Emma swallowed when Regina walked into the diner. Stunning. Even that word could not seem to sum up Regina Mills. A glow radiated off the woman and it would appear she decided to ditch the sensible pantsuits for a royal blue dress that wrapped around every curve and accentuated every feature Emma remembered so well. She sat down in a booth nearby with her back to them and pulled out her phone. She didn't say a word to them, didn't even acknowledge her own daughter, but Emma knew she was listening.
"Your gun please." Melisandre said, drawing her attention.
"Excuse me?"
"Your gun. Can you place it on the table?"
"Um, why?" Emma asked, pulling the weapon out of its holster. She put it on the table and Melisandre made a motion with her hand, using magic to pull it towards her. She dismantled the gun with ease, even popped out the bullet in the chamber, and laid the pieces in a neat row in front of her.
"Just in case."
"In case of what?" Henry frowned.
"Well, your mother has tried to kill me before. Who's to say she won't again?"
"She would never-"
"She already has." Melisandre almost growled at him. "She would have killed both of my mothers, but we can discuss that later. How have you been, Emma?" She asked, a smile returning to her lips.
"Great."
"That's not what I heard...or what I've seen." The young dragon replied. "How is your leg?"
"Painful." Emma scoffed, massaging it under the table. It always throbbed, a permanent ache and source of pain for the last decade. It was all because of Maleficent that she had to spend every day hobbling everywhere like a cripple. She lost her job because she couldn't walk without using a crutch or a cane to get around. Gold could've healed her, but he refused to help her. He just told her that it was her cross to bear.
Melisandre snapped her fingers and Regina made a motion with her hand. The pain in her leg was instantly gone. "Better?"
"Hell yeah." Emma smirked, moving her leg around.
"Enjoy it. It's only going to last until this conversation is over."
Emma glanced at Regina. The woman flicked her hair over her shoulder and lounged back in her seat, but otherwise, didn't turn around. Even this view of her was gorgeous. Melisandre cleared her throat to get her attention again. "What did you want to talk about?" Emma asked.
"I think you were the one who wanted to talk."
"Yeah. To Regina."
"Close enough." Melisandre smirked. "So talk, Savior. Did you want to apologize? Ask for another chance? Plead to be in her life again?"
Emma fought off a scowl at her derisive tone. "I'm not going to sit here and be mocked by a child. Regina!" She called. "Regina, just come over here and talk to me like an adult. Please." Regina continued scrolling through her phone and Emma got up to go talk to her. As soon as she stood up, the pain in her leg returned and she nearly fell when the searing burn shot through the weakened limb. She managed to grab the table and Henry rushed to help her back up and into her seat.
"Look, Miss Swan," Melisandre commanded. "Look at me. All I wanted was to have a simple conversation. It's the least you could do after all you've done."
"All I've done?" Emma hissed. "Why don't you talk to your bitch of a mother and ask her what she did."
The girl rolled her eyes. "You're so mad at Maleficent because you think she stole Regina when Regina was the one who left you. You've obsessed over something for the past 10 years when even I know that you should've moved on, or at least tried. You should've focused on being a mother to Henry and a leader to your town."
"You're 10, alright. This is ridiculous-"
"Actually, I'm 11, but you're right. You are absolutely right. I don't know everything that happened between all of you. All I know is you tried to kill one of my mothers and almost got the other one killed and me. That's twice as bad as stealing someone's girlfriend. There is no comparison whatsoever! This conversation has told me all I need to know."
"Did it?" Emma scoffed.
"Yes." Melisandre nodded slowly. "It told me that you can't be trusted. You don't care that you tried to murder me or my family." She said, looking almost perpexled at her revelation. "There is no doubt in my mind that given the chance, you would try to kill my mothers again."
"I don't want to kill anyone." Emma snapped.
"Then what do you want? You've burned every bridge you might've been able to cross."
