Forbidden

Long lost daughter:

They've barely resumed their drive before Regina's phone starts ringing.

Regina frowns when she retrieves the phone from her pocket. She hopes this isn't something Mayor-related, her head might just explode if that's the case.

"Hello, who's this?"

"Me," Maleficent's calm voice says in the other end.

Regina's frown goes deeper. Why in Hells name is Maleficent calling her? And how does she even know how to use a phone?

"Why are you…?"

"Well, I couldn't very well send you a raven, could I? Even though that is my preferred way to send messages. But of course you already know that."

Regina decides not to comment on that. "And where did you get a phone? Did you steal it?"

Maleficent laughs coldly in the other end. "No, I did not steal it. The Savior's pirate friend was kind enough to provide me with one."

"And perhaps even kind enough to teach you how to use it too?"

"Yes, exactly. He taught me how to type in your number and press the green button."

"Isn't he sweet…" Regina says flatly. She isn't sure she likes the idea of Maleficent having her number.

"You don't want to talk to me." It's not a question. More a case of stating the obvious.

"I did not say that," Regina protests. God, why is everything so difficult?! "I'm just interested in knowing exactly why you're calling me."

"How far away is New York?"

"Pretty far."

"You've been driving for a long time."

"Yes, well, we're not quite there yet."

"Would you…" Maleficent holds it for a beat. "Call me when you find her?"

And there's that vulnerability that almost made Regina "slip up" this morning. Thank goodness she's nowhere near Maleficent and Storybrooke right now. Regina curls one hand into a fist and silently curses herself for being such a damned fool. "Yes, of course I will."

"Thank you."

"I should go," Regina says. She has a distinct feeling that Emma is paying more attention to her than to the road.

"So we're not gonna talk about what happened this morning?" The question is thrown at her completely nonchalantly, and Regina grinds her teeth.

"Nothing happened this morning," she says, but her mouth suddenly feels rather dry.

"That is not true." Maleficent states calmly. "I admit, the gesture was less angry than what I did to you, but never the less…"

"You choked me until I was on the brink of passing out." Regina dully reminds her.

"And I still stand by that action a hundredth percent. Exactly like I stand by the following kiss."

Emma's eyes snaps away from the road, and Regina reckons there's a very good chance she heard what Maleficent just said. Shoot.

"I'll call you when I know more. Bye." Regina ends the call and stuffs her phone away.

"You kissed?" Emma asks immediately, and her green eyes threatens to pop out of her head.

"She kissed me." Regina grits out.

"And you conveniently enough forgot to tell me that."

"You are not my confidante," Regina says firmly, even though that might be exactly what Emma is turning into.

"So, what, first she choked you, and then she kissed you?"

"Yes. So nothing has changed between us when it comes to that," Regina jokes grimly.

Emma's face twists into a grimace. "Okay, I did not need to know about your fondness for breath play."

"I was kidding." Regina sighs exasperated. She should definitely have brought a couple of aspirins to take the edge of things.

"What was she like?" Emma asks without taking her eyes of the road.

"Who?

"Maleficent. I've only met the scary dragon version of her," Emma says and grins a little.

"Oh. Well she was..." Regina wheedles and tries to find the right words to describe Maleficent. "Funny. Fascinating. A good listener. Patient. Smart. Kind."

Emma raises an eyebrow. "Not quite the words I would have used to describe the Mistress of all Evil."

Regina shrugs. "Sometimes that title was a bit exaggerated." She admits.

"How old were you when you and she..." Emma makes an awkward little gesture.

"Twenty."

"Late teen rebellion?" Emma asks completely without malice.

"I suppose you could say that," Regina nods. "I had been married to the king for two years and I was quite unhappy with the way things were. But I'm sure your mother has already told you about my time as the king's wife."

"Not really. Not much, at least. I don't think she likes to talk about it. I think she still feels guilty."

"Hardly her fault," Regina says and waves her mind absentmindedly.

"But Maleficent showed up and what, swept you off your feet?" Emma teases lightly.

"How romantic," Regina says dryly. "And I don't know if you're right about that. But she did show up when I was at my most vulnerable."

"She helped you."

"She kept me sane. Or, she tried. For as long as she could, anyway."

"Did she ever ask you to stop your revenge plan?"

