The Evil Queen's Black Widow

by 06bromleys

Nothing is True. Everything is Permitted. Cursed for betraying her Queen, Amelia Montague must figure out how she wants the rest of the world to perceive her. As the villain she became, or the hero she wants to be, but will her feelings for the Queen be a help or hindrance to the Master Assassin or she will she always be known as the infamous Black Widow (Rated M for safety)

87. Chapter 87: First Dates & Constellations

AN:

Introducing: Rege-Jean Page as Aron

---

Twelve Week's Earlier

All was quiet in the town of Storybrooke for the first time in weeks after Elsa, Anna and Kristoff returned to their home with Captain John Smith. With no villains to interrupt their lives for the time being as the town's hero's and villains dealt with the fallout of the Ice Queen's visit to the sleepy town full of fairy-tale characters.

The redhead seemed to in the thick of the fallout as she split her time between helping her soulmate and now official 'girlfriend' scour the story book with Emma and Henry to find any clue of the Author and the library where Belle and Hook had set up as a base to find out anything and everything they could about the magic 'hat' her exiled Uncle had used to trap the fairies in in his mission to free himself from his dagger. All while trying to keep her bar above water as the Lance shaped hole seemed to get bigger each day she had to leave Falstaff in charge.

And then there was her own personal fallout she had to deal with. The end of her marriage. Her's and Tom's apartment seemed a little bigger than before without the presence of her first love and her son's father in it. With the Captains sudden departure from the land of no magic, the mother so duo had to adapt to the new living situation.

Tom had distanced himself from his mother as teen dealt with his own feelings about his father leaving. Spending his time with either Henry or on his school work as Saturdays became the days where he helped the dwarfs and Anton putting together the small training ground on the small piece of land she had acquired from the mayor's office to transform it into somewhere they could continue his training, without any resident being harmed by a stray throwing knife or arrow.

But during the school week, the pair had fallen into a routine as he prepared to spend the next six hours at school and she, trying and failing to find anything that would help free the fairies from the hat. Friday couldn't have come sooner for Tom as he packed the books he had borrowed from the school and town library to help him catch up with the rest of his classmates, he couldn't wait to help the dwarfs put the finishing touches to the training ground

"I'm going to Henry's tonight to watch some movies" Tom informs his mother while he packed his backpack while she sat at the breakfast bar sat over an open book and a piece of toast in her hand to get a head start on the book her aunt had found in the back of the pawn shop that might help them.

Pausing what she was doing, she looked up from a passage in the book to look at her teenage son with a questioning brow as he continued to pack more books into his bag like nothing was wrong with the way he told his Mom what his plans were for the evening.

"Uh, do you wanna re-word that?" she suggested to the nearly sixteen year old in front of her in his uniform.

Stopping what he was doing the teen looks up to meet his mother's questioning gaze as she heard a scoff leave "Can I go to Henry's tonight to watch some movies?".

"Where?" she questions him. Henry's place consisted of two places in town. Either his home with Regina or the loft with the Charming's and Emma, and she didn't exactly keep a schedule of where he would be.

"The house" he tells her as he continued to pack his bag.

"And Regina's okay with it?" she asks him, she hadn't heard anything from her partner about this movie night.

"She was, when he asked a couple days ago" he tells her with a shrug of his shoulders. Two days ago? And she was only hearing of this now?.

"Sure, that's fine" she agreed through gritted teeth "But I'm picking you up from school later" she insisted to the teen.

"But Mom-" he started to complain, only for it to be cut short by his mother.

"No 'buts'" she tells him "Its bad enough you didn't tell me about this sooner, I' you're going with a full stomach so you fill up of candy and popcorn".

"Whatever"he tutted at her swinging the backpack onto his shoulder and head towards the front door shoving white earbuds into his ears "I'm gonna walk to school" was the last thing he tell her before slamming to door shut behind him.

---

Letting herself into the Mayor's Office, the redhead waited for her soulmate to make her appearance back at the helm as Storybrooke's Mayor after Mary Margaret gave up her brief tenure to go back to teaching. The transition would take weeks but the former Queen wanted to get a head start correcting the town budget after the former Princess had a free for all in her short time in power.

The former Queen had also been using it as a base to search Henry's storybook with a fine tooth comb, going over every page again and again in case they missed anything that would give them a clue of the existence of the Author.

Sat in her chair at the her deck with her feet perched up on the edge waiting for her partner to make her appearance that morning after her small disagreement with her son.

But with both their son's busy that evening, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to finally spend some time together without someone from their extended family present. A date night. Just them, with no interruptions to spoil it. Since she raced to Regina after John had left and Emma had shown her the blank storybook, the new couple hadn't had a moment to themselves since her husband had left with the others. And tonight she wanted to correct that.

A smile grew on the assassin's face as she saw the former let herself in to her office to see the redhead sat at her desk, in her chair, with her boot covered feet perched on the edge of her desk.

"Morning Queenie" Amelia greeted her soulmate with smirk seeing the woman in her signature sensible blazer and skirt paired with a pair of black heel's.

"Good Morning" the former Queen replied with a pleasing smile seeing the redhead before it dropped "Feet off the desk" she tells her pattern waving her hand towards her partner making her boot covered feet fall back onto the floor with a thud making the assassin catch herself on the edge of the desk to keep her balance on the chair.

"You know I love it when you get rough" she purred out to the woman as Regina rounds the desk placing her purse on the desk.

"You're in my chair dear" she tells the redhead with her hands on her hips waiting for the woman to vacate it.

"I was here first" Amelia argued to the former Queen.

"Move or I'll move you myself" she threatened the redhead.

"Is that in invitation?" she teased her love from the her seat.

"Out" she sternly orders the woman. Following the order the assassin slowly stand up from the chair to stand in front of her Queen, intentionally invading her personal space as the woman held her own under the intense gaze of her green eye's met her's as she felt the familiar pull whenever she was this close to the woman as the air around them thickened.

Almost teasingly the assassin closed the distance between them as her lips found her target in a gentle but firm kiss that made the former Queen's hands fall from her hips to find the assassins, pulling her towards her to deepen the kiss making the redhead take in a deep inhale through her nose to keep the kiss going, her hands holding her Queen in place as she gave her love a 'proper' greeting, sliding her a stray hand up her arm leaving a trail of goosebumps underneath her blazer and blouse until she found the Queen's face and jaw as the other found the small of her back to pull her against herself, needing to be as close to her Queen as she could at that moment.

As the need to breath got worse the pair reluctantly separated resting their forehead against the other as they caught their breath from the steamy kiss.

"Morning Queenie" Amelia breathed out the greeting to her soulmate once again as her hooded eye's met a set of brown she loved looking right into.

"Good Morning, Melia" Regina repeated as a bright smile grew on her lips before the former Queen placed a brief but sweet kiss on the redheads lips.

"Not that's it nice to see you, but aren't you supposed to be at the library?".

"I am, but I wanted to see you first. Is that a crime?" Amelia tells her "Although, come to think of it, I'm not totally against Swan handcuffing me" she added with a suggestive wink to her soulmate.

"I bet you would" she says rolling her eyes at the woman's words the Mayor took her place in her chair as the assassin took a place on the edge her desk "So, why are you here?".

"Tom told me about movie night tonight" she started "Well, he didn't so much as ask me, but tell me what his plans were with Henry this evening".

"What? I thought he asked you the other day?" she questioned the woman. She was told the redhead already okay'd for her son to spend the evening watching movies.

"Nope, knew nothing about it until this morning".

"Melia, I'm sorry" she said sympathizing with the assassin knowing how she must be feeling having gone through the same thing with Henry. The distance between he mother/son duo had become strained since John had left. It was easy to see he was unsettled with his father's departure. It was sudden from what Amelia had told her, no word of warning, he just said goodbye and left.

"Don't worry, I'l figure out what to do with him" she reassures her love wanting to change the subject "Besides, I didn't come here to complain about my son".

"Oh, then why did you?" she asks the woman sat on the edge of her desk.

"To ask you out on a date tonight" she asks her Queen a a nervous smile grew on her lips. This would be new for both of them, what they were or did back home wasn't really dating. It was never romantic, it was two people with chemistry being pulled towards the other.

"A date?".

"Yep, with the boys occupied for the evening and mine suddenly free. I thought it would be nice to spend the evening together.. I'm sure the boys can look after themselves for a few hours, while we forget about hiding Author's or trapped Fairies for a few hours. Just us, with no interruptions".

"I'd like that. What exactly do you have in mind?".

"You'll have to find out Queenie" the assassin says standing from the desk to lean over her soulmate, her face hovering over her loves "Pick you up at six?" she ask with a questioning raised brow.

"It's a date" the former Queen confirms sealing their plans with a firm kiss on the redhead's lips, that was instantly reciprocated s the pair got lost in the moment as it was going somewhere they hadn't gone since the night the assassin made the chose that the former Queen would be her happy ending. Before it could lead them anywhere the assassin pulled away from her love, resting her forehead against the Queen's.

"I'm not kidding about the handcuff thing by the way" she adds in a low voice as a seductive smirk grew on her lips. A challenging brow rose on the mayor's face at the woman's words.

"Go" Regina urged the assassin to leave before anything happened that would delay the assassin further from her jobs that day. Listening to the former Queen's 'order' the assassin stood up straight to head for the door.

"Wear something nice dear!" were the last words that left her soulmate tell her as Regina watched the assassin leave her to her day in her office.

They were both in for a long day.

---

Enchanted Forest

Many Years Ago

Storming into her chambers, the Evil Queen ripped off the jewelry that adorned her extravagant dress for the evening, hosting a small gathering for herself and her courtier's to forget her failed attempts of relieving Snow White of her heart. The evening failed to distract her as much as she wanted it to as she ripped the tiara from her tied up hair, before throwing across the room, unaware of the presence that had made herself comfortable on the railing of her balcony.

Meeting her reflection in the mirror of her vanity dresser, she reached up to remove the earrings from her ears as she heard someone clear their throat from her balcony making the Queen jump and whirl around to see Amelia casually sat on the edge of her balcony, with bottles of wine stood on the floor.

"Bad night?" her Black Widow calmly asks her form the balcony withe a bottle of wine in her hand. The woman wasn't wearing her usually set of robe's, instead the woman held a more relaxed look to her, in a loose looking off-white blouse that came to her neck under a blue waistcoat that outlined her shapely body, and brown riding pants that encompassed her long toned legs.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she demanded to know.

"I needed to escape the party" she tells the Queen jumping down from the railing "Your courtiers are painfully dull, almost made me want to jump from a window with nothing to soften the fall".

The Queen had to agreed with the woman on that as the corner of her lip quirked up for a second. They were rather dull, all there to keep the Evil Queen happy, none of them were actually her friends.

"And why couldn't you do that in your own room" she griped at the assassin in annoyance.

"Mine doesn't have a view " her assassin pointed out the view she had of the entire kingdom from the open window.

"Get out" she tried to order the woman, only it to go ignored by the redhead that served her for the last few years.

"What's wrong? You usually enjoyed your little gatherings?".