Emma took a deep breath. She couldn't lose her temper knowing that Regina was a few feet away, listening to her every word. She really had wanted to apologize and she really did want to earn Regina's forgiveness. She wanted to stop feeling this way. All she could think about when she wasn't drunk was Regina. That was why she'd wasted away the last decade when she thought Regina was dead. Because she was guilty. It was her fault. "I'm sorry." She said softly. "For everything. I just...I really loved your mother. I still do. After everything we'd been through, I thought we would be together. I wanted that more than anything. When she didn't want that, I guess I focused on Maleficent because I felt that she took my dream away. Regina was supposed to be my dream come true." She glanced over at the brunette, but Regina gave no indication that she cared about her heartfelt words. "Regina, I'm sorry. I'd do anything for your forgiveness."
"And Maleficent?" Melisandre asked. "We're a package deal, Miss Swan, and she is the matriarch of the clan. You also almost killed her too. Shall I call her for you?"
The blonde bit down on her tongue to stop herself from making a face at the mention of the woman she still detested. She knew Maleficent wouldn't do anything but act like a smug bitch, but she agreed. Melisandre tapped the star birthmark on her wrist and the dragoness walked in a few seconds later. Her appearance drew Regina's attention immediately. The first time she looked up from her phone and it was to ogle the stupid dragon in a black bodycon dress and matching sky high heels. Maleficent made sure to brush against her starry eyed wife before she came to stand behind her daughter.
"You called?"
"Miss Swan has something she wants to say."
Maleficent's piercing blue gaze turned to the savior. "Speak then." She commanded.
Emma swallowed and looked up at the older woman. "I wanted to apologize-"
"I'm going to stop you right there." The dragon chuckled. "You and your deranged forest friend shot me out of the sky, attacked me, my wife, my daughter and my daughter in law, and in the process threatened the life of my unborn child. Fuck your apology. It will never be accepted. Is that all?"
Emma sighed and braced her hands on the desk, pushing herself to her feet. "I'm serious. I'm very sorry for everything. I want to try and make amends-"
"No." Maleficent deadpanned. "Is that all?"
"Yes, Mommy." The dragon patted Melisandre's head and the little girl grinned before the dragon teleported away. The young dragon turned back to Emma and arched an eyebrow. She was really too much like Regina. "So, what else did you want to discuss?"
"Did you ever think about me?" Henry demanded, walking over to Regina. "Did you miss me? Did you regret it?" Regina slowly turned to face him and looked him in the eye as she answered.
"Yes...and no."
"What do you mean?"
"I did think of you." Regina said. "How could I not, Henry? You were my son. I missed you sometimes and wondered what you were doing, but...I never regretted leaving."
"Why not? Wasn't I enough to make you stay?" He asked.
Regina shook her head. "Had I stayed, I might be dead. Melisandre might be dead. Maleficent might be dead. The environment that I was living in was far too hostile for anyone."
"You didn't have to pretend to be dead!" He roared. "You could have told me!"
"We would have been followed. I was already being hunted and harassed on the phone. Not to mention the tracking device Lily found." She threw harsh glare at Emma before turning back to him. "Your mother and Robin were willing to kill my family and I was not willing to let them. So I left. I faked my death because I knew they wouldn't be able to do anything else if they thought I was dead."
"That only made things worse." Henry said softly.
"Possibly. But, it was my decision to make and the only thing I regret with all of this is that others suffered-"
"Not me?!"
Regina let out a heavy sigh. "Emma would not have hurt you. Your grandparents were perfectly capable of protecting you. I knew you were safe, even from Robin. I wasn't. Melisandre wasn't."
"So just because you have your own kid, you just leave the other one?" Henry demanded. "You let me believe you were dead. Who else knew?"
"Tink, Gold and Roland."
"Roland…" Henry scowled. Regina flicked an eyebrow at his reaction. "He's not your son." The boy almost growled.
"I know that." Regina replied.
"Then why tell him and not me?"
"Why don't you tell us what happened to his arm?" Melisandre called, picking at her nails.
Henry visibly swallowed and his rage started to dissipate in favor of guilt. "Regina-" Emma said, but the queen threw her a quick glare, still watching Henry.
