First, I would like to thank you for the reviews and the follows. As a first timer, this is beyond my hopes.
Second, I really don't know where exactly I am going with the story. For now, I know it will be Swan Queen, with most likely slow build-up.
Third, because of a busy working week, I would most likely be able to update on weekends.
Enjoy!
PS. Take notice, I plan to use all kind of spoilers.
Standard disclaimers ...
Chapter 2.
Snow held on to David, still thinking about the conversation she had had with Emma earlier. She knew Emma was right, and the revelation that the loving step mother now had adored was still alive, buried under the pain and hatred made the pixie haired woman feel the confusing mixture of fear, apprehension and happiness. She had missed the woman she considered a mother.
"What has you troubled, my love?" David whispered into her hair, holding her closely, but watching the other two men talk about Baelfire and their time with them, looking for a sign of trouble. The uneasy peace between Rumpelstiltskin and Captain Hook could break apart at any moment and they could not afford that.
"Regina." Snow forced her prince to look her in the eyes, holding his face. The soft blue regarded her with interest. "She never killed you" she murmured, remembering Emma's cold statement. After some time spent on considering her experiences from the different perspective, she realized what Emma was trying to show her. Seeing David's confused look, she decided to tell him about the conversation she had with their daughter.
"Sheriff…" Dark eyes followed the rapid movement of the blonde. "Will you stop pacing!" Regina snapped, wincing when her strong voice reverberated in the small room. Emma had been pacing the length of the cabin, making the other woman queasy with motion.
"Sorry. I just…" Emma leaned against the wall in frustration, crossing her arms at the chest. "I cannot just sit for the next two days. I'll lose my mind."
"And everyone else with you, most likely," came the caustic reply. Emma looked at the woman sitting primly at the edge of bed, her hands in her lap, her back straight. Regina Mills was a picture of elegance, somewhat displaced in the pirate quarters, on a shabby bed, in cluttered cell of the room. "Patience is a virtue."
"Not mine."
"Obviously."
Emma scowled by habit and walked of the wall. She lied down on the bed, careful not to jostle the other woman, and placed her arms behind her head, crossing her legs at the ankles. She blinked slowly, trying to dispel the need for sleep that still plagued her. Apparently, she had exerted herself a bit too much, trying to heal Regina and she was still feeling the effects. And, now when she was unmoving the headache came to the front, making her even more short with Regina.
Regina watched the other woman, noticing the bruising under her eyes and overall paleness. Disregarding her observations for the moment, she decided to follow Emma's example and placed herself on the bed, reclining, but she leaned on the up righted pillow against the wall. "I am…" the former queen paused, not sure should she even start this particular topic. But, stubborn as ever, she continued. "Sorry about Neal."
Emma glanced up at the woman, and smiled in appreciation, however the sad smile only looked as a grimace on her face.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
If someone saw the two women at that moment he would not be sure who was more surprised by the words that slipped out of Regina's mouth. However, the surprise turned into another twisting of the lips for Emma, and Regina relaxed, not sure what exactly she had been doing.
"No, not yet. But thank you."
The silence fell upon them, growing more uncomfortable by the second.
"How…"
"What…"
They both started at the same time, and hearing the other speak, they both broke off. Emma smiled in apology, but Regina waved it off and gestured the other woman to continue.
"How are you feeling?"
Such a simple, everyday question should not cause such reaction, Regina berated herself. The affectionate warmth bloomed in her chest at the soft candid question, and her eyes clouded. No one had asked that since… Well, since she had killed her father, and even he would have rarely dared to ask her that particular question.
Immediately after, her eyes grew hard, and the walls rose. It must have been a test of some kind, a search for weakness. But a soft grip on her upper arm, so much like the one that helped her activate the hat, stopped the further escalation of her defensive mechanisms.
"Regina, please. Don't do that." Emma spoke, leaning over her, having lifted herself onto extended arm, turned toward the woman who glared at her. "I only asked because I noticed that the burns had reappeared before, and I was wondering if I healed them well." After the incredulous look in her direction, Emma shrugged sheepishly. "I didn't want you to be in pain" she mumbled, lowering herself back down.