"Well, not this one" she tells the assassin turning back to her mirror to continue taking off the jewelry from her person. "Snow White evaded more of my knights got away. Again" she growled out in frustration.

Good, the assassin thought to herself. Senu got the message to her in time.

"There'll be other opportunities, Your Majesty. Be patient".

"I'm done being patient. I need her dead" she tells the assassin whirling around to face her.

"I know" she tells the woman.

She could relate to how the Queen was feeling. As the years passed by, the more frustrated she became knowing the remaining members of her old family still breathed. She killed Iago and Tybalt so quickly, maybe some higher being was making sure she was made to wait. In the meantime, she focused on her home and her work with the Queen, making sure Snow was always a step or two ahead of the plans made to capture her.

"How do you do it anyway?" she suddenly asks her assassin as she starts to circle the woman who simply stands in the middle of her floor not perturbed that the Queen was stalking her like prey ready to pounce on her at any moment.

"Do what exactly?" she questions the Queen.

"Well, it's been a while since you've retaken your little home. And yet you're here, with me, while your little..Creed continue to live".

"My father" she answered the Queen "He taught me that a man's fate were always shaped in which it could not escape, even the world we live in will come to an end when Ragnarok comes. No man, no matter how rich, how strong, how wise or how powerful could escape his own death. It's inevitable. My old family's fate will find them in the end. The same to whatever fate is in store for Snow White".

"Mhhmm" the Queen hummed to herself at the woman's word a satisfied smirk grew on her face knowing the woman's words spoke true. She would have Snow White's heart in her hand one day, today just wasn't that day. Her stepdaughter would not escape her death, no matter how long it took, she would have her revenge.

"It sounds like your father was a wise man" the Queen tells her. She hardly spoke of the man that trained her, and when she did it was always with a hint of bitterness behind it, but this time she heard none as she spoke of the man that sired her with nothing but fondness.

"Our Creed commands us to be wise" the redhead monotonously replies, like she's been conditioned to say that over the decades. In a way she had been. Conditioned to think only one way.

The Queen wasn't' too sure what that meant by that. Maybe that her father was just simply following what the Brotherhood dictated to him to be true, or that she simply didn't think her father wasn't a wise man to begin with.

Hearing the silence that encased the pair the assasin quickly put an end to it holding up the bottle to the monarch "Would you like a drink?".

"Yes. I will" she accepts the woman's invitation after a pause seeing a bottle of wine she didn't recognize in the assassin's hand as she watched the redhead find a couple of crystal tumblers for them.

"That isn't my usual wine" she observed out load as Amelia poured a generous amount of red wine into a couple of crystal glasses.

"You're right, it isn't. I hide these in my room to save them being thrown against a wall by an angry Queen" she teases the woman with a playful wink of her eye that made the Queen smile to herself. She was never afraid of her, it was one of the things she most admired about the redhead and frustrated her to no end.

"Odin and Aegir blessed Monteriggoni with a good harvest last summer. It's been one of our best exports since we reinvested in the orchard a couple of years ago" the Widow informs the Queen.

"Then why haven't I ever had any until now?".

"Like I said. You waste the good wine" she says handing the Queen the tumbler "I should warn you. It has a bit of a kick to it".

The assassin watched as the Queen brought the glass up to her nose, taking in a deep sniff of the sweet smelling wine before taking a small sip of it. The sharpness hit her tongue straight away but eased into something sweet before drinking it only to leave behind a gentle burn in the back of her throat taking the Queen by surprise.

"You get used it it after a few more sips, or you get too tipsy to notice it anymore".

"You've have experience in this?".

"When I was a lot younger" she tells the Queen with a mischievous wink of her eye as she held out her glass towards her partner in all things related to their individual plans for vengeance."What are we toasting to Your Majesty?".

The Queen paused thinking of something to toast their evening to, thinking back to the assassin's words that calmed her down from failing to capturing Snow White yet again.

"To...Patience" she replied gently clinking her glass against the assassins with a satisfied smirk.

"Patience" Amelia repeated to the Queen as they both drank the first of many glasses of Monteriggioni wine that evening.

---

The hours passed painfully for the assassin as she spent most of it on her phone texting Aron back and forth putting the last minute arrangements to the date that evening in-between going though endless passages in the book's Belle had found for her to go through with Hook.

The end of the school day was her saving grace as she excused herself from the library to pick up her son to start the weekend they both get free for different reasons. Saturday's had been dedicated to helping out building out their training ground and once it was completed Saturday's would their days to spend together, with maybe Henry tagging along after getting the green light from both his mother's to teach him some basic self defense, just in case he should find himself alone against whatever villain was just around the corner.

Stood in the playground she waited with the other parents picking up their kids when she saw a young blonde girl she recognized straight away wheeling her bike out of the school grounds.

"Hey Miss Montague" Grace greeted the redheaded assassin she had first met in the Enchanted Forest.

"Hey Grace, say 'hi' to your Papa for me. Have a good weekend".

"I will,thank you. Bye" the young girl in Henry's class said as the assassin's presence was caught by a pixie haired teacher.

"Give me strength All-father" she mumbled to herself as Mary Margaret crossed the playground to find the redheaded assassin. An excited smile played on the former Princess's lips as she neared the redheaded assassin.

"Lia. Hi!" she greets her friend as the smile on her face never wavered.

"Snow" she replied to the teacher.

"A little birdie told me you and Regina were going out tonight".

"Which bird exactly?" she asked. So she could find it and kill it.

"Emma did" she chirped out. Damn it. Her daughter informed her mother of the couple plans' for the evening after hearing it from the Mayor herself when she found her in her office with lunch from Granny's "I just think it's wonderful that you two are back together now, especially after everything you've both been through to get where you are" she gushed to the redhead "Hopefully, this time you'll be able to-".

"We'll be able to do what?" she questioned the younger woman in front of her hearing the woman's use of the term 'this time'.

"Oh, I don't mean anything by it Amelia" she tried to reassure the woman suddenly on the defensive "Its just every time you two have tried being together, something's always gotten in the way, like curses, or dead husbands coming back to life or each other" she listed off to the redhead having witnessed the rise and fall of their relationship over recent months and years.

"I get it" the assassin quickly stops the woman from digging herself in deeper into her own grave the redhead would easily put her in for her "Why are you all so interested in our love life anyway?".

"Amelia" Mary Margaret tried to soothe out the woman's train of thoughts "We're just worried that you two might be falling in the same pattern again".

"Who's we?".

"Just David and I" she answered the assassins question, a questioning brow rose on the assassin's face, crossing her arms across her chest waiting for the younger woman to continue her list not letting the woman get away with her answer knowing she wasn't telling the whole truth "Fine, Emma and Archie as well" she added.

"What?!" she spat out in disbelief that the Charming's had been gossiping behind her back about something that had nothing to do with them.

"We're just worried that if you both go head first into your relationship, that someone's going to get hurt again and you'll both end up breaking up. Again. And now you both have someone that would get hurt if it didn't work out".

A sigh left the assassin lips as it dawned on her what she was going on about. This was really their last chance of their relationship going somewhere, if it failed, not only they would get hurt, but Tom and Henry too. Like Tom was already hurt from her failed marriage.

God's she really hated when Snow White was right.

"I never thought of it like that" the assassin trailed off in defeat. Did they always dive head first into their relationship? Did they always go too fast? And get burnt as a result. How many times could they get back together and break up before one of them just gives up entirely?.

She couldn't go through that again, She couldn't let Regina go through that. Now this evening held more weight than it originally did. It's success or failure would set the template for their entire future.

Seeing the worry on the assassin's face the Princess gently took Amelia's hand into hers seeing the woman quickly building the walls up in her mind, closing herself off from overthinking her date with the woman she loved.

"Oh no, Amelia it's really nothing" Mary Margaret tied to downplay their concerns about the new couple "I shouldn't have said anything at all. I'm so sorry".

"No, its fine" she tells the pixie haired teacher "I-I should get home".

"What about Tom?. Aren't you picking him up?".

"He's gone anyway" she points out as she see's Henry climb down the steps of the school without his best friend by his side as their eye's met across the crowded playground, giving the redhead a sad smile knowing Tom had already sneaked away to avoid his mother. Giving Henry a flicker of a smile the assassin quickly takes her hand back to turn and leave the school feeling the gap widening between her son and her once again.

---

Laughter echoed from behind the Queen's bedroom door as the Black Widow and the Evil Queen sat on the floor leaning their backs on the ornate sofa in front of a roaring fire as empty and half empty bottle of wine surrounded them.

As the evening wore on the pair had relaxed in front of each-other as the wine loosened up the prime and proper Queen as she let herself be entertained by the assassin in front of her from the numerous stories she told about her childhood and growing up outside the gilded cage she was used to living in.

"You can dance?" The Queen asked the assassin in disbelief as the redhead sat comfortable on her side resting her head in her right hand as she took in every little detail of the woman in front of her, the long sleeve of her blouse rolled up to expose the lion tattoo that had been the source of some of her misery in an attempt to cool the temperature she felt sat in front of the fire and the wine in her system.

"Of course. It comes in handy sometimes especially if you need to blend into a crowd of dancers quickly. I need to be able to sync in with the rest of them not to be spotted. A person with two left feet is easy to see".

"This has happened to you before?".

"A few times" she admits as a adorable snort left the woman's nose into the glass of wine. Wait...did she just say adorable? A brow rose on the redhead's face at her own thoughts as the Queen mistook it as an offence.

"Sorry. It's just hard to imagine you in a dress" Regina tells her.

"I'm not opposed to them, I just can't run as fast in dress. and dancing isn't hard. You just have to find the right partner".

"Do you now?" she questioned the redhead.

"In some ways, yes. Someone that can keep up with in everything and keep you balanced at the same time".

"And you've found this ..partner, before?" The Queen carefully asked the woman. From what she had found out in the years of her service, the redhead in front of her had been widowed not long after she found the Queen again.

"Yes" she tells the Queen trailing off, only to quickly to stop her going into a subject she didn't want to talk about.

"Like for you example" she started taking the Queen by surprise "You need someone that's strong but not overbearing. That would be able to hold their own in a fight, but be able to accept some help every so often and brave enough to tell the even Evil Queen to shut up" she lists off unknowing closing the distance between their faces close enough for the assassin to catch the scent of the perfume the woman was wearing. Taking a note of the sweet smell that always followed the woman in front of her. A favorite of hers, perhaps?.

"Someone with passion, willing to fight anyone that got in their way, not perfect and boring. Someone that can understand your darker side" she continues as her eye's flicker to her lips trying to imagine how they would feel on her own.

"Well this person is clearly doesn't' exist" Regina tells the woman feeling her heart pound against her chest harder each time she got closer to the woman.

"In my experience, they may by closer than you think" she almost whispers as a hush fell over the room as hooded eye's met the other other as Regina bit her lip fighting off the urge to kiss the woman in front of her. to give into the pull that kept taking her back to the redhead. But wasn't willing to take the leap of faith in case she was wrong that the assassin didn't feel the invisible pull between them.