"Would you really have come with me?" Regina asked gently. "Would you have given up your grandparents and your friends to be raised by the Queens of Darkness? We both know you wouldn't. At best, you would've wanted to help Emma, and she does need help, but she wasn't going to find any mercy from Mal after trying to kill her. In a way, my leaving saved Emma's life. At worse, you would've hated the very idea and you would've tried that guilt tripping nonsense you and the idiots always used to pull to get me to comply. Am I wrong?" She tilted her head, watching Henry ponder over the question. They both knew the answer however.
"You still could've told me." He whispered. "Anything was better than believing you were dead."
"How long would you have waited to tell Emma the truth?" Came the next question. "Your heartbroken mother was drowning her sorrows in a bottle over a death that she instigated. You mean to tell me that you would have kept my secret?"
"Yes!"
"For how long?" Regina held his gaze evenly. "How long before you couldn't bear the sight of her in pain anymore? I know you, Henry, so I know that you would have told her. If only to try and make her feel better. I love you and I trusted you, but I wasn't willing to take that chance. When Emma found out, Robin would have inevitably found out and guess what they would have done...They would have come after my family again." She let another sigh and checked her phone. "They didn't do what we expected. It's been 10 years, we expected them to be angry and be sad for a while, but eventually they would move on. I didn't expect for Emma to turn you into this."
"Did you love him more?"
"What?"
"Roland!" He shouted. "Did you love him more?"
"Why do you think I loved Roland more than you? Because he is the son of my supposed soulmate? Did Emma put this in your head? Is that why you attacked him?"
"Just answer my question."
Regina arched an eyebrow. "I love Roland very much. I will always love him. I love you very much, Henry. How can you ask me if I love someone more when I was the one who raised you? Before you found the storybook, did you ever doubt my love for you? After everything I've done to prove how much I loved you."
"I didn't ask if you loved me. I asked if you loved him more."
Regina narrowed her eyes at him. "No."
"Are you lying to me?"
"Why would you ask me a question if you wouldn't believe my answer?"
Emma silently watched the exchange, remembering how heartbroken Henry was to learn the news of Regina's death. He was depressed for a long time after that until one day, he was just different. Angry. A lot of that anger was directed at Robin and his Merry Men for being the ones to cause Regina's death. Then his anger turned to Roland. It was no secret that Regina loved the boy as her own child and Henry eventually came to the conclusion that Regina loved him more because of his past with his mother. Roland may not have known Regina as long, but he never upset her, never made her cry and his presence always made her smile. Contrary to what Regina probably believed, Emma never nursed that anger. Henry came to that conclusion all on his own. He attacked Roland all on his own. A part of her felt she should have seen something was wrong in Henry and Roland because she couldn't remember ever seeing Roland upset over the former mayor's death. He didn't even attend the funeral. In fact, none of Regina's closest friends did. It was because they knew she wasn't dead...
Melisandre glanced up at her mother. "Return to your seat, Henry, if you're not going to answer the question. You're standing far too close for my liking." When Henry failed to move, she snapped her fingers and Henry was teleported back to his chair. "Look, Little Prince, I didn't come here to talk to you so your feelings and you are irrelevant." She turned back to Emma. "You, however, need to understand something very important."
"And what is that?" Emma asked.
"Regardless of your feelings towards my mothers and my family, you need to know that the only reason you are still alive is because of your son. Unlike everyone else, I don't care about him. I don't really even care about you. So… if you ever threaten my family again in any way, shape, or form, I will kill you myself."
Henry smirked. He even laughed in the face of the little dragon. "Please, you're just a kid."
In the blink of an eye, the table between them was sent flying across the diner. Maleficent instantly appeared nearby, looking at Regina in concern. The smirking queen motioned to Melisandre grabbing Henry by the throat and slamming him to the ground.
"Yes, I am a child, but before anything else, I am a dragon, superior to you in every way. I will not hesitate to destroy you. Have I made myself clear?" Her eyes were glowing bright gold and the grip on Henry's neck only tightened the longer he did not answer her question. Emma moved to stand and instantly Maleficent was behind Melisandre, as if begging her to make a move.
