Tamsin frowned down at the page, not even noticing the way that her brother was smirking at just how adorable she looked as she worked.

The little blonde had been more than excited to actually do her first homework, which was something that would fade the more she got. As it was though, she was intently moving her pencil against the page, gripping it harder than she usually would. Seconds passed and she finally brought the pencil away from the page before she picked up the paper and showed it to the brunette teen. Henry smiled at just cautious she looked about her work before he looked at the childish 'A' written on the page.

"Looks good, Tam," he smiled which caused the little girl to grin from ear to ear, "You've got twenty-five to go."

The blonde's smile fell slightly and she pouted while putting the paper back down and considered just how long the first one had taken.

"This is gonna take forever…"

Henry tried not to laugh but he couldn't stop the small chuckle that escaped his lips, "You could always try and write my English paper instead."

Tamsin huffed and she poised her pencil to try on the next letter.

"Why I have to do this?" she sighed.

The teen was about to open his mouth to tell her that she absolutely had to know the alphabet but he was interrupted by the sound of someone shifting their position over by the door to his bedroom. Looking over, he smiled sadly at the woman leaning against the door frame. Regina looked so conflicted, she was grinning slightly at how cute Tamsin was being, but she also looked as if she wasn't sure that she should be there.

"Mom," he tried to say as reassuringly as possible.

At the word, Tamsin looked up from her homework sheet to see her brunette mother. The little girl couldn't help but smile at her, even if she was still mad at her for the fact that she hadn't seen her blonde mother in two weeks. Regina swallowed hard at Tamsin's expression that looked far too much like Emma, but she still managed to smile back at her daughter.

"Have you made much progress with your homework?" she asked.

Tamsin nodded quickly and lifted up the page to show her, "I did the A."

The brunette smiled broadly and took that as an invitation to walk further into the room to stand next to Henry's bed.

"That looks perfect, sweetheart," she said as she got a closer look, "You should get started on the next one though, it is due tomorrow."

The little girl nodded again and she placed the paper back down and actually started on the next letter. Regina stood next to her as she worked for a few moments before she subconsciously allowed herself to fall onto the mattress next to her.

"Try to relax your hand, dear," she said once Tamsin had gotten to D, "you're going to start cramping if you hold the pencil that tightly."

Tamsin tried to hold her pencil more loosely and she pointed to the next letter by way of telling her that she should try the new method with that one.

As she watched her youngest child trying to copy the E onto the lines below it she was completely oblivious to the fact that Henry had brought up his phone to take a picture of the moment.

He knew that it was a risk to include Regina in the picture, but he also knew that it wasn't just Tamsin who his blonde mother was missing. She was missing the entirety of their family and if the savior was here, she would insist on the mayor also helping Tamsin with her first homework assignment.

He took a deep breath and clicked 'send', hoping that this would be the push she needed to actually try and interact with her wife again so that they could become the family they had been before the Dark One business ruined everything.

"Why is it that you insist on wasting your time?"

Emma just shook her head and didn't even bother to look up from the phone that she had been staring at for over twenty minutes. She could feel the spirit getting more and more infuriated, but she was waiting for an important message.

Rumpelstiltskin huffed audibly and Emma rolled her eyes, finally looking up at him expectantly.

"Why are we here?"

"Because I control the legs and I like the docks," she replied, allowing herself to take in the salty air that reminded her so much of Regina. At first, she had felt guilty whenever she had the urge to come to the docks since it would appear as though she was doing it because of her relationship with Hook, but then she realised the true reason that she loved it. This was where she and Regina had something resembling a conversation after so much silence following the breaking of the curse, it may have been a tense conversation, but the fact was that she had gotten to talk to the women, meaning that was when they had started actually working on building a real relationship.

"Do you honestly believed that sitting on a bench staring at a phone is the best use of your time?"

Emma shrugged and looked back down at the device, "you said that I couldn't watch TV."

Rumple gritted his teeth and she couldn't help but smirk slightly. She was well aware that she was basically just aggravating herself, albeit another part of her, but she had to admit that it was rather fun that she was able to get to him.

"What exactly would you rather I be doing? It isn't as if I have any master plan…" she mumbled, while wondering whether she could refresh her messages somehow.

"You should be working on your abilities; you have much to learn about the magical arts. Especially since all of your experience is limited to light magic…"

"I have all the time in the world," the blonde replied disinterestedly.

"That doesn't mean that you should be wasting it waiting for a message," he shot back.

Emma looked up with raised eyebrows and asked, "why did you ask if you already knew the answer?"