Taking the leap of faith for her, the assassin slowly closed the distance between that remained between them. When their lips touched the Queen felt something she hadn't felt in years, a jolt of electricity that went through her body in waves, but at the same time it was unlike anything she had ever felt before as the world around them faded away from that moment.

Sighing into the kiss the young Queen forgot about her drink, the glass fell to the floor from her hand to quickly cup the redheads face and jaw as the assassin's warm lips caressed her own as she felt the assassins brazenly sweep her tongue along her bottom lip making them part long enough for the redhead to take her chance to deepen the kiss making the Queen draw in a sharp breath though her nose, a soft moan vibrating through her chest, , Amelia's right hand finding the Queen's neck just as her eye's flicker open for a slips second to see the lion tattoo that sat on her forearm, making a torrent of memories she'd rather forget come to the front of her mind like it was happening all over again;

"I need you to find someone for me. You're her soulmate. She's miserable, her husband doesn't love her, but you can change that, you can make her happy".

No. She tried to block out the fairies words. John was her soulmate. No one else could be. He was it for her. She couldn't fall for anyone else, she wouldn't.

"Regina needs you; she needs a fresh start. Don't you want to find your soulmate?".

Tinkerbelle's voice made her break away from the heated kiss as pull her herself and her wandering hands away from the woman in front of her as she turned away from the woman as the warmth of the redhead evaporated from her body.

Hurt washed over the Queen as she tried to figure out what was wrong with the passionate embrace they had both shared. She hadn't felt anything as close to what she had felt as the assassin held her so close.

Had she made a mistake? Did she do something wrong?

"M-Melia?" Regina breathlessly asks the woman in concern as her nickname for the woman in front of her left her lips as the assassin's eye's flickered to the fireplace.

"You can have a fresh start as well together, no baggage, you can both let go off all the anger that weighs you down".

Jolting herself out of the memories, she caught sight of the Queen clasping her tattooed forearm, covering the image of the lion inked into her skin. It felt like it belonged there as her thumb tried to soothe out the tension she felt under her skin.

Snatching her arm out of the woman grasp, Amelia regretted the force she used to get the Queen off hers seeing the a flash of hurt went through her brown eyes. The same pair of eye's she once locked onto as she held her to help her out of the upturned carriage. She hurt her.

"I'm sorry" she breathes out to the Queen scrambling to get onto her feet to stand "I'm sorry" she blinks out trying to make sense of the surroundings around her she knew where the Queen wanted to go with her, because she wanted to go there to. But she couldn't, she had spent so much time forgetting about the woman in the upturned carriage because it could never be that life for her, to knowing she could all along, only to be wrong.

"I'll send the huntsman to you". was the last thing the redhead said to her as the Queen tried to stop her only for the redhead to be too quick for her to even think about catching up to her.

"Amelia! No!" her protests went unheard as the door was closed, leaving the Queen to contemplate for the rest of the night of what had gone wrong so quickly "Please don't leave me".

---

Mary Margaret's words annoyingly stayed with her the whole time she got ready for her date with Regina that night. Stood in her bathroom ready for the evening, the redhead had found a knee length red dress that hugged her slim but strong figure with a thin gold belt tied around her stomach with a pair of simple dark red heels she had found in the depths of her closet.

Checking the watch in her wrist, she only had just over half an hour to drive across town to drop Tom off at the house to pick Regina up at the same time. She had a little time to kill as she slowly applied lipstick that matched the color of her dress.

She wouldn't mind if she was a little late. It also gave her an extra minute or so to think about the other's concerns about her relationship with the former Queen. Would it really be that disastrous if they didn't work out again? They worked together before when it mattered. Or were they worried that they would fall into their old ways if the break up was that bad.

She was spiraling, she couldn't do that now. Shaking the thoughts out of her head she told herself that she shouldn't let what other's though get to her like this. She was going to enjoy the evening with the the woman she loved, and nothing was going to stop her. Stomping back into her room, the redhead grabbed her red clutch throwing the lipstick into the small purse before walking into the living room to find her son.

Heel's clicked against the hardwood floor as she found her set of keys on the small dining table with the key's to her bar slipping them into her clutch as she glances up to see Tom stuffing his backpack with the snacks he promised to supply for the night knowing Regina never had any candy in the house.

"Are you ready to go?" her voice interrupted his train of thought of the night ahead.

"Ye-" he started to answer his Mom as he looked up from his bag. "Whoa.." he trailed off seeing like he had never seen her before as a raised brow grew on his mother's face silently questioning her son's reaction.

"That better be a good 'whoa?"" she tells the teen.

"I-it is" he stammered out, clearing his throat "It's just you look like..a girl" he said not sure how else to compliment his Mom. Her naturally curled hair sat comfortably on her shoulders as the dress left her arms exposed. She looked..nice.

"You need to work on your compliments" she replies as a pleased smirk grew on her lips "But thank you".

"So this is like a real date then?" he asked the redhead from the kitchen counter.

"Yeah a real date. Well dinner and drinks if you wanna get specific. Is that okay?".

"Y-yeah that's fine. Does that mean we'll be sleeping over?" he nervously answers her.

"Sleeping over?" she questions him with furrowed brows, not sure what he was talking about.

"I'm fifteen not stupid" he reminds her "I know where you and Regina were when we needed you both the night Emma ran off, after arguing with Dad".

The ball seemed to drop at the moment what had been troubling him recently. Everything was going so fast for him. First his Father leaving and then having to start school with Henry, her fast tracked relationship with Regina it seemed to be a little too overwhelming for a her secretly timid son.

No wonder the other's were all worried.

"No" she simply tells him slowly approaching her son with the breakfast counter between them as he seems to relax at her answer "The last couple weeks have been a lot for you hasn't it? With your Dad leaving and me moving on so quickly, I've forgotten how you're feeling about all this. Going to school, making friends. It's all been a little fast hasn't it?" she asks him approaching the subject with him as gently as she could.

"A little" he admits to her.

"Then we can slow things down a little yeah? I'll talk to Miss Blanchard about getting you a tutor to help you catch up with everything and I can ask Belle if there's any books in the library she thinks that could help you".

"And Regina?" he asks her. He didn't want to ruin something she'd been waiting to happen for years. The last thing he wanted if for his Mom to break up with the mayor for him.

"I can take things slow with her, if it makes you more comfortable. We'll only be out for a few hours before coming back, and me and you will be coming back here tonight if that's what you want".

"Y-yeah, it does actually" he says with a nod and a hint of a smile on his lips.

"Okay" she breathed in relief seeing that she was getting somewhere with him, but it still didn't seem to fix everything, he was bottling up something he couldn't talk to her about. It felt like she had just swallowed a golf ball whole, feeling her throat go dry. She felt like she had failed him somehow asking him this, but it helped her in the long term when the curse broke, it was still helping her now making sense of the changing world around her.

"Did you uh, want me to set up an appointment with Dr. Hopper as well for you? Have someone else to talk to, that you're not related to in someway?"

Tom stilled thinking of what she was offering him a chance to find a way through his muddled thoughts of the last few weeks "Sure" he answers her "He helps you right?" he asks her.

"He does" she tells him with a gentle smile. And she wasn't' lying, in the early days, he was the only one she could trust her with everything that had ever happened to her "Then we can both enjoy our evenings?" h nods at this wanting to get the Henry's as soon as possible.

"Come on, I know for a fact that she hates it when I'm late for anything" she prompts her son to get going "Henry might've inherited her impatience". Picking up his backpack the pair leave with relaxed smiles to the front door ready for the evening ahead of them.

---

It barely took them ten minutes to get from their side of town to the suburbs in her car to Muffin Street where she parked outside the house, the pair walking up the path towards the front porch together as she eyed his backpack and the way Tom had to keep readjusting the strap on his shoulder to accommodate the amount of snacks he had brought with him. He must've been saving up his allowance for weeks. She needed to cut him off for a while.

"How much candy did you bring exactly?" the redhead questions her son as they made their approach to the front door.

"Enough" he answers her "Henry's getting the popcorn".

"At least save some Twizzlers for me" she tells him having seen the familiar red packet in his hand.

"How do you know I've got Twizzlers?" he questions her.

"I saw you stuffing it into your bag she tells him with a sly smirk on her lips "Just promise me you won't all of it tonight. Regina will kill me if we come back and see him on hopped up on sugar before bed".

"What about me?" he asks as they stood in front of the white door of the large house.

"Well, you have met her haven't you?" she lightly teased her son with a wink of her eye raising a closed fist to knock the door only for it to swing open to reveal Henry on the other side with a wide smile on his face seeing the pair.

"Hey guys, you're right on time" Henry greet them "I saw you both from my room, come on in" he says allowing the pair to enter the mansion "Lia you look great" he compliment his cousin as they walk int the hallway, the boy's hovering at the base of staircase eager to start their movie night with no adults in the house.

"Thank you Henry. So what films are you watching tonight?".

"Star Wars" he proudly tells her "Original trilogy" He's been wanting to get her and Tom to watch the popular films since they had reigned their memories from the second curse. He wanted to show his best friend on what he'd been missing out on. "You still need to watch it Lia. You'll love it, I bet we can even convince Mom to watch them with us. Have a movie night with all of us".

The invitation came as a surprise to her. He was happy to see her and his Mom finally together, after the redhead broke up with her to be with John, he thought there was no hope for them to get back together, but then the impossible happened. John had left leaving them to be together. But he couldn't help but feel a guilty for being happy while his friend was missing his Dad.

"That sounds like a great plan Henry, maybe we can arrange something soon".

"Cool. I'll let her know you're here. I think she's a little nervous" he grins at her seeing how she had been acting since they got home.

"Nervous?" she questions him. At least she wasn't the only one "How?".

"Well she's been getting ready since I had dinner" he says as he and Tom gravitate towards the stairs "I'll go get her".

From the bottom of the stairs she watched as her son and Henry disappeared upstairs leaving the equally nervous assassin behind to wonder into the living room to wait for her Queen to make her grand entrance. Venturing to the nicely decorated room, her eye's were drawn to the portrait of a horse over the mantelpiece of the fire place. They always bonded over their love for horse riding back home. It was the first thing to connect them when she started working for the Evil Queen after finding out her assassin tending to Achilles herself and not the stable hands. She just had to see it for herself.

She came to see for herself only to find the assassin softly speaking to her own prized steed, Rosinante. She didn't know what she was telling him but he seemed o enjoy the woman's attention as she brushed him.

"Melia?" her voice floated to her ears, making her turn around to see her soulmate, looking around to try and find her. She opened her mouth to tell her soulmate where she was, only for words o fail her at that moment as she looked upon the woman she had always loved stood there in a blue dress knee length dress that held a slit on the side, showing off her long legs. Blue always suited her.

"Hello there" the assassin eventually greeted her date for the night as her voice caught the mayor's ears as the whirled around to see her love in her living room. All the nerves of the evening seemed to melt away for the pair as they looked upon each other for the first time since that morning.

"Hello" the former Queen replied with a smile seeing her date.

"You look.." she trailed off not sure if there was a word the way her love looked in that moment slowly making her way to her love with a hand behind her back.

"Well you did tell me to wear something nice" she says soothing out the dress that hugged her curves, in a teasing manner "Does this suffice?"