Everyone froze however, when they heard the click of Granny's crossbow. "Get out of my diner." The old werewolf let out a low growl as she stepped out of the back, her favorite weapon pointed at the dragon's chest.
"Don't growl at me, you old bitch." Maleficent growled right back, dragon fire appearing in her eyes.
"Who is that?" Melisandre asked. Regina moved to stand at her wife's side, putting herself between Mal and the crossbow.
"Ruby's grandmother." Regina answered. "And simply not worth our time. Come along, Mel."
"One moment." Melisandre looked back down at Henry and grinned, showing off two rows of pointed teeth. "Have I made myself clear, Little Prince?" She growled.
"Yes." Henry croaked. Mel released him and ran to her mothers, who were both proudly grinning. The trio teleported away and Emma let out a long breath.
"Well, this was a bust."
"Stupid dragons." Henry murmured, rubbing his neck.
Emma ran her hands through her hair and ultimately grabbed her crutch.
"What do we do now, Mom?" Henry asked.
"I need to think." She closed her eyes and attempted to forget the look Regina gave Maleficent. She ignored Emma, but as soon as that stupid dragon showed her face, she couldn't look away. Her arm started to burn, but she already knew the cause. "Let's go home."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Mel hadn't done what her mothers expected at all. Regina thought she would go straight for the dragon approach and scare the living hell out of Emma, and she did eventually, but it would seem that her little girl wanted to see what Emma would do if she were simply spoken to. She seemed to want to understand because Regina knew that she didn't, understand why her family was targeted in such a manner. Why she had been targeted before she was even born. Mal seemed upset too. She was fuming on the front porch, so while the other Queens took the kids for a walk in their animal forms, Regina walked onto the porch and sat in the chair next to her wife. "What's wrong, Mal?"
"I will not forgive Emma Swan or Robin Hood. I simply do not have the capacity nor the desire to do so."
"Neither do I and we already know that. Mel just called you to piss Emma off." She scoffed. "You didn't get upset until you saw Granny. Did something happen before we left?"
"I just despise her." Mal shrugged.
Regina narrowed her eyes at the dragon and reached over to take her hand. "Talk to me, dear. What happened? For you to still be angry about it, it must be something great."
Maleficent growled softly to herself. "She was quite rude to Lily when she began courting Ruby and I didn't appreciate it. In addition to that, I may have judged her parenting skills rather harshly...to her face. It lead to an argument and us getting 'banned' from the diner, as if we really cared."
Regina smirked. "Why am I not surprised?"
"You shouldn't be. For all that woman's bravado and 'wisdom', she is a fool. A fool who could've gotten Ruby killed or worse." Regina waited for her lover to elaborate while gently rubbing Mal's hand with her thumb and admiring how stunning she was, even when upset. No one person should possess such beauty. It was almost ridiculous. "When a dragon is born, they are told what they are. They are told of their ancestors, the mighty blood they carry. I was not able to tell Lily this, but Granny could have told Ruby. She only didn't because she was still mad at the man who turned her into a werewolf and I suppose I understand, but her actions did nothing but hinder Ruby and turn her into a ticking time bomb with teeth and claws and a beast she could not control. She was raised to be a human when she is far from that." Maleficent let out another growl, smoke flowing from her nostrils. "It's not my business, I know, but it still pisses me off."
Regina did agree with her wife on the matter. Granny essentially gave her granddaughter a cloak to cover up a unique part of her that made her who she was. A part of her that proved how disastrous it was that she wasn't properly taught to be a wolf. She could understand why Mal was so upset with her, especially after the woman's alleged comments towards their daughter, but she was already suffering. As far as she knew, Ruby had cut off all ties with Granny Lucas. She was probably unaware of the birth of her great grandchild as well. "Relax, Mal. It's perfectly okay to be upset. Ruby is our daughter in law now. She is a part of our family, a part of us. Our ancestors are hers and she may not bear our blood, but our granddaughter does." Maleficent looked up, smiling slightly at her words. "It is more than okay to be protective of our family, Maleficent, it is more than okay. Ruby knows where she stands and she knows that we stand with her. All of the Queens do."
