope you are actually capable of speaking in a grammatically correct and non-common manner or we will be having a problem," Regina joked as she walked towards out of the room. Emma knew she was joking, it was just odd to experience the Mayor's mischievous side sometimes, especially when comments like that used to be aimed at her with malice.

"Yes, Regina!" Emma shouted mockingly, but not loud enough to wake Henry, as the brunette entered the kitchen.

She reappeared mere minutes later with two glasses of her famous apple cider, and another small cask of it, along with it a bottle of tequila and two glasses, lime, and salt. Everything was situated on a tray, which was being held in mid air by Regina. She walked at a glacial pace behind the levitating object.

"Damnnnn," Emma said out of jealously. "I need to learn how to do that, seriously. It would make my life at least 700 times easier."

"Its not as easy as you think dear, It takes a lot of work to acquire magic properly. I learnt that the hard way," she paused, apparently gathering her thoughts.

The tray settled ever-so-gently onto the coffee table. Regina walked around the couch and lowered herself onto it. She leaned forward and purposefully seized her glass of cider, as did Emma. They got comfortable before the brunette continued what she was going to say. Emma waited.

"It's hard. But I think you may need to start learning properly now. What you've done so far is only tiny in comparison to what your power is capable of doing. To protect yourself, as well as everyone else, I think it would be beneficial to start lessons properly." Regina looked at Emma in earnest, taking a large sip of her drink. "I'm willing to teach you. To help you control it. Your parents will want you to learn from Blue, bu..."

"…No. I want to learn from you." Emma interrupted, "I don't want to learn fairy magic," she laughed, "I mean, if you're sure. You really don't have to."

"Don't be preposterous. I offered… I think I want to" Regina replied, the last phrase came out more nervously than she intended.

"You think?" Emma chuckled at the woman in front of her.

"Well…" Regina considered what she was about to say, how much to reveal. None of her emotions were solidified, they were fluid, and even she didn't understand them, so there was no way in hell she could possibly explain them to another person. They tangled inside her heart like wires crossing, intertwined, so many things she didn't even know yet. She chose her next words carefully.

"I consider us…friends now, Miss Swan."

Emma butted in. She knew she shouldn't have but she couldn't resist, and also she really fucking hated it when Regina called her 'Miss Swan'.

"Regina seriously, call me Emma, please," she said quickly, sipping from her already half empty cup to stop herself from saying anything else.

Regina gave her an apologetic look. They both knew it was a defence against the progression of anything deeper than mere acquaintance, especially considering what she was about to admit.

"I consider us friends now, Emma," she corrected, her face still yet warm as her russet eyes met the blonde's clover green ones. "This is the type of favour, I'm lead to believe, that friends do for each other. So I will teach you. There is one rule."

"What?" Emma said, torn between her excitement to learn magic and her fear of failing.

"You must listen to me. And you must do exactly as I say. I seem to remember you've struggled with the former especially on several occasions." Emma knew Regina was joking, but she was worried that she might disappoint her and not be as great as everyone thought she was going to be. Being the Saviour was the worst sometimes. Emma worked well under pressure, in stressful situations she always had a clear head and knew what to do, but not with pressure from people; and the pressure of being a hero was overwhelming.

"You have a deal. I will listen to you and I will do exactly as you say," she paused, and added audaciously, "to the best of my ability."

"Oh I'm sure you have enough ability," Regina sassed back with a raised eyebrow, "Child of true love."