"It does, but I think it could use something else" she says coming to a stop short of the woman in the hallway.

"You do?" she questions the woman with a challenging brow.

"Mhmm" she hummed as she show's the Queen what she was hiding behind her back. A rose."For you" she says offering it the woman in front of her.

Eyeing the item in the redhead's hand, the former Queen looks over her shoulder to see a rose missing from the small arrangement that sat upon the glass coffee table, knowing where it already came from.

"Isn't that already mine dear?" she asks the redhead.

"It is, which is why I'm giving it back. It deserves to be with something just as beautiful" she smoothly tell the woman in front of her.

A blushing smirk grew on the Queen's lips as she takes the rose out of the redhead's fingers to take herself before the purple smoke engulfs the flower to reappear behind the assassin in it's own slim glass vase on the coffee table.

"Charming" she states at the assassin's sense of charm.

"Where?" the assassin feigned confusion as she looked around them to find the man that matched the name "I was hoping we could do this without any of them tonight".

"Very-" the former Queen was cut off when she felt a pair of familiar lips on her's catching her out as she felt a pair of hands snake around her waist to bring her in closer before melting into the kiss as her hands found the back of the assassin's neck.

Breaking apart the heated kiss, their noses grazed the other as they found themselves unable to pull their foreheads away as hooded emerald eye's bored into her set of brown.

"Sorry. Couldn't wait much longer" the assassin admits to the woman "You look beautiful" she breathlessly tells her Queen.

"You too" Regina replied as she tried to slow down her heart hoping the assassin couldn't feel how hard it beat for her through the dresses.

"We should get going, we promised the boys we'd be out for evening at this rate we won't be going anywhere".

"Shall we then?" the dark haired woman prompted them to leave the house only for a throat being cleared above them made the women freeze to see Henry and Tom stood on the staircase looking down at them leaning on the rail with a smile on both their lips having witnessed the pair from their spot.

"Have a good night Henry. Tom" Regina tells the pair from the ground floor.

"We will Mom" Henry replied "Drive safe now".

"I'll have her back by ten" Amelia tells her cousin.

"Have her back by nine Lia, or you'll have me to answer to" he teased her from the staircase.

A challenging brow rose on the assassin's face at the pre-teen's demand as she placed a hand on her hip."Nine-thirty" she rebutted from her place.

"Nine-fifteen".

"I am right here you know" Regina voiced to her partner and son. She was an adult after all.

"Nine thirty" Amelia stood her ground with the boy before Tom quickly whispered a warning in his ear knowing she wasn't going to back down.

"Before ten" Henry agreed "Not a minute later".

"Yes sir" she agreed with a smirk and wink that made the pre-teen smile before they both ran back up the stairs to start their movie night.

"Wow. He's strict" Amelia quips to her partner making the older woman's roll her eye's at her as she moves to the coat rack to pick up a blazer. Following her Queen the pair leave for their date night.

---

Idle chit-chat about their day filled the ten minutes it took them to get to the Hidden Ones in the redhead's car. Pulling in front of the building, the former Queen took note of how un-busy it was for a Friday night.

"Your bar?" she questioned the redhead as they let themselves out of the car. The assassin quickly rounding to the passenger side to hold out a helping hand for the dark haired woman in heels to step onto the sidewalk.

"It's better than the flat roof of the bordello in Monteriggioni right?" she asks the woman closing the door behind her.

"I was a Queen. A little more refined than one of your 'friends'" She meant one of the prostitutes that roamed the bordello.

"But then, you were just Regina. A guest of mine while I healed from being shot three times by a Princess".

A fond smile grew on the dark haired woman's' face at their time spent in the magic free city. She enjoyed every second of her time spent with her love in her home. Where she could be just be Regina while they healed from being beaten by the heroes after the assassin's failure to save her Queen from being executed.

"Are you ever going to get over that?".

"Never" she tells her Queen taking her hand into her "I think you'll like what's inside a lot more to your taste".

With her key's the assassin let her and the mayor into the quiet bar to see the whole place lit up like it would be on a busy night only for the whole place to be empty except from a lone table in the middle of the bar, laid out perfectly with a white table cloth and a lit candle sat in between two place settings one in front of the other.

"Like you said" Amelia's voice drifted into her ear "Refined as a Queen".

"You did all this?" she asked the woman next to her.

"I had some help" she admitted as her accomplice for the night came into the main room back, dressed in a pair of black pants and button up, their waiter for the night greeted the couple.

"Amelia. Madam Mayor." Aron greeted the pair with a warm smile "Welcome" he greets the pair as a flash of recognition went through the former Queen's eyes as they approached the table.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Regina asks the familiar man as she allows him to pull her chair out for her.

"You do" he replies as he tucks her into place "I may have changed since the last time you saw me, Your Majesty".

Her brows furrowed at the man's use of her title from back home. Little Aron knew who Regina was as soon as she walked into Monteriggioni. He was enamored with her as soon as he laid eye's on her. She was the first Queen he had ever met, and she was good to him whenever they came across him.

"Little Aron, is now very, very tall Aron " Amelia supplied for the younger man that used to run around the city for her for sweets making the man chuckle at her words.

"Aron" Regina breathed out in disbelief as the ball dropped "You're so.."

"Old?" he questioned her "I'm not that much older than you are now, Your Majesty" he attempted to flirt with the woman.

"Watch it" Amelia sternly scolded her with a teasing smile knowing he was only teasing her.

"Forgive me Amelia" he chuckled out "I was simply stating fact" he argued.

"State fact from the kitchen then".

"Always Milady" he says turning to fetch the drinks for the evening.

"How is that possible?" she questioned the redhead in front of her while the young man was getting the wine for the evening. He was no older than ten when she met him.

"The curse, didn't touch Monteriggioni. While the rest of the land froze for twenty eight years, the city carried on as usual. I only found out when I went back, after..."

After she left, thinking that she couldn't ever forgive her for everything she had done to her.

"I know" the former Queen trails off, as another prominent figure of Amelia's life in the city came to her mind as the though came to an end when Aron returned with a bottle of wine the redhead had been saving making sure the Queen didn't get a look at the label of green colored bottle it came in, pouring a generous amount of the red wine into the wine glass as the former Queen caught it's sweet scent her eye's meeting Amelia's in surprise

"Go ahead, taste it" the assassin prompted her love. Thanking Aron, the former Queen picked up her glass and took a small sip of the wine that took her right back to the first night she first tasted it, its sharpness hit her tongue as it eased into its sweet taste.

"Is this?" she asks wanting confirmation from the woman in front of her. It was her favorite whenever the redhead brought some back from Monteriggioni.

"I told you, you'd get used to it" the redhead says with a smile as Aron poured her glass out "From the orchards of Monteriggioni itself. We managed to save a few dozen bottles from the basement of the tavern. They've been in the vault, since we came back. I only found them the other week".

Taking hold of her own glass and held it aloft read to toast their evening alone"So, what are we toasting to this time Queenie?".

"Us" the former Queen states clinking the edge of her glass against the redheads, eager to enjoy the evening ahead of them.

---

The days seemed to pass in a blur after the night they kissed. Keeping her distance from the other, the Queen was quick to built the walls around her heart up high again after redhead made them crumble with a mere kiss. She couldn't' stop thinking about the woman since they had taken the leap of faith, it sparked something between them that hadn't been acted on.

After a particular long day the Queen found herself not able to sleep knowing the assassin was only down the hallway, wanting to continue that earth shattering kiss, not being able to stop thinking about the way her lips felt, her eyes, her smile, how gentle she was despite seeing first hand how strong she could be in a fight.

Giving up the Queen found her robe and slippers to venture out of her chamber's as her feet took her outside onto the stone courtyard only to come across the one woman she was hoping to avoid laid out on her back on one of the benches with a leg propped up by a bent knee in a world of her own as her eye's stayed firmly on the starry night above her.

One of the advantages of the tall palace was that she felt like she could reach out and pluck a star out of the sky, she loved coming out here without being disturbed to waste away a sleepless night looking for every constellation her mother had taught her about. It was the physical evidence she needed to prove that the stories her mother had left were true, and now sat above them for her to revisit on a clear night .

"Can't sleep?" the assassin asked the Queen without looking away from the sky above her as the Queen approached her, coming to stop at the boot covered foot that dangled from her opposite knee.

"No" she admitted to the redhead with a pout knowing it was no use lying to her "What are you doing out here anyway?".

"Watching the stars".

"I can see that, I meant why here?" she asked again.

"It's difficult to see the night sky from my chambers. The ceiling gets in the way" she quips to the Queen earning a disgruntled scoff from the dark haired Queen.

"I can't sleep" the assassin admits to her "I come out here when I eventually give up trying".

"So you've done this more than once? How do I not know this already?".

"You're usually a little busy with the huntsman to care what I get up to at night" the assassin drawls out. Huffing in annoyance the Queen slaps away the foot that was in her face making it fall heavily onto the ground making the assassin sit up to look at her in annoyance.

"Good. That hurt" she sneered at the woman hoping it would serve as some sort payback for the other night.

"Why don't you try it? Might help you sleep" she suggests to the woman jumping from the bench to stand inches away from the Queen's face "Or is this a little below for a refined Queen such as yourself?" she challenges her.

"Fine" Regina spat at the redhead taking a seat on the stone bench looking up at the starry night.

"On your back" she tells the Queen already seeing how uncomfortable she would be if she carried on.

"Excuse me!?".

"It's better if you're laying down. You'll hurt your neck if you do that for too long" Amelia tells her unbuttoning the blue waistcoat from her torso to fold it up in a makeshift pillow for the Queen to rest her head on leaving the woman in a loose fitting blouse "Here. For your head".

Following the assassin's order's the Queen slowly laying back on the stone bench making sure the back of her head met Amelia's waistcoat as the redhead at by her head to join the older woman.

"What am I looking at exactly?" the young Queen asked her looking to her left to see the assassin's eye's already set on the sky above them.

"The Constellations" she answer her "They're groups of stars that make an image"

"I know what what they are" the Queen scoffs at the woman next to her .

"Then find them".

With furrowed brow's the Queen looked back up to find the images she was taught about when she was younger. It had been a while since she had done this "I can't find any, they aren't there".

"Yes they are" Amelia says taking the Queen left's hand into her own, holding it out straight in front of her moving her forefinger to point to where she should be looking.

"W-What are you doing?" she stammered out feeling the woman's warmth straight way despite how long she must've been out here before finding her.

"Finding them for you" she says as she finds one her favorites. "You see those three bright stars that go in a straight line" Regina nods along "That is Orion's belt".

"The Hunter" the Queen supplied.

"Right. From there the brightest star from those form the armpit, following that east along the hunters' arm, which is holding a club-".

"I thought it was a bow" Regina cut her off to correct her.

"Debatable" she quickly tells the Queen making her chuckle as she started to relax "The stars fill out his upper body and if you look carefully you can make out the sword hanging from his belt".

"And not so far behind him is Scorpio, the scorpion sent by the Gods to kill Orion for boasting to be a better hunter than Artemis. Some stories say it her twin brother Apollo, some say it was Gaia. Feeling sorry for him, Zeus, immortalized Orion in the stars only for the scorpion to be added behind him, to be chased by the thing that killed him for eternity".