"Of course I know why we're here, how many times do I have to remind you that I am you?!" Emma just shrugged again and he sighed and added, "sitting on a bench waiting for your son to message you a picture of Tamsin is not a good use of time."

"Well I would need the picture if you would just let me reply to Regina, she might actually consider letting me back in the mansion so I could see Tamsin doing her homework," the sheriff replied in an eerily calm voice. She had learnt that there was no point in actually trying to argue with the spirit, so she had instead resigned herself to only being able to mildly irritate him.

"Replying to that message would be yet another waste of time," he growled, "you should have power before love."

"Is that why the real Rumpelstiltskin ended up in a coma with no idea whether his wife actually cares about him?"

The spirit narrowed his eyes at the woman who was refusing to meet his gaze and he replied, "if you truly wanted to reply to your wife's message, then you would have done so already. I don't control you."

Emma pretended not to be listening, but she did try and covertly click onto the most recent message from Regina. Not for the first time, she wished that she hadn't clicked on it in the first place. She was well aware that the mayor knew she had seen it, so it must look to her as if she didn't want to reply. The brunette didn't know that she had spent hours staring at each word, wishing that she could just bring herself to type out a reply. More than anything, though, she wished that she was brave enough to just go to the mansion and tell Regina that she refused to be pushed aside.

Every time she thought of doing such a thing, however, she felt an intense sense of foreboding erupt in her stomach. She was pretty sure that she wouldn't be able to take yet another rejection from the woman she loved. She was barely holding onto her convictions as it was with the former Dark One whispering in her ear. For the first time since she had broken the curse, she actually felt like a coward. There was no magical item that could fix all of her problems and she was pretty sure that she wasn't strong enough to do so herself. After all, to her wife, the saviour of Storybrooke basically died months ago.

Rumple smirked triumphantly when he saw her finger hovering over the keys, desperately trying to type out something, only to be stopped by the darkness seeping through every vessel in her body.

"If you believed that you needed that woman, you would have reconciled with her months ago instead of hiding from those you claim to love."

Emma swallowed hard as she thought back to the time that she had basically isolated herself from the rest of the town. The moment that she had taken in the pure darkness, she had instantly poofed herself away to the forest with the last burst of light magic that she could muster.

Even as it had crept up her arm, the blonde knew that she wouldn't be able to control the power she was taking in. Thoughts of malice had started running through her mind as the power had started melting into each pore. She had suddenly felt intense hate for the parents that had abandoned her, even though she had forgiven them a long time ago. Then came the resentment towards Regina. First she had reminded herself that it had been her curse that had caused her to be alone for so much of her life. Then she realized that the former queen had seen all of the moments of Henry's life that she would never really be able to experience.

That was why she had hidden away for so long, because she couldn't handle hating those that she loved.

However, the longer she sectioned herself off, the more that the feelings had started to melt away. Now, she couldn't help but think that it was probably because the spirit wanted her to reintegrate herself into Storybrooke, since there wasn't much that the Dark One could do living in the forest.

The first few days had been amazing since everyone had treated her as a returning hero, but then she noticed that things had started to change. First she had realised that some people would look away after staring at her golden eyes for too long and then people would start whispering about how different her clothes were.

Of course, none of that bothered her that much, it had been the moment that she had tried to hold Regina's hand and she had flinched away. That was when she realized that not everything was going to be the same. Her own wife was afraid of her. She knew that the former queen was in no way afraid of Gold, so she had no idea why she was so hesitant around her.

"I know…" the blonde whispered, tears pricking at the corner of her eyes as she didn't even bother to deny his claim. If there was anything that she had learnt during her time in Storybrooke, it was that love was pretty powerful. But when she was alone, with the darkness whispering in her ear, she couldn't help but feel as though that it just wasn't true. She felt like seeing those she loved would only bring back the hatred that had scared her so much and the more that Regina pushed her away, the more she could feel it growing within her again.

Before the spirit could try and taunt her again, her phone rang out and Emma's eyes shot down to it, smiling slightly at Henry's name on the lock screen with 'sent a picture' underneath it.

Within seconds, she had unlocked the screen and she allowed herself to smile at the image for a full thirty seconds. Tamsin had her brow furrowed adorably in concentration and Regina was pointing to something on the page as if she were explaining it.

After a moment though, a lump rose in her throat when she noticed the grin that both of them were wearing.

Rumple smiled in satisfaction at her expression and asked, "did you get the message you were waiting for?"