If Emma had healed Regina without her noticing it, and she had because the older woman hadn't felt better in a while, it would mean that the blonde's magic was compatible with hers. Regina frowned, not pleased with the situation. She already had an inkling why it was possible, but she did not want to spend time on that ridiculous idea.
But, there wasn't only the question of Emma using magic on her without her knowledge. Emma had indeed healed her, but also she undoubtedly without intention had transferred part of her energy as well. That explained why she had been well rested after so little time, and why Emma seemed so exhausted. She would need to teach the younger woman to control her magic better. It would not do for the Savior to kill herself by overextending her reserves.
"I am alright." In that sentence an apology was issued silently. Emma nodded slowly, licking her wind chafed lips, drawing Regina's attention to them. The brown eyes traced the damage on the blonde's face, noticing wind scraped cheeks as well. "You, however, are not." Disregarding her habitual reticence to touch, Regina lifted her hand and placed it on younger woman's face, smirking when Emma closed her eyes and leaned into the touch without any reservation. The brunette healed the damaged skin, all the while internally reprimanding herself. It hadn't been necessary to touch Emma for the magic to work, but she had wanted to show her appreciation in some way. "Sleep. Everything else can wait." Regina smirked again when her only reply was a soft murmur and a flutter of Emma's eyes.
Having covered the blonde with the fleece excuse for a blanket, Regina left the cabin in search for some fresh air. Glancing into the other room she saw Hook and David sleeping, each taking one of the crew pallets. When they had boarded, the discussion about sleeping arrangement had arisen, and because she had been the Evil Queen, and thus had the most enemies on the ship, she had been elected to use the Captain Quarters. And because she had been the least likely to be killed by the aforementioned Evil Queen, Emma had gotten the honors to join her. The others would have to use the Crew Quarters, sleeping in shifts… Well, sometimes it was so gratifying to be the Evil Queen, Regina smirked to herself, climbing up onto the deck.
The night sky was clear and the stars shone, making the dark waters glimmer around the ship. The lanterns had been doused to obscure their arrival, but the darkness was not oppressing. Recognizing Rumpelstiltskin at the helm, she turned to the other side, walking to the bow. There, she leaned onto the railing, looking into the distance.
"Here."
Startled by the sudden whisper in the night, Regina looked sharp at the intruder, but seeing Snow holding out a dish with a fresh broth in, she took it without a word. The mouthwatering smell of the supper made Regina realize that she had not eaten in days, ever since before Hook had gone into her office.
Snow stood by the other woman's side, waiting for her to finish eating. When the dish was emptied, the pixie haired woman silently took it back, and stepped away, but before she could go, Regina stopped her by catching her arm. "Is there more?"
After a short nod, the younger woman left to bring another serving, while Regina kept her place. It seemed only a moment had passed before the dish was trusted back into her hands, along with a piece of bread. Again, Snow was standing beside Regina, in silence but the older woman knew that it was only a matter of time before the night quiet would be broken with a question or a classic Charming peace offering. Wanting to get over it quickly, she ate everything and placed the dish on the nearby barrel, and turned to Snow.
"How are you?" The sincere and quiet question brought Regina to a stop. What was it with the Charming women, asking about her? With a suspicious frown, Regina searched the other woman's eyes. Finding nothing but honesty, she looked away, gripping the rail.
"Fine", she said tersely.
"Emma?" Snow asked again.
"Asleep." Knowing that it didn't answer Snow's question, Regina blew a frustrated sigh and glanced toward her once enemy. "Miss Swan will be alright, after some rest." When the other woman nodded, she pushed away from the railing and turned to go away.
"Regina?"
It wasn't so much as calling out of her name that stopped her, but the apprehensive tone accompanied with something else, that she hadn't heard in Snow's voice for a while. The former Mayor turned and placing her arms over her chest pierced the other woman with her eyes. Watching Snow struggle for words was an interesting albeit pointless exercise, so she stepped forward.