Maleficent beckoned her closer and kissed her lips. "Thank you."
"Anytime. Shall we go find the rest of our family?"
Mal stood up and offered her hand to her as she usually did and Regina took it. Now that she thought about it, Mal had done far more than she probably realized for each member of their family, giving them all a new purpose, a new home and a place to belong. It was all because of the Dragon Queen.
The pair went down to the river, finding Ruby and Lily relaxing on the bank. On the other side, Belle, Zelena and Jade were sitting in the grass talking to Gold. Meanwhile, Sarai and Mel were wrestling in their beast forms. Regina narrowed her eyes when she noticed a little T Rex laying in the grass nearby on its back, his legs cycling in the air. She smirked and went over to give Roland a little nudge with her foot so he could roll over.
"Thanks, Gina!" He took off down river to dropkick Mel and Sarai into the water. She grinned, watching them play fight and roll around in the grass.
Mal purred next to her. "We're almost complete. Then we can rest and enjoy ourselves again."
Regina nodded. "And Storybooke? Have you decided how we're going to fix this place?"
"Magic." The dragon replied. "And we'll instate Tink as mayor with a personal guard, if she wants the position. Then we have to rebuild half the town and make preparations to leave. How did Mel react to Emma before my arrival?"
"She doesn't understand it. I think she's still trying to put everything together." Mel was quite intelligent for her age and thanks to being part dragon, because dragons matured faster than humans, she would always seem much older than she was, but she was still very much a child. Up until now, she lived in bliss, in a beautiful foreign country surrounded by loving people. Being in Storybrooke was opening her up to a completely different world.
"I'm sure she'll manage. If not, we might not be here long enough for her to worry over it. For now, we should enjoy teaching our future Queens."
"Possibly a future king as well." Regina gestured to Roland being tackled by Sarai. "Unless he wants to live with the Merry Men, he has to stay with us."
"Of course." Mal kissed her temple. "He is lucky to have you watching over him. Did you find out why Henry attacked him?"
Regina shook her head. "Henry thinks I love Roland more than him because I told him about my being alive. I can understand he would think so, I guess, but attacking Roland is beyond acceptable. It's like he's obsessed over knowing the answer, but he wouldn't believe me when I told him. He needs help just as much as his crazy ass mother."
"We should be wary then." Mal said. "He might go after Roland again or Mel."
"I wish I didn't, but I agree."
" Now, come on. Let's get your mind off of things." Smoke suddenly engulfed her lover and she burst out of it in her little dragon form, speeding off to jump on Sarai's back.
"Grandma?" Mel and Roland came over see if it was and Mal bounced around in circles like a happy kitten.
"Wait, Mal, I want to play too." Regina whined. She quickly thought of a spell and cast it. Mal instantly transformed back into a human.
"Regina! No!" All eyes turned to the rising cloud of purple smoke threatening to overwhelm them. It took a moment for it to disperse and when it did, she almost lost her mind. All she saw at first were wings. Great black wings that unfurled to reveal her wife in a breathtaking new form. Regina was now a dragon and the most beautiful one she had ever seen. Well muscled and strong, she looked delicious. She was clearly built for flying as she possessed a lack of spikes down her back. A serrated spine began at the beginning of her extra long tail and ran all the way to the tip. A few spikes were on her elbows, but that was it. A pair of massive horns rested on her head, uniquely twisted up like markhor horns. What topped it off, was her color. She was entirely black. A rich, dark black that gleamed and glittered wherever the sun hit it. From her claws to her elbow spikes to the spine on her tail, all of it was black. The only other color she possessed were the whites of her eyes and teeth, as well as those pretty brown irises Mal adored. "Holy shit."
Regina twisted around to examine herself, her tail tip quivering excitedly as her family rushed to her to check her out. One did not. Maleficent didn't move a muscle.
"Mom, you okay?" Lily asked.
"No, she broke her promise." Maleficent growled.