"No, she taught me magic," Regina says. "But later on, she always became reserved whenever I spoke of my plans. She didn't like it. She didn't like what it was doing to me. And I think she somewhere deep down hoped I wouldn't succeed."

"Because your plan about getting revenge didn't involve her?"

Regina fiddles with her hands. "I think she had a faint hope… After the king was dead…"

"She hoped that you could be together."

Regina nods. "I think so. Of course, we had to keep it a secret while I was still married, but afterwards, yes, I think she had hoped his death would have been her ticket in so to speak…"

"But you didn't want that," Emma states plainly.

"I considered it. But I stopped thinking of her as Maleficent. I only saw her as a dragon and thought about the advantage that could be in the battle I was waging against Snow White. A dragon by my side. She wouldn't have stood a chance."

"Probably not," Emma agrees. "But Maleficent wasn't too fond of that idea?"

"I never asked her," Regina admits. "I had my moments of clarity and came to the conclusion that I couldn't ask that of her. This was my battle. Maleficent wasn't a part of it. I thought it better to push her away instead."

"Do you think she would have said yes if you asked her?"

"Well, that depends on how I asked her," Regina says and chuckles dryly. "I could be quite... persuasive."

"Okay, eww." Emma says and wrinkles her nose.

Regina laughs quietly.

"But the thing between you lasted for a long time, am I right?" Emma asks. Clearly, she's more curious than disgusted.

"Years. On and off. Whatever happened, we kept coming back to each other at the end of the day."

"So, despite what you want me to think, you and Maleficent weren't just messing around, were you? At one point there were feelings involved."

"Well, the sky didn't exactly light up in rainbow colors when we kissed," Regina says sardonically and rolls her eyes. "And she certainly couldn't save me from myself…"

"But?"

"But if things were different I could have…" Regina trails off. She's not sure how much to say.

"Yes?" Emma encourages gently. "You can say it to me, Regina."

Regina inhales quietly and fiddles with her hands again. "If things were different, I could have loved her. If I had allowed myself, that is."

This is a huge admittance on her part. Probably the biggest one she has ever made.

"What about now, then?" Emma says calmly and looks away from the road. "Things are different now."

Regina shakes her head. "No, it's too late now. Too much have happened. Too much have been said that can't be taken back."

"You don't know that…"

"Of yes I do. The thing we had ended years ago. I've made my peace with that."

"Have she?"

"Yes, I think so. We have to make things work as best as we can. Especially if I can persuade Lilith to come with us."

Emma nods and turns her attention back to the road.

"Besides, it wouldn't be the first time I've co-parented a child with a blonde," Regina quips.

"Only exception that Henry wasn't conceived through magic. He was conceived in the back of a car…"

"I did not need to know that, miss Swan." Regina says and now its her turn to wrinkle her nose. At least Lilith was conceived in a bed and not on the floor or against a wall. That would have been… bad.

"What are you gonna tell him?"

"Hmm?"

"Henry," Emma clarifies. "How are you gonna tell him that you have a full-grown baby girl running around somewhere in New York?"

"Well, if she doesn't want to come back to Storybrooke, it's pretty simple."

"And suppose she does?"

"I'll… think of something," Regina mutters. "He doesn't need to know anything right away. Give Lilith time to adjust and all that."

"That sounds very easy," Emma says and shakes her head a little. "But, Regina, this kid looks like you. A lot. As in there's no Maleficent in her. At all. The minute you bring her home people will start asking questions."

"I'll think of something."

She's not entirely sure what that something is, but she can improvise, of course she can. I've been bullshitting my way through these past few days, so what's wrong with a little more improvising?

New York is a very big city, especially if you're not familiar with the area, so Regina was secretly very relieved to have a "guide" with her who actually knew the city.

"Well, this is definitely something else than Storybrooke," Regina comments as she's confronted with the skyscrapers towering everywhere around them.

"Welcome to the Big Apple, Your Majesty."

"Is that supposed to be funny?" Regina asks. Her sense of humor is failing. Her stomach is tying in knots and she's suddenly overwhelmed by the urge to throw up. There's about a million reasons why Lilith wouldn't come back to Storybrooke. Maybe she won't even believe that Regina really is her mother. What am I supposed to tell Maleficent then? How am I supposed to tell her that our daughter refused to come back to Storybrooke with me? That would certainly give Maleficent all the more reason to hate me. She's relying on me to bring Lily home, and if I fail….