Letting go of the Queen's hand she turned to see the redhead on her knee's still entranced by the stars.

"How do you know these stories?" she asks the redhead sitting up to face the assassin. She didn't follow these gods. the ones she did follow were warriors and tricksters.

"My mother collected books containing stories of gods, hero's and monsters that once roamed the lands. She left them to me when she died" she tells the dark haired Queen as she felt sympathy for the redhead at the mention of her mother "Sailors use them to navigate the sea, my father taught them to me while we sailed together".

These stories reminded her of her parents. That's why she came out here. To be closer to them,even through something a permanent as death.

"I'm sorry" she found herself telling the redhead in front of her. Whatever anger she felt for the woman in front of her, seemed to melted away at that moment.

"Don't be. As long as the stars are up there, they're still here" she tells the Queen as a watery smile grew on her lips.

Gently cupping the redhead's cheek, the Queen's touch took her away from the starts to look at the stunning woman in front of her. She didn't move as the young Queen quickly closed the distance between them, and kissed her deeply. She felt felt the assassin freeze for a second before a soft moan left her throat.

No memories came to the front of her mind this time as the assassin pulled the Queen's arms around her neck, pushing herself up onto her feet to take hold of the woman's gown covered thighs, easily picking her up to spin them around to sit down roughly on the bench to place the Queen back on her lap as her thighs gripped either side of her own making their lips part.

"Sorry" she breathed out seeing the shock on her face as she took a hand off the Queen to push a lock of long black hair behind her ear to get a clear view of the Queen "You're beautiful".

It had been o long since anyone called her that, so long she didn't know what to do but smile as the redhead's words made her heart flutter in her chest before she leaned down to kiss the woman full on the lips, their tongues exploring each other's mouths as they kissed with a passionate urgency, as Regina's hands fumbled their way to the front of the assassin's blouse, looking for the strings that pull that loosened them.

Feeling the Queen's movement's the assassin took a hold of both her hands in her hand to make her stop, breaking away from the kiss to look up her.

"Have you done this before?" she suddenly asks the woman on her lap.

"Of course I have" she tells the redhead in offence. She knew how to make love.

"With another woman?" the woman asked her with a curious brow.

"N-no" she stammered out in nervousness. Would that matter to the redhead? "You have?"

"Enough to know what I'm doing" she answers as she strokes the woman's' face with the pad of her thumb "Don't worry" she tells her Queen, leaning forward so her lips softly grazed her ear "Pleasing you, will please me, Your Majesty" she purred into her ear making her shiver in her arms as her body flush with a heat she had never felt before as the assassin undid the knot from around her waist.

The robe fell open as she felt her back meet the stone bench as she assassin climbed over her to settle between a thigh between hers as she felt the redhead's lips meet the spot where her neck and shoulder met making her shiver from the attention she got from the woman.

"Regina" the Queen gasped into the assassin's ear trying to find some much needed friction from the woman's thigh as she could as her hands found the bottom of the redheads shirt as her fingers grazing the scars that she knew sat on her back. The woman on top of her stopped to look down at her as her brown eye's locked with a pair of green above her "Just Regina".

"Regina" the assassin repeats looking down at her. Her name rolled off the tip of her tongue as if it was meant to somehow "I'd like that" the redhead tells her as she felt the woman's thumb gently kneading her knee as it hooked around he assassin's waist, making the gown she wore ride up to her thigh.

"Good" Regina states leaning up to catching the assassin's lips in quick sweet kiss,that was quickly reciprocated as it quickly became more and more heated by the passing seconds. The pair continued to fight dominance over the other, only for the Queen to quickly surrender to the assassin on top of her before the assassin once again broke the kiss to rest her forehead against her to catch some much needed breath.

"As much I'm enjoying this, I think it would be better somewhere a little less cold" the assassin suggested, not wanting to move a inch away from the Queen underneath her.

"I know the perfect place" Regina tells her with a devilish smirk as purple smoke engulfed the pair taking them to the Queen's chambers to fill the rest of the night of passion between the pair of soulmates.

---

Their night together was perfect. Every kiss, every touch and every move to bring the nervous Queen as much pleasure as she could was perfect.

But why did she hate herself so much afterwards?.

As the first beams of sunlight fell through the open window of the Queen's chambers, the assassin sat wide awake at the foot of bed pulling on her clothes from where they had been quickly discarded from the night before as she watched the Queen sleeping soundly on her front with the covers only covered lower half of the naked and sated Queen in the bed from early morning chill.

Giving up on what little sleep she did get after it finally found the pair after they passed out in exhaustion of the passionate night, she woke up with the Queen holding her right arm like it was the most natural thing to do, which only brought more questions into her mind

She needed to find out more about what Tinkerbelle had told her, which meant going to its source. She had to find the fairy herself and find out what pixie dust found in her.

Pulling on her blouse and loosely placing the blue waistcoat on her without buttoning it, the redhead picked up her boot's ready to sneak out knowing he wouldn't hear her in her bare-feet as she Queen moved to curl up on her side reaching out a hand to the space the assassin had vacated.

Reaching into the waist coat she found a long white feather and gently placed it on the pillow she rested her head on before leaving the Queen without looking back, closing the door behind her she made her way down the long hallways to start her plan on summoning a fairy only to walk pass the Huntsman who gave her a questioning look at her attire coming from the Queen's own room.

"Lady Amelia?" he question her starting to follow her.

"Tell the servants to leave her for another hour. They'll thank me later" she simply tells the heartless an as she continues her journey towards her own room.

"Does that mean she had your heart as well?" she heard him ask her, making her stop.

Not sure how to answer him, the redhead simply continued on her way to prepare herself for the long day ahead to trap a fairy.

---

The dinner date came to an end without any interruptions as the pair walked up to the former Queen's home arm in arm, their stomach's full of a the meal served to them and dessert and wine as their laughter echoed in the night as they reminisced about their fortnight together in Monteriggioni before Snow and Prince Charming's wedding.

Their laughter died down as they reached her porch, the assassin glancing to her watch on her wrist to check the time to see she was right on Henry's curfew for his mother to be returned by the assassin.

"Twenty to ten. Right on time" she mused to the former Queen in front of her.

"We've still got some time spare then" Regina points out the redhead.

"What do you suggest?".

"I can think of some things" she almost purrs out as she lean's forward to capture the redhead's lips with her own as a low rumble vibrates from the assassin chest, bringing the former Queen into her by snaking her hand and arms around her waist as Regina cupped the back of the redhead's neck savoring the moment they had together after a wonderful date.

The pair abruptly pulled away from the other as the front door was suddenly opened and light engulfed the pair to see Henry stood there with a smirk on his face caught the adults out.

"Hey Mom! Hey Lia, right on time" he greeted the pair in front of him as the assassin had to look away to cover her mouth from the small squeak of fright that threatened to escape her lips.

"Henry!" Regina lightly scolded her son as Amelia righted herself suppressing her smirk from her face.

"What? We heard you both from upstairs" he innocently tells his mother, before looking to the redhead "I'll go get Tom, he's just packing up" he tells her making her inwardly cringe knowing she was in trouble.

"Packing? Was he planning on moving in, while we were out?".

"He may have brought some snacks for the movies" Amelia tells the woman.

"Snacks?" she questions the redhead next to her, she knew Tom held a very sweet tooth from what she had witnessed whenever she saw him in Granny's.

"Please don't ask" Amelia silently pleads with the older woman.

"Sorry Lia" Henry meekly tells his cousin before walking back into the house to find his best friend as Regina walked back into her home.

"Would you like to come in while you wait?".

"As long as Henry doesn't dig me a deeper grave, then yes" she agrees stepping in to the large home, she follows the former Queen in to the study to find the woman had already kicked off her heels to pour out a glass of apple cider for herself and the redhead.

"Would you want a drink, dear?" the former Queen asks as the assassin perches herself on the corner of the leather sofa.

"No thank you, I'm pushing my luck already with the two glasses I had at dinner, I don't want to break my record of nights outside one of the station cells just yet".

"O-Okay" the woman stammered surprised of the decline of a drink as the boys walk into find their mothers after their date.

"Successful night guys?" the redhead asked the pair from her spot.

"Great, we just finished Empire Strikes Back" Henry informs them "One of the best movie sequels of all time" he raved to the adults in the room.

"It's really good" Tom adds to the praise with his backpack on his shoulder before looking at the Mayor "Miss Mill's,would it be okay if I came back tomorrow to watch the last movie? After training of course?" he quickly adds looking towards his Mom.

"Certainly, I think that would work" Regina tells him before looking to the redhead "Melia?".

"Sure. I've got to supervise the bar tomorrow night anyway, I can slip out early to pick him up. Around nine okay?"

"Perfect. Thank you for asking Tom. But you can leave the extra 'snack's' at home this time" she tells the teen with a tight knowing smirk.

The teen's eye's bugged out for a second "N-no problem".

"I can cook dinner if you'd like? Since you're gonna be working all night".

"Sounds good" the assassin agree's with the plan looking towards her partner with a look of confusion on her face.

'What the hell?' the former Queen silently mouthed to her partner as the boy's left the room.

"I have no idea" she tells the woman standing to approach her Queen "We should get going, it's late".

"Or..you could stay the night, both of you" the former Queen offered the pair "There's plenty of room".

"I know, but we've already agreed to head home tonight. We've got an early start" her small white lie seemed to disappoint the woman, they hadn't been close since the night everything happened.

"Oh, okay" she accepted.

"There will be other time's Queenie".

"I know" she says knowing the woman was right "Thank you, for tonight. I needed it more than I thought it did."

"Your Welcome Regina" the use of her name made a shiver go down her spine tempted to force the redhead to stay the night, but she had to get back home with her son.

"Maybe I can arrange the next one? Next Friday?".

"My schedules pretty packed" she teased the woman "But I think I can move some things on how long do you think it would take Swan to find Hook?".

"Very quickly" the former Queen chuckled out "Goodnight Melia".

"Goodnight" she tells the woman she loves sealing her wish with a small peck to her lips "I love you".

"I love you too" she smirks at the redhead "I don't I'll ever get used to saying that to you".

"Well get used to it, I love hearing it from you".

"I'll see you both out" the woman offer's keeping her hand firmly clasped in the assassin's hand as they made their way to the front door. After their goodbye's the mother and son walked themselves down the path to get into her car. Once inside the redhead turned in her seat to face her son in the passenger seat.

"Okay, who are you, and what have you done with my son?" she teased the fifteen year old next to her making him laugh at her.

"I'm still me Mom. I just thought about what you said earlier, you don't have to take things slow with Regina just because of me. You two are good together".

"I'm not" she tells him "I'm doing it for me. We've taken every leap of faith there is to be together. I think we just need it to stick the landing before anything or one comes out of the woodwork to try and tear it apart. We just need to figure out how".

"You will Mom. I know you will. We all have faith in you" he tells her.

"Thank you" she says turning the key to start the car to pull away from the curb.