Emma violently shoved her phone in her pocket and stood from the bench and muttered in vain, "fuck off."

"Focus, allow the anger to course through your veins," Rumpelstiltskin hissed behind his student's back.

Regina closed her eyes in frustration and tried to blink away tears. She had seen her mother perform magic many times in her life and not once had she ever wished to be able to do the same. Cora had warped what should have been fantastical into something evil and to be feared. She had used the very power to reach into her fiance's chest and tear his heart out and yet she still wanted to learn it.

At first, she had never wanted to have anything to do with the magical arts, but that resolve hadn't taken long to break. Being so isolated and alone in King Leopold's castle had brought her to her darkest moment in her life. She had called upon Rumple and accepted his offer to be his student. She believed that she would be able to protect herself from anything if she learnt from him. She would never have to suffer again at the hands of her husband and maybe she could finally be free.

In that moment though she didn't want any of it. She just wanted to run away and start somewhere new where no one knew her. She still wouldn't have Daniel though and the thought of not honoring his memory almost hurt more than the moment he had been taken away from her. She couldn't just leave without making Snow White hurt just as much as she did. She wanted the power to crush the girl, it seemed like the only way to rid herself of the pain she was constantly feeling in her chest.

"I can't do it," she said through gritted teeth and dropped her arm back to her side.

As she turned around, the Dark One tilted his head at his student with pure disappointment written across his face.

"If you can't perform a simple fire spell, what hope do you have of avenging your dearest departed lover?"

Regina clenched her jaw and willed herself to not cry in front of this twisted little imp. There was no way that she wanted him to see just how much he was upsetting her, but it was undeniable that he knew exactly what chord to strike to make her miserable. It had been like this in all of her lessons for about a fortnight. They basically equated to a couple hours of psychological abuse and no progress in the magical arts.

"Are you going to cry, your majesty?" he goaded with his scaly face twisted in a twisted grin, it was almost as if he was actually enjoying this.

"Don't call me that," she whispered, looking down at the ground, still trying to keep the tears at bay, wishing that her voice held more conviction.

"But you are a queen, Regina."

"Hardly," she scoffed, bringing her arms across her chest, "I am nothing more than the king's plaything."

"Very true," the imp replied, "but unlike his other 'play things' he has given you a claim to the throne. If say, he was to die before dear Snow became of age, it would be you would be expected to take the position of power in the interim."

Regina frowned as she mauled over his words, but her eyes quickly widened when it occurred to her just what he was talking about.

"I would never murder anyone! Not even Leopold."

Rumple just let out one of his patent, grating high-pitched giggles and Regina visibly winced at the sound.

"Not even to be free? It's all you've ever wanted, isn't it? If you become queen, you would no longer have to live under the heel of your mother and with Leopold gone, you would become your own woman, free to love whomever so ever you wish."

"I don't wish to love anyone else," she shot back rather weakly.

The older man just waved his hand dismissively and replied, "the point is that you can be free. You would no longer be the poor little Regina living to fulfil wishes that her mother could never quite achieve and you would no longer be the queen who is mother to a child a mere six years her junior. You will be the monarch, finally powerful enough to control others in the same way that you yourself have been controlled."

Regina swallowed hard as she considered this. When she lay awake in her chambers, she often imagined what it would be like to escape from the White kingdom and start her life somewhere far away as a normal peasant. Not once had she imagined the possibility that she could become exactly what her mother wanted her to be and still be happy, but it somehow sounded appealing in that moment. Usurping the throne from the White lineage would certainly be an amazing start to ruining Snow's life and even though the thought of murder caused her stomach to turn in disgust, the consequences of it seemed almost appealing in that moment.

As she thought, she unfolded her arms and extended her fingers. Allowing thoughts of just how much she wanted to see Snow as miserable as she had been since Daniel's death to consume her mind, she willed that hatred to become something material.

A split moment later, she felt heat form above her fingers and it instantly went out as her eyes widened and she stumbled back slightly out of shock.

Rumple quirked an eyebrow at her, amusement written across his face as he said, "hatred seems to work for you, your majesty."

-The next day-

Regina looked down at her lap and clenched her jaw.

She was no longer really sure why she even bothered coming to see Archie since her relationship with Emma seemed to have only gotten worse since they came to therapy. At least before, they were sleeping in the same house, now she could only assume that the blonde was either staying with Hook or her parents.