Regina roared at her and made herself small to run over to them, trying to climb up Mal's leg. She bent down to pick up her little wife and Regina assaulted her with fervent nuzzles and swipes of her tongue. Long ago, during the very beginnings of their relationship, Regina had changed into a dragon. Seeing her shift brought up a wealth of emotions and primal instincts that Mal had never felt before. That inexperience had culminated in a dangerous night for them with Mal nearly losing control of herself because of her lust and desire for the queen. Even now she wanted to slam Regina on a bed and fuck her until neither of them could walk, but she couldn't lose control as she had the first time.
"Sorry, baby." Regina said softly. "I forgot. I just wanted to play too. I'll make it up to you."
"How dare you say that to me while you're a baby dragon."
Across the river, Zelena and Belle watched Jade take off to join the family in their play fighting session.
"You have raised a wonderful girl." Gold said to the pair of mothers. "She's getting very good at subtle threats as well."
"Thank you." Zelena smirked.
"May I apologize to the both of you?" Both of them turned to look at him curiously. "I am truly sorry, Zelena, for ever making you feel like you were unworthy. Belle...I am sorry for everything."
"It's okay, Rumple." Zelena smiled. "I forgave you when I married your wife." Belle elbowed her in the side, but the witch was unfazed. Despite the nature of his relationship with the Queens and their pasts, it was well known that even Regina still considered the man one of her oldest friends. Zelena was less inclined, but she didn't really care since she was living her dream. Belle, on the other hand, would always have reservations around him. A part of her would always love him and a part of her would never trust him again. His words, his actions, however honorable or heroic, all of them proved that they could be false. So she smiled and thanked him, but she didn't say anything more. Zelena gave her hand a squeeze and she felt a little better knowing the Wicked Witch had her back.
That evening, the Queens returned to the mansion. Their leader and her mate were noticeably absent. Time alone was absolutely necessary for a dragon and their mate. Regina expected for Mal to be affectionate, but she hadn't thought she would be mauled by a happy dragon tongue. She could almost feel Mal's excitement and had no choice but to wait until Mal had calmed down.
"You are very beautiful, Regina. Very." Mal purred, twining their tails together.
"Really?"
"Absolutely. Sexiest dragon I've ever seen." Mal said, grooming around her horns. Regina purred and allowed her mate to do as she pleased. "You know, one thing we've never tried is dragon sex…"
"You're right." She had no idea what dragon sex entailed, or if they could do it as two females, but Mal was undeterred.
"Let's go. We should move farther away from town. Don't want to keep them up all night." Her mate snickered and drew out her wings. With a single flap, she was airborne. Regina copied the motion, throwing herself into the sky. She was immediately rocked by the wind and whimpered as she tried to stay aloft. "I got you, Regina." Mal flew beneath her, boosting her up and essentially carrying her across the forest.
"Thank you. You have to teach me to fly now and then I can fly with you and Mel. Your mothers too."
"One of them can't fly. I told you Millie's dragon form was weird."
"When are we going to go get them?"
"Soon, my love. Soon."
/
It was a struggle to walk without limping as the lovers crept back into the house and even more of one for Maleficent not to purr her head off while following Regina up the stairs. She finally mated with her mate. How could life get any better than having her family and Regina? They were nearly silent, creeping down the hallway, but one door flew open as they passed and Zelena leaned against the doorway with her arms crossed.
"Good morning, Baby Sister. It's about 6 o'clock, you know."
"Ssh." Regina said. "You'll wake the kids. What are you doing up anyway?"
"Just wanted to witness the walk of shame after the racket you two have been making for the last few hours."
"Racket?" Regina whispered, turning red. "I put up a barrier…"
"Yes, which requires concentration to sustain." Zelena said, arching an eyebrow. "So tell me, were you concentrating on the barrier or what was between Mal's legs? As for the kids, they're mentally scarred."
"Oh my gods." Regina teleported away in horror and Maleficent looked at the grinning witch.
"I told you to set up a barrier before we left."
"And I did. The kids are fine. They've been out since 9." Zelena chuckled. "What?"
"Go to bed, you mischievous little thing." Maleficent smiled, rolling her eyes. She walked into the master bedroom, finding Regina looking through a dresser. "What are you doing?"