Regina bites her lip.

"Hey, it's gonna be fine," Emma says and suddenly sounds a lot like Snow White.

Regina groans quietly. "Tell that to the young woman whose world I'm about to turn upside down."

"In a way it's better it's you who's coming here," Emma muses.

"And why is that?"

"As I've already said, Lily looks ridiculously a lot like you. I honestly doubt she would have believed Maleficent."

Regina nods once to acknowledge that. "So what now? We can't just show up at her home."

"Can't we?" Emma retorts.

"No, we cannot," Regina says firmly. "She would probably slam the door before I got the chance to say anything. Whatever that might be."

"I'm your mother?" Emma suggests and raises an eyebrow. "But I see what you mean. Surprising her at home seems a bit unfair."

"What do we do then?"

"She works at a diner a few blocks away, so I suggest we get a bite to eat." Emma says and turns the car around.

"Alright." but Regina knows she won't be able to eat anything in any foreseeable future.

It doesn't take long before the yellow bug pulls up in front of said diner. Regina knows that this is the part where she gets out of the car, but suddenly her legs aren't quite as willing to cooperate as they normally would be.

"Do you need a moment?" Emma asks.

"A moment would be good." Regina nods and looks out of the window. She's half hoping she can spot Lily on the busy street.

"Do you to go in alone? Because I can totally stay in the car if you..."

"No," Regina interrupts. "You know her. She would probably appreciate a familiar face. And I could need some backup to assure her that I'm not some insane lady."

Emma nods, and Regina takes comfort in the silence again. Her pulse is hammering away, and she tries desperately to calm down. The more she freaks out, the more awkward and strange this will be, she's certain of that. Calm down, calm down, calm down, CALM DOWN.

Emma is watching her. Maybe she's afraid that Regina will pass out.

But passing out isn't on the program today. She made it this far. She'll be damned if she can't go through with the rest of the plan.

"Let's go in," Regina says dully. Her palms are sweaty underneath the gloves, and she briefly considers taking them off.

"Right." Emma says and follows Regina as she exits the car and walks toward the diner. Who knew it could be this daunting to walk into a diner? Oh, god, she's nauseous. Very nauseous. If I mess this up… If I blow this opportunity… What the hell am I supposed to tell Maleficent? I'm not very high on her list as it is already.

They go into the diner and the bell chimes above the door. Regina cringes at the sound. As if she needs a fucking bell to announce her presence.

"Let's go and sit over here," Emma suggests, and Regina lets her lead the way over to a half-greasy table in the corner.

Regina doesn't say anything as they sit down at the table, but she's suddenly feeling warm all over. Maybe she should take her coat off. But then again, it would be a pretty stupid thing to do if they're gonna leave the diner in five minutes anyway.

"Are you hungry?" Emma asks. "We've been on the road all day."

"No."

"Thirsty then? I doubt you've had anything else besides coffee."

"No thank you, I don't need anything."

Emma raises an eyebrow. "You know that is why people come into a diner right? To order food and beverage. They don't go in to just sit and wring their hands."

"Some people do."

"Yes, but only the drunk ones." Emma brushes her off. "So, what are you gonna have?"

"Coffee."

They've been far too engaged in their little discussion about whether to eat or drink or not, that none of them has heard the waitress approach, but now said waitress clears her throat and asks: "Can I take your order?"

Regina looks up when she hears that voice. That voice sounds oddly familiar, and all thought of eating and drinking is long forgotten when she looks at the young brunette standing in front of her. That's Lilith. There's no doubt in Regina's mind. Dark eyes and dark hair. It's like gazing into a mirror. She looks exactly like a younger version of Regina.

And Lilith isn't completely blind to the obvious either. She drops the pen on the floor with a clattering sound and her jaw goes a bit slack. Ten seconds later the paper falls from her hand too and ends up next to the pen on the floor.

Regina doesn't know what to say. Lily is standing right in front of her, and she doesn't know what to say. Oh, she's beautiful.

"What the…?" Lily asks and stares at Regina.

And Regina doesn't know how to answer that.

To Be Continued?