"Regina?" Archie asked gently. The man had long ago gotten used to waiting for people to talk first. However, in this case he knew that time was somewhat of a factor, the longer that the savior and former Evil Queen left their issues unresolved, the more likely it was going to have an impact on not only them and their family, but their entire town. He could only imagine what a constant struggle it was for Emma to stave off the darkness every second of the day and Regina wasn't exactly giving her reason to believe that there was any point of doing so. It was only a matter of time before the sheriff just gave into her darker instincts and he was sure that there wouldn't be a person in town capable of stopping her if that did happen.

The mayor took a deep breath and looked up at him questioningly, silently asking him what he wanted, even though she was well aware.

"You made an emergency appointment, so you must have something that you want to discuss…do you want to tell me what it is?" he asked, trying to sound encouraging but it only made the brunette roll her eyes deeply.

"I.." she began, but she cut herself off when it occurred to her that what she wanted to talk about would sound rather childish. However, when she looked up to the therapist, she realize that at the very least, he wouldn't be able to tell anyone what she divulges and said, "I'm here because Emma hasn't replied to my messages…I know that she has seen them but it's been a full two weeks and she hasn't replied. Before…everything…she always replied within seconds, especially when I'm asking her to meet me…"

Archie took a deep breath and nodded sympathetically. He knew that he had told her that she needed to communicate with the blonde, but he hadn't suspected that the savior would be unwilling to do so.

Regina watched him carefully and waited for him to say something insightful, but when he continued to think for a minute, she rolled her eyes and mumbled, "I can't believe that I'm paying for this…"

The therapist shot her an unimpressed look and replied, "perhaps she needs a reason to reply. You have promised to talk to her many times, but she could very well be worried that it will only end in another argument. Make some kind of effort so that she knows that this will be different to every other time."

The mayor was about to say that she didn't know how to do that, but she closed her mouth as a thought occurred to her. She had asked Emma to dinner in her last message, which was something that she had done many times since their issues began and almost every single one had been a disaster. Nodding slowly, she began to piece together a plan, "I suppose that isn't terrible advice…"

Archie chuckled lightly and shifted slightly in his chair as she began to unconsciously run her thumb over her ring finger. Obviously the skin was irritated having gone so long without contact with the gold band, but it seemed as though she was incapable of recognize what the issue was. He knew that there was a chance that she knew full well that the ring was not there, but he highly doubted it. If she knew, then why would she even bother trying to make an effort to mend their relationship? Wouldn't actively not wearing one's wedding ring mean that they would have already given up a long time ago?

Shaking his head to put those thoughts aside, and so that he could stop looking at her finger, he asked, "will you hold it against Emma if she doesn't reply again?"

Regina swallowed hard and refused to make eye contact with the former bug. She could have questioned how he knew that she was going to once again text Emma instead of going and talking to her, but she was becoming increasingly aware that he knew almost as much about her as Emma did.

"I don't know…" she replied, her throat constricting at the thought of once again being ignored by the woman she loved. At the same time, though, her stomach churned with guilt as the many arguments they'd had ran through her mind. She was well aware that she could be unnecessarily cruel but she had hoped that was not something she did around her family anymore. However, whenever she was with the new Dark One she felt the same air of resentment that she did whenever she was with the insufferable imp and she felt as though she couldn't control what came out of her mouth.

"I believe that it may be beneficial to delve into exactly what is causing irrational anger around your wife before you attempt to reconcile," Archie said slowly, hoping that he didn't get his head bitten off for daring to call the former queen irrational.

Regina audibly huffed and considered his words carefully.

The pair sat in silence for a few moments before the mayor stood from the couch and grabbed her purse, "I think I would much rather try my plan first."

Archie was about to protest, but she was already walking towards the door before he could open his mouth. The therapist felt a certain foreboding. He had noticed long ago that the Swan-Mills family tended to be rather rash, since the solution to all of their problems usually lied with some magical item that would end the present crisis. However, they would never try and deal with the emotions surrounding whatever happened. That was truly an issue now considering that their current crisis was completely predicated upon emotions.

"You need to work through your real issues before you can move forward," Archie called out just as the woman made it to the door.

Regina paused and laid her hand onto the knob, hesitating before she turned it. Deep down, she knew that he was totally correct. Even if she did somehow get Emma to meet her, she couldn't guarantee that it wouldn't turn into another altercation. For all she knew, this was going to make things much worse. However, the thought of trying to figure out what was at the core of her issues frightened her more than she cared to admit.

It was for this reason that she simply pushed the door open and walked out without another word.

She had heard that a certain friend of hers had returned to town and that she would be able to help her with what she had planned.