"How did she know about the snack's anyway?" her son asks her.

"Henry ratted you out, he's more like his grandmother than he thinks. Did you at least save some Twizzlers?".

Reaching into his bag he brought out the packet that was still handful of the red sweets, quickly placing one in her hand as she drove towards their apartment building.

"Good boy" she said between chews of her favorite sweet from this land as he too out one for himself, content on how the evening had gone.

---

She wasn't well versed into summoning fairies, but she get the just of it as she found the Blue Star in the night sky, that's how Snow found her anyway. Sat in the woods the assassin found the star through the leaves overhanging closing her eyes to wish upon the star only for a voice behind to make her jump and whirl around to the small fairy that flew through the air before transforming into her full human shape.

"Your wishes will not be heard Widow" Blue tells the woman.

"And why's that exactly?".

"What do you want?" Blue demanded to know out of the assassin that worked for the Evil Queen. Despite her tendencies to help the Princess Snow she could not trust her as far as she could throw her.

"I need to speak to a fairy named Tinkerbelle" the fairy seemed to tense at the mention of Green knowing exactly the assassin wants to know. She knew this day would be coming since Green or Tinkerbelle decided to play matchmaker to the Queen and the woman before her.

"Why is that assassin?" the fairy questions her.

"She did something a few years ago, she told me something I need answers on".

"I'm afraid she cannot speak for her actions you speak of. She was banished to land, not even you and I can set foot upon"

"Banished, for what?"

"She stole dust to pull that her little stunt with you".

"You know? Then you can tell me, you can help me".

"Yes I know. We believe in the natural order of things, much like the Brotherhood in that way. You and the Queen were meant to meet once again, but never on that night. What Green did interfered with fate, and fate has a way of punishing those seek to disrupt order. A lot like your parents Black Widow".

"My parents?" she asked the fairy in confusion "What have my parent's got to do with any of this?".

She didn't know. She didn't know what her parents were. Star-crossed lovers were rare and when they found each other, they could not stop what would eventually befall then or they would face something not even she or the other fairies would be able to face.

"Never mind" the fairy quickly changed the subject "I will not help you in your quest to find answers".

"Why? Aren't fairies supposed to help people in need? I need answers to something I do not understand".

"We do, but not people like you" she almost sneered at the assassin.

"Like me?".

"Dark. You chose a path not even I can help you get off of. You chose vengeance instead-".

"Of What? Forgiveness?" the woman spat at the fairy cutting her off "The Brotherhood murdered my father, they murdered my husband in cold blood and took my son away from me. How can I ever forgive them for that! How could anyone!".

"I am sorry, but this is the path you chose when you returned to the Enchanted Forest, one you will never be able to go back down".

"Please, do not make me go to HIM" she pleaded with the fairy. She only had one option open to her if the fairy failed to help her. And she didn't want her owing him any favors.

"There is only one path for yu to go down Black Widow, and it not one that will be filled with heartache. There is a darkness within you that not even the most powerful sorcerer will be able to defeat".

She had no hope. That was what the fairy was trying to tell her.

"Then why did you even come talk to me, if there is no hope for me?".

"Because Snow White still believes in you, something that I do share with her".

"Then you're of no use to me tonight" the assassin concluded their meeting "Fly away, moth before I rip your wings off your back" she growled out from gritted teeth as she fought off wanting to see what color fairy's blood would come out of if she slit her little throat right there.

"Goodbye Amelia. Do not call upon me again".

"Go to hell" was the last thing she told the fairy before the fairy turned pint-sized again to fly away leaving the assassin to blink away the angry tears that left her eyes.

---

Waking up the next morning the assassin was quick to ask her partner out for breakfast at Granny's so she could talk to her soulmate about slowing their relationship down as much as she could while Tom attended his first appointment with Dr. Hopper across the street. She knew the woman would be disappointed that she didn't take up her invitation to stay the night, but she needed to keep her promise to Tom.

Waiting in a red booth with her phone in her hand, she had just sent a quick message to Robin, asking if he was okay, having heard nothing from the thief since the town-line, as the bell above the door interrupted her thoughts on the man as she saw the former Queen enter the diner instantly finding the redhead in the booth.

Standing from her place the, queen quickly approached her soulmate to greet her with a sweet kiss, that was quickly mirrored by the assassin.

"Good Morning" the dark-haired woman greeted the redhead.

"Morning" she greets the woman as they sat themselves back into the booth opposite each other as a waitress came over to place a mug of coffee in front of the dark-hair woman and to refill her own for the second time that morning "I ordered for us, hope that's okay".

"Of course" she said so not that I not happy to see you so soon after last night, what's this breakfast about? I thought you and Tom would be training".

"I wanted talk about last night" the redhead started.

"Last night? What about it?".

"Nothing bad. I promise, it just I might have lied to you of what Tom and I were doing this morning".

"Okay" she states nervously shifting in her seat, bracing herself for whatever the redhead wanted to say to her.

"We aren't training at the moment, because Tom is currently across the street, halfway through his first session with Dr. Hopper" she admitted to the woman in front of her.

"Oh" was all she said hearing this for the first time "Did, uh, something happen when you got home?".

"No nothing, we fine for now. We talked before we left to come to your's last night. If anything we haven't been okay since John left. Haven't been completely honest with each other either".

"How so?".

"He's hurting Regina. He just lost his Dad again and I feel completely helpless to know what to do. Instead I've been drowned with research and the bar. I've hardly had time to look up and see how much he's struggling with his new routine and-"

The assassin went to continue her explanation only for the town other newest couple to suddenly appear at their table.

"Hey guys!" Emma's voice interrupted the pair as she and Hook approached their booth as the assassin tried to hide the exasperation in her face at the interruption "How'd the big date last night?" she asks the pair as Hook failed to conceal the smirk from his face hearing the plans between the pair.

"Wonderful" the former Queen supplied for the assassin who looked she was going to murder Emma and Hook right there and then "Melia, closed her bar for the evening for us have dinner together".

"Who knew the Widow was such a romantic at heart, eh?" the pirate said bumping his hook against her shoulder as dangerous look came upon the assassin's eyes as she looked at the offending arm.

"We were going to get a booth ourselves, but them we saw you two and thought we could join?".

"You know what-" the older women went to dissuade them from joining them only for the assassin herself to speak up for them

"No" the assassin suddenly spoke up as she stood up from her seat to make room for the couple "Please join us, the more the merrier. I'm just going to make a phone call real quick".

"Sure" Emma trails off noting how the assassin acted as she practically runs out the back of the diner as she and Hook take a seat opposite the former Queen "So, how was it really? Do I need to get my Mom to talk to her?".

"Perfect" the former Queen tells the blonde with a smile "I didn't know why I was no nervous. The food, the wine. Perfect" she repeated herself.

"Then what's wrong?" Emma didn't need her 'super power' to hear something wasn't all that it seemed with the woman.

"Nothing".

"Regina, you've just said the work perfect twice in one sentence. Did she do something not cool, do I actually need to arrest her? Again?"

"Again?" her boyfriend questioned the blonde next to him.

"She was cursed, it's fine" she says as she phone chimes out.

"No, its not her" Regina says as Emma read's the text message and the image that was attached to it making her eye's bug out momentarily at what the redhead had done in the minutes she had been away.

"Everything okay Emma?" the mayor asks the blonde seeing her act strangely.

"Perfect" she forces herself to say, taking her eye's off the phone to plaster a smile on her face.

"Love, what is it?" Hook asks his love seeing something was wrong.

"N-Nothing, you know what, we should let you guy have your breakfast in peace, Killian and I need to get to the station".

"Uh, okay" he agrees as he was practically pushed out of the booth by the blonde "Let's head to your car then" Hook suggested to his girlfriend once they wre back on their feet.

"No!" Emma quickly stop him "Let's walk today. I feel like walking to the station today".

"Sure love, anything for you" at that Emma guided her boyfriend out of the diner without saying goodbye to the former Queen while Amelia sauntered back in to the restaurant with something in her hand covering in a white napkin, settling back into her seat with a menu in her hands acting alarmingly calm in front of her from what she was trying to tell the dark haired woman before they were interrupted.

"Where did the wonder twins get to?" the redhead asked her casually as she looked over the menu despite having already ordered for them.

"Something at the station came up, they had to leave suddenly" the former Queen informs her.

"Oh that's a shame" she hummed to herself "Yes, yes very sad. I was thinking of getting the pancakes, what do you think?" the redhead nonchalantly asks her partner.

"Melia, what did you do?" Regina asks her partner knowing she did something to make Emma and Hook leave so quickly. Knowing she it was a losing fight, the assassin placed the object on the table between them as the napkin unfurled to revel the small metal object it was hiding. She had to do something to get them to leave, and this was the solution she came up with on the spot. That and the small threat she had sent the blonde to leave or else.

"Please tell me that isn't what I think it is" the older woman pleaded.

"If you mean the spark plug to the saviors yellow bug, than it is exactly what you think it is honey".

"Melia" she scolded the woman trying to keep her voice down as much as possible.

"I'll put it back" she retorted discarding the menu to one side "Eventually".

"Why did you take it in the first place!"

"I needed her and that stupid pirate to leave, so I can tell you I want to slow things down with you" she blurted out to the woman she loved "Shit" she cringed to herself needing the booth to swallow her up.

"Y-you want to slow things down with me?" it felt like she was back in her office, where the woman in front of her was telling her she needed to stay with her husband despite everything that had happened with them.

"Regina, it's not what you think, just let me explain please" she pleaded with the woman in front of her. "Every-time we've tried to be something more than we were back home, something has always gotten in the way. Secret letters. Wicked Witch half-sisters. Missing memories. Dead husbands coming back to life. We've always ended up the same, because we've gone head first into something every time only to get burnt each time".

No, this didn't sound like anything her soulmate would say. There were someone else thoughts that were making the woman in front of her unnerved about their future.

"This doesn't' sound like you. Who told you this?".

"Snow" she admitted to the older woman.

A disgruntled scoff and roll of her eye's came from the woman oppose her at the mention of the younger woman, that kept sticking her nose where it wasn't wanted.

"She's not completely wrong. Every time we've tried to be something more, we've fallen straight back into old pattern's that get either gets you or me or both of us hurt, again. I can't to do that anymore, I have someone that's relying on my to be his mother and his father, when his real one couldn't even stay for his own damn son" she vented to the woman as an angry fist cam down onto their table with a thump making the porcelain mugs shake from the force making the morning crowd around the glance towards the former villains before going back to their meals and conversations.

That seemed to be the thing to break the assassin as tried to calm the pocket of anger that had bubbled to the surface. She would have to get over John all over again after finally accepting he was gone for good. Emma had unintentionally opened up a whole new problem for the assassin to deal with. It had made a new crack in her armor, not only Tom had been left with the consequences the woman in front of her was once again plastering old wounds she thought she had closed.

"Hey, stop that" Regina says reaching over to clasp her hand around the angry fist, her touch seemed to work as it relaxed to grasp her back.

"What do you want to do?" she calmly asks the redhead wanting to make this work for the overwhelmed assassin.