"Looking for something to erase our daughter's memory with." Her wife replied. "And to heal that patch of forest you burned."
"That's twice you've made me do that and you're going to stop." Mal felt embarrassed at how Regina could make her come undone with ease. The fact that she was doing it more frequently was also annoying. "Zelena lied by the way. The kids have been asleep all night. They didn't hear a thing."
Regina slammed the drawer closed with a growl. "I'm going to kill her."
"Later." Mal smirked. She took Regina's hand and lead her to the bathroom for a soothing soak. Afterwards, she used magic to dry them off and carry Regina to bed. Sinking into the soft bed, the sheets cool against her heated skin, and her body sore and satiated, Maleficent found herself perfectly content. Regina lay on her back, looking up at the ceiling while Mal lay on her side, watching her. The blonde reached over to take Regina's hand, drawing her attention. "You scare me."
"I scare a lot of people." Regina quirked an eyebrow and her lip. She rolled onto her side, meeting Mal's eyes. "You okay?"
Mal pressed their palms together, threading their fingers around each other. "Every moment of every day, you hold my heart in your hands. You could destroy me if you wanted to."
"I would never."
"I know...but you could. It terrifies me. At the same time, you are the only person I would willingly give my heart. All you have to do is ask."
"And I'd never ask." Regina said, kissing her hand. "By the way, I should have at least 10 extra points after I make you breathe fire."
"Hell no." Mal scoffed, evoking a giggle from her wife. "You need to stop that."
"Why? It's the sexiest thing I've ever seen." She grinned. "Plus it boosts my ego."
"I'll bet it does. Stop doing it or we won't have sex at all."
"HA HA!" Regina laughed dramatically before turning deathly serious. "You wouldn't fucking dare."
"Want to bet?"
"I do. If I win, I get that sapphire necklace you have on display in your vault and the emerald ring with the rose gold band."
Mal nodded. "Okay. If I win, I get your black opal necklace and the gold necklace with the amber centerpiece." Wife and wife shook on it and began their newest challenge.
The next morning, over breakfast, the other Queens laughed at the new bet they proposed and even took bets of their own.
"This should last about 5 minutes." Lily said, drowning her waffles in syrup. She leaned over and did the same to a giddy Sarai's, who was grinning as she watched her mother swirling the syrup over her plate.
"I give it a day at the most." Zelena scoffed, cutting into her crepe.
"Wow." Regina said, placing a tray of fresh fruit on the table. "Thanks guys." She looked down at Roland, staring at the massive spread before him. Food was something their family spared no expense on. Feeding such a large group, with a few of them being part dragon or wolf, meant a lot of food was constantly being bought and preparing these meals was a team effort. Roland's awestruck gaze at the banquet made her laugh. Across the table were plates of fresh fruits, crepes, crumpets, pancakes, waffles, sausages, ham, bacon, eggs, hash browns, bagels,, biscuits, bear claws, muffins, doughnuts, rice and grits. Since they had a few guests, they had gone a little overboard, but she knew everything would get eaten eventually. "Eat up." She ruffled his hair and moved to sit next to Mel. Her daughter was busy drizzling some biscuits in honey.
"So back to this ridiculous bet. I want to take a bet." Ruby piped up. "Mal, Gina, we all know this won't last long. Z, you want to bet?"
"Sure. Basic amount?"
"Done."
"Basic amount?" Regina frowned. "How often do you have bets?"
"Enough to have a set amount apparently." Mal replied.
"I want in." Tink called. "I think Mal's gonna crack first."
Belle scoffed. "It's definitely gonna be Regina." Regina rolled her eyes, watching them name their prices and place their bets. In the end the odds were stacked against her.
"Alright enough, there are children at the table." She said, glancing at them and finding that all were buried in their plates and probably hadn't heard a thing that was said. "Besides, I can just go put on some Dragon's Bane and-"
"No!" Mal snapped. "That's cheating. No aphrodisiacs."
"Fine." Regina shrugged. "I don't need them anyway." Now she needed a way to break Mal so she could get her prizes. Oh, the possibilities...
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