"I want us Regina. Like I've always wanted. I just need things to slow down, build something that'll be able to stick the landing the next time we take a leap of faith together, not fall apart at the next obstacle that's thrown our way. We have time now, to do stupid date nights together, to spend time with our son's to be some sort of family together. I need to to put Tom first, like you have to with Henry".

"Okay" the former Queen agreed knowing the woman was right "I understand. We can do slow".

"Thank you" she breathed out as it felt like it was the longest conversation she had ever had as an idea came to the former Queen's mind.

"How about joining us for dinner tonight, give us a chance to spend some time together before Henry goes to his grandparent's tomorrow"

"I'd love that" the assassin tells her before their hands slipped apart to relax back into their seats "So you're not mad about the spark plug?".

"Oh I'am" Regina tell her "But it'll be a good lesson for Miss Swan to learn not to interrupt our date again" she tells her partner as she relax's back into the seat just as their breakfast came to the table. She could do this. Just one step at a time.

---

Venturing the the Dark One's residence, the Black Widow let herself into the castle that the Dark One used as his residence finding the sorcerer she worked for at his spinning wheel methodically spinning straw into gold thread, the same thread she would get reward with to take back to Monteriggioni when she completed a contract of his.

He didn't need to look up from his spinning wheel to see the assassin in a frazzled state as she stormed her way to towards the man that would have a solution to her dilemma. If the fairies weren't going to help her, he was her only hope of finding some reprieve from the thundering storm that clouded her mind.

"I wasn't aware of a contract assassin" he greeted his 'guest' as she made her way towards him.

"Because there wasn't one Dark One" she addressed him"I-" she cut herself off, feeling something stopping her from simply asking what she needed from him "I need your help".

A melody of giggle left the Dark One's throat at the assassins request making the man pause what he was doing to look up at the assassin stood with her arms behind her back "I'm sorry dearie. Can you say that again" he giggled once again as he went back to what he was doing.

"Don't push your luck old man" she says through gritted teeth.

"And what exactly can I help the Black Widow with? Hmm?" he hummed to himself "Have you enough gold for your home, enough weapons, enough freedom to make whatever alliances you need to make to kill your old family" he went on as he continued to freely spin.

"Nothing to do with my home, or any weapon you could possibly give me or the Queen for that matter. It involves a fairy-".

That is what made the Dark One stop spinning his wheel as he grimaced at the mention of a fairy being the source of the woman's bad mood.

"Whenever there's an injustice in the world, there's always' a fairy" he mused to her, standing from his seat as he listened to the assassin's quandary.

"This fairy told me something I shouldn't know, and she can't pay for the injustice she imparted on me because the Blue fairy banished her from their little coven or whatever they call it".

"And uh, which land is this dearie?".

"I-I don't know, she wouldn't help me" she admits to the man.

"Well serves you right for going to the fairy first".

"The fairy I need to speak to, Tinkerbelle, told me I was meant to meet Re-the Queen again when I was first married to John, the same day I found out I was with child. She was outside the tavern earlier the night with her, trying to find me after following some Pixie dust".

"What's so bad about that?" he drawls out questionably to her, unperturbed of the information she had presented him with. She and the Queen's affections would only benefit his plans in the long term, he needed the Queen to use her as an ingredient to cast it in the first place.

"Aren't you the least be curious?".

"And you don't believe her" he summarized her plight with the fairy in question "Do you?".

"How could I? I was married. I was happy".

"Well do you believe her now that's you've finally taken the Queen to her bed?".

Taken aback at the man's knowledge of what she and Queen's activities the woman stilled as she thought of her next words "How-".

"Did I know?" he interrupts her "You are a very open book to read Amelia, when you let your emotions get the better of you?" he says seemingly striking at her face with his scaled, glittered hand out to snatch it back into a closed fist like he was crushing something in his hand. "Close it!" he snapped at her through gritted teeth "Love is weakness" he snarls in her face,close enough for the assassin to see the reptilian eye's, placing an almost delicate finger under chin to keep her in place as she felt the sharp point of his nail dig into her skin.

"How can I do that when I know so much?"she questions his methods of closing herself up when that is all she has known to do for the better half of her life. Never to show your enemy your weakness.

"A simple memory potion should suffice"he says whirl away from her swiping his finger quick enough to leave a scratched deep enough to have drawn a drop of blood that had been left on his finger. With his back to her he quickly collects it in a glass bottle ready for later use, quickly hiding once again on his person as the assassin hissed at the small bit of pain he cause her "Relieve you of the thing that most grieves you. What you're suffering with is a painful affliction".

"What?" she asks with furrowed brow's of confusion as she cleans up the small bit of blood the Dark One had drawn under her chin with a handkerchief she always held on her person.

"A broken heart, the most painful of all" he tells her, with a long thin finger placing the tip of his finger on her chest, right over her heart, hard enough for her to feel it under the layer's of clothing "That wee heart of your's has lost a mother, a father, a husband and a son and the only homes you have ever known" with a hard shove the assassin push his hand away from her, making him manically giggle from her actions.

"Now that, I can help with" he says summoning a clear vial full of clear water in his hand, showing it to the assassin to watch at the clear water turned cloudy in his hand.

"That'll do it?".

"Not yet. We must make this personal" he says suddenly reaching over to rip several hairs from her head making her gasp in pain as he wrapped the hair around the lip of the vile dipping the end into the cloudy liquid before corking it before holding it up to show her. "The next time you see the object of your grief, you won't remember what it is".

"So I won't remember the Queen, how will that work when I still need to work for her".

"Not her dearie" he says taking her right arm in his scaled had to pull down the long sleeve of her dark robes to show her the lion tattoo that inked the soft skin of her forearm "This" he points out to her "This is what the dust found that night. You'll simply forget the significance of the image. Love is the most powerful magic, so the cure must be...extreme".

"Sounds like an understatement".

"Don't doubt yourself now dearie, you came to me remember" he sneered at her Who is already sick and pale with grief" he reminds her "Love makes us sick, it haunts our dreams, destroys our days. Love has killed more than any disease. This cure is a gift" he tells her holding her 'cure' in front of her, like he was tempting her to take it from his hand.

"What's your price? More contracts?".

"Not this time. These will do" he says holding up the threads of red-hair that had come from her head.

"Why do you need my hair?".

"What do you need of it, now it's been plucked from your head?" he reasoned with her with a smile on his face.

"Do we have a deal?" no sound of protest came from the assassin as she simply stared at the vial that would relief her grief she felt every-time she saw the tattoo on her arm. Taking the vial from his hand it felt like something had left her shoulders as she held something that would help her in the long run.

"I thought so" he mused the the assassin "Drink in good health Amelia Montague, now be gone with you" he quickly dismisses the woman with a wae of his hand.

At his instruction, the assassin left with the 'cure' in hand leaving him alone with more than what she had freely given him.

Once alone the Dark One finds the bottle that held the single drop of her blood that sat in the bottom adding the long piece of red hair hair. The second the end of the hair met the blood the hair glowed a brilliant gold, floating into the small space it had been trapped in.

It's actions made the man laugh gleefully to himself as it confirmed what he and all Dark One's before him have been after for centuries. And it had been hiding in plain sight this whole time.

Placing the bottle on his display of ingredients the single piece of red-hair shone bright as it floated inside the glass using it's own magic to dance to itself in gentle a sway that would sooth even the most darkest heart to sleep. Next to it stood an empty vial that would bottle the magic of true loves would produce.

The product of True Loves and Star-Crossed Lover's held the power no Dark One before him has ever been able to witness let alone bottle it.

The pair together would the key component he needed to create the Dark Curse for the Evil Queen to cast upon the land. One that would break it. And the other powerful enough to stop it.

---

Returning to the palace later that evening, she was able to slip in without letting the Queen know of her return soon after leaving her that very morning leaving the rest of the palace and the huntsman to deal with her rotten mood for the rest of the day, to sit in the courtyard on the same stone bench with her neck craned up to watch yet another clear starry night to entertain her until she felt tired enough to retire for the night.

"There you are!" the Queen's voice interrupted the silence of the night as her heels stomped across the stone courtyard towards the assassin "Where have you been all day?" she hadn't seen or heard the woman she had spent the night with, not even her knights or Huntsman knew where she was going, and here she was just..sat there, like she hadn't left her earlier that same day "Where have you been?".

"Here and there" she tells the Queen without looking away from the stars as the Queen walked around the bench to see the woman's face that had been stuck in her mind. It was..different somehow,

"What's wrong with you?".

"Nothing" she tells the Queen's with a small smirk on her face "Nothings wrong, come sit, I can show you another constellation if you'd like?"

Sitting herself down next to the assassin as the redhead used her right hand to point out the next image in the night sky to her.

"Do you know that one?" she asks using the point f her finger to draw out the image to her "The one shaped like a cup".

"No" she tells the assassin as she follows her finger make the shape as she felt the assassin's warmth seep into her side from how close they were sat together.

"It's called Corona Borealis, of better know as Ariadne's Crown. A Princess of Crete, she helped the hero Theseus defeat the Minotaur by giving him a ball of threat to find his way out of the labyrinth he had been trapped in with the beast. She fell in love with the man that killed her half-brother, and in return, he smuggled her away from her angry Father before her betrayal was found out, only to abandon her the island of Naxos. The god Dionysus found the princess weeping, fell in love and two were soon married".

"-He presented her with a crown on their wedding day, tossing it into the sky that night where the seven jewel's on it turned into stars, to immortalize his love for her, to a mere mortal, that's a blip in time for them compared to the immortal life they lived. She died trying to save him from a mistake he had made. That's gods for you. They don't care about us mortals not even if they fall in love with you".

At the end of The Queen went to look at the assassin only to see a noticeable red stain on the woman's long sleeved blouse, the monarch quickly snatch her arm back down to see how the assassin had gotten hurt

"You're bleeding" she tells the redhead as the arm was quickly taken away from her as soon as she got it.

"Small cut, nothing to worry about" she says brushing the Queen's slight concern as she pulls the sleeve of the blouse down, for the Queen to see a small cut in the middle of the tattoo, notably on the lions chest, where it's heart would be, once it healed it would ruin the image forever.

"But the tattoo" she pointed out to her.

"I don't remember why I got this anyway" she says stroking the image that was smeared with dried blood "Means nothing" she tells the Queen with an uncaring smile "Tomorrow's a new day"she tells the Queen before standing from the bench, to leave. She wanted to follow the woman only for something hitting her foot to gain her attention instead. Reaching down the Queen picked up a glass vial from the ground only to see it was completely empty, looking behind her as she figured out the source of the assassin's behavior.

What ever was in the vial, she drank it.

---

Dinner at the Mill's house went down a storm later that day, as the younger Mill's reveled at the extra two place settings at the dinner table with the addition of his Mom's soulmate and his best friend together under one roof, enjoying the quiet family dinner of the former Queen's famous Lasagna that was devoured by the hungry teenager at the table and his younger cousin following suit before they disappeared upstairs to continue their Star Wars marathon with a passing threat to include the redhead in the coming weeks.

"So, when do I tell him I've already seen them?" Amelia asks the older woman taking the clean plate from Henry's adopted mother stood at the sink to dry with the towel in her hands.

"Never" Regina sternly tells her partner as they cleaned the kitchen together after making the meal from scratch "He's been going on about it for days, you're not going to spoil his fun".

"Fine, but only if I can introduce him and Tom to some of my favorite movies".

"I think we can make something work" she says with a smile that was mirrored by the assassin, before a pause of silence still the conversation for a few seconds.

"Thank you for tonight by the way" Amelia started "I feel like I'm finally getting somewhere with him".

"You know it's not a problem Melia" she starts turning to lean back on the edge of the sink to speak to her partner "I understand that us being together so soon after John leaving must be a little overwhelming for the both of you, especially since our past together hasn't always been...spotless".

"Still, it must've been hard to hear still. I felt like we were back in your office".

The former Queen knew what she was talking abut straight away, the time in her office were she had to put her marriage to her husband first, over them, despite how much she loved her.

"Me too" Regina admitted to the redhead which only made a fresh wave a guilt wash over the assassin "And I know you didn't ask for Emma to bring him back. I didn't make that easy for you I know. You were doing it for Tom".

"Was I? or was I just making think I was doing it for him so I could pretend like I could go back in time before the Black Widow".

"Maybe both".

"That's the question isn't it" the assassin started thinking out-load for the both of them "Can we move on from everything that we've ever done to each-other, or is there just too much to move on from now? Are we just wasting our time?".

The question hung over the pair as the other waited for the other to answer, but nothing came. There was too much at stake now they had their son's and their own happy endings in question with the search for the Author.

Thankfully the growing tension was broken as the pair turned as they heard Henry and Tom enter "Hey Mom, Hey Lia" the younger of the two greeted them.

"Henry, everything okay?" his adopted mother says putting on a smile for the pre-teen.

"Great, we finished the movie. We were wondering if Tom stay over for a sleepover tonight?".

"Oh, isn't that a little last minute? I think Amelia would like to get Tom back home tonight, beside's I don't think Tom brought anything with him".

"It's okay, I brought some of my clothes with me" the teen tells them.

"You did?" the redhead asks her son.

"Yeah, we figured you wouldn't be able to drive us home tonight" he tells her with a nervous smile.

It was true, she had overindulged in the wine drink tonight. A couple of glasses had disappeared while she helped Regina preparing dinner not including the one she had during dinner. She wouldn't be able to get away of a ticket from either of the sheriffs that's for sure.

"Unless you want to get pulled over by my Mom, you could stay as well" Henry suggested as he looked between the pair.

They had planned this. Clearing her throat Regina took charge of the situation at hand.

"Amelia, its up to you. I can put Tom into the guestroom across from Henry" Regina offer's the teenager.

She could walk home, she thought to herself. Storybrooke wasn't a dangerous place at night, not that she wouldn't be able to handle anyone that did decide to try their luck, but she needed to finish her conversation with the former Queen.

"It's fine, he can stay" Amelia tells the pair making Henry the happiest out of the pair as the teenager looked towards his mother.

"And you Mom?" Tom anxiously asks her. He wanted her to stay.

"Sure. I can stay," Amelia agree's looking towards her soulmate "If that's okay?" Regina nodded with a tight smile, thankful that the woman wanted to stay and finish their conversation.

"Great. I'll help you unpack" Henry announces to them and as quickly as they appeared the pair left to set up the teen's room for the night.

"Why do I get the feeling that was all planned?" the former Queen voiced to the redhead, once they were alone again.

"Because it was" the redhead tells her before turning the face her "Are you sure you want me to stay?".

"I do".

"Then I should warn you, Tom's eating everything in our apartment at the moment, its been easier to feed him at Granny's".

"I think we'll be able come up with something".

" Ten bucks says, you'll regret those words in the morning" the assassin tells her before following the boys up to help them set up the guest bedroom for Tom leaving the Queen to think over the assassin's question, already knowing the answer.

---

As the house settled down for the night and Tom comfortable in the guest room, Amelia ventured down the hall to find the master bedroom, finding the former Queen sat on the edge of her bed still in her clothes clutching a wooden box clutched between her hands. It was something she'd seen in her room before, but never attempted to have a look what it was or what was inside.

"You wanna start counting stars now? or should I sneak out the back?" she asks the former Queen from the door of her room .

The attempt to lighten the tension made the older woman smile to herself only to sober up a second later "That won't be necessary. I wanted to show you something actually" accepting the invitation the assassin entered the room to sit crossed legged on the bed ready for whatever the former Queen wanted to show her.

"Here, open it" Regina tells the assassin. Carefully the assassin took the box from her taking note of the dark mahogany box that didn't feel like it had anything was in it, fingers gently slid over the polished smooth surface, before the redhead opened the heavy lid to see what Regina had kept in the box.

"Feathers?" she questioned the woman next to her not understanding what she was talking about. The same long white feather's that she used to collect the blood of her old family each time she killed them, the same ones she would leave on the pillow next to the Queen's head when she had to leave. There must be at least fifty alone in this box.

"They are all the feather's you've ever left next to me after a night together, or when you had to leave the palace for a while".

"You kept all of them?" she asked the woman in disbelief.

"I did" she confesses to the redhead "I guess I wanted a reminder of our time together, when I could be me, and not the Evil Queen. But I never understood why you left a feather though, maybe you could tell me?".

"Romeo" she states "He used to leave a feather on my pillow each time he was called away on a mission, where I wouldn't see him for months. There would be another one waiting for me when he got back, must've been hundreds he left for me over the years" she mused to herself as she gazed upon the pure white feathers that had kept their shape and color over the years trapped within the box "I think it was his own way of telling me he loved me without risking letting his secret out. He used to do the same for my Mom".

"Is that why you left me one?".

"I must've" she tells the woman in front of her "Why did you show me this?".

"To prove to you that even back then in my darkest days that I loved you, even it took me almost losing you to finally recognize what I'd be losing. I'm not wasting my time with you Amelia. I never have. I've already wasted so much of it from holding back my feelings for you. I've already lost you once before and I never want to feel like that again. I want to put our past where it belongs, in the past. And I'm willing to go as slow or fast as you want to make this work, and not just for us, for Henry and Tom too".

"I love you too Queenie" the redhead tell the woman in front of her, placing the box to one side the assassin, climbed up onto her knees to capture her soulmate's lips in searing kiss that made her moan to seal their promise with.

The kiss was quickly mirrored as desperate hands fumbled to find the edges of the other woman's shirts, skirt and jeans while the assassin gently encouraged her partner onto her back to climb on top of her. Breaking away the assassin's face hovered over the former Queen's as an idea came to the redheads mind.

"Just a thought" she said nuzzling her face and nose into the woman neck "If sleepover's are going to become more common, then maybe you would consider making some space for some of my clothes in your closet?" she asked the woman below her.

"Isn't that a little fast?" Regina asked the woman putting a hand on her chest to push her off her slightly, taking the redhead by surprise only for the smirk on her lips to give her attempt at a joke.

"Seriously?" the redhead deadpanned the woman not amused at all by the woman in front of her, as the former Queen could only laugh at the redhead's reaction "You're gonna regret that Queenie" she growls out to pull the woman into a punishing kiss that was repeated into the night.

This was going to work this time.

---

Storybrooke

Years Ago

During the First Curse

Leaving the town hall like she did any other evening, Mayor Regina Mill's stepped into darkness that had fallen over the sleepy cursed town of Storybrooke ready to head home to her young son after a late meeting that went on for a little too long for her liking. Designer heel's hit the concrete sidewalk as she walked to her care like she did every other day, but tonight something had caught the corner of her eye as she saw a figure laid out on their back one of the benches that littered the square, gazing up at the stars that could bee seen though the light pollution. It was her.

"Excuse me?" the shrill voice of the Mayor's voice rang through Amelia Smith's ears as she heard the quick footsteps of the high heels the woman practically lived in hastily make their way towards her "What do you think you're doing?" she demanded to know out of the short haired redhead that ran the local dive bar in town. Her demand's only made the short tempered bar own roll her eyes at her theatrics.

"Stargazing" she plainly stated to the dark-haired woman.

"I can see that. Why are doing it here, this is public property" she tells the redhead wanting the woman to leave

"That's right, public property. Last time I checked I was the public" she tells the woman.

A scoff left her mouth at the redhead's argument "You're loitering on public property" this could go on all night, she had no energy to keep arguing with the devil woman that seemed to keep hold of her power as Mayor over the years.

Sitting up from her position the redhead gave up as she swung her legs over the edge to stand up from the bench to stand up and meet the aggravating woman, as a smirk grew on her lips at the small victory over the woman that had once betrayed her. She wasn't sure how the curse would affect her, but she was pleased with the results once she found out more about the woman in front of her.

"Happy now, Madam Mayor?" the redhead drawled out

"Much"

"You're out late tonight" the redhead observed to the dark-haired woman "I'm usually moved along by Sheriff Graham on his rounds this time of night".

"You do this every night?" she questions the woman.

"When the lights not too bright I do, Its hard to see the sky with so much light pollution nowadays. That's the real shame here".

"How so Miss Smith?".

"There a whole world up there, just ready to be found" she says to the woman "Full of stories that need to be told".

"Right" she says not sure what to say to that "Well have a good evening Miss Smith, I'll leave you to your..stargazing. I suggest you move it somewhere else, or spend another night in the station".

"Yes Ma'm" she tells the woman with a small salute before the woman turned to find her car once again only for the cursed redhead to see something on the back of her coat, that made the redhead smile to herself.

Moving her feet forward the redhead walked to catch-up with the mayor reaching out to pluck the item off her calls to gain her attention fell on deaf ears as she made the woman jump and whirl around to see her having felt her hand on her shoulder.

"What are you doing?" she asks the woman seeing a small feather in her hand. The image made her stomach drop to see the image before her.

"Sorry" she quickly tells the woman "You had a feather, on your back. I didn't think you'd want to take it home" she says discarding the feather onto the ground.

"Oh, T-Thank you" she stuttered out as her heart continued to thud in her chest. As a sense of deja-vu went through her seeing the redhead with a feather in her hand.

"Your Welcome" Amelia coolly replies with the corner of her lips quirk up slightly in amusement "Goodnight Madam Mayor" she says before turning around to walk away from her to head back to the outskirts of town.

"Goodnight...Amelia".

---

AN:

The Evil Queen's Black Widow is 1 whole year old today! Woooo!

I just want to take the opportunity to thank everyone that has followed and Favorited this story ever since I published the first couple of chapters 1 year ago today.

Even though this story is 'technically' about 3 years old now. I started this fic for my own personal reasons, just to see if I could actually write and then carried on for something to do during Covid Lockdowns (Yes, multiple lock-downs). I only got brave enough to actually publish on Fan Fiction last year after I made myself do it, just to see what would happen. Much to my surprise people actually liked it.

I never thought it would get this much support when I started out and I hope you're all still enjoying it as much as I'm writing it. Your reviews and messages are what keep me motivated through all my writer's blocks and moments of doubt about this story and in myself. So thank you for your continued support as we get to the end of the first half of Season 5. But, in the meantime;

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