"What, Snow? Spit it out, dear, I don't want to spend the entire night here." As the retorts go, this one wasn't a good one, Regina remarked to herself, but she was tired of constant bickering with the woman before her.
"Can you…" Worrying her hands, Snow swallowed and tried again. "Can you teach Emma magic?"
The Mayor straightened out and stood in front of her nemesis, pointing a finger at her chest. "You, want ME to teach Emma magic?" The incredulous tone rang off the surfaces of the ship, making the younger woman wince. "After all 'You must not use magic, Regina – for Henry'!" Regina drew so close that their noses almost touched. "You dare ask me?" she bit through her clenched teeth. Seeing a small terrified nod, she stepped aside, the anger draining away. Slowly, Regina pushed the hair out of her face, and glanced toward the old man at the helm. "I would've thought you would want anyone but me, teaching her."
Snow saw the look and pushed on. "We don't trust Gold."
"And you trust me?" came the scoffing reply.
"No." But before Regina could retort, Snow continued watching her former step mother closely. "But Emma does." Seeing the glimmer of something in the dark eyes, despite the night, Snow sighed internally with relief. "We talked earlier. In this exact spot, actually. She was very adamant about that. And I know my daughter. She is not easily manipulated, not even by you. Not anymore."
"She is a fool…" Regina spoke softly, with a shake of her head.
"Maybe, but she still needs to learn to control that power inside her, and only the one she trusts can teach her." Snow placed her hand onto Regina's forearm, and leaned in. "Regina, she doesn't know the consequences of magic, and that big heart of hers may just kill her." The younger woman saw a shadow pass in the other woman's eyes, too quick to identify properly. "Please," the heart wrenching entreaty made the former Queen nod in acquiescence. "Thank you."
"We are a family, after all…" Regina said, her biting retort falling short of sarcastic. There was longing, Snow realized, buried deep under the protective layers of mocking and sneer. Still keeping her hand on the older woman's arm, she squeezed in confirmation.
"Yes, we are," the young woman spoke firmly, without a trace of doubt and regret. "And we always were, Regina. Regardless of the past." Feeling the other woman tense up, she brought her other hand onto Regina's cheek and smiled sadly, reminding herself of a moment she experienced as a child. The Queen had come into her room to sooth her nightmares, and Snow, in order to remind herself that she had been awake, had touched the beautiful young woman whom she had loved as a mother. Usually, it would be a hug, but one particular night Snow had placed her small palm onto the Queen's face, bringing up a tender smile, and a soft kiss on her palm. Immersed in the memory, she didn't notice the glare directed at her from the dark eyes. Blinking rapidly, Snow smiled at the irritated woman.
"Emma once told me that her world has a saying - The ones you love hurt you the most. I think it is rather apt in our case." And with that, Snow stepped away, letting her hands fall and walked off, picking up the almost forgotten dish on the way.
Regina swallowed hard against the tears lodged in her throat. "Damn you, Snow", she whispered, getting her composure back. Would this day ever end, she bitterly thought. Or there was someone else lurking about, just waiting for an opportunity to make her cry? Deciding not to tempt fate, she got below deck and entered the Captain's Cabin.
The woman lying on the mattress, with her hair strewn on the pillow, was sleeping restless in her dreams. With a soft murmur she fought the blanket that she had managed to entangle to the point of immobilizing herself. Regina chuckled at the image, reminded of another who was an active sleeper. A sharp pang of pain seized her heart at the thought of Henry.
"No, please…" the blonde murmured, fighting the restraints. The pleading voice brought Regina to the present and she sat next to Emma, placing her hand on her shoulder. But, Emma flinched away from the touch, sobbing. "Please, I'll be good. Please. No, I promise, I'll be good…" The Savior was crying now and Regina watched her, shocked still, immersed into her own memories.
Watching her mother glare up at her with cloyingly sweet expression on her face, while she was several feet in the air, suspended by the magic her mother wielded expertly. The straps around her middle were getting tighter, making her chest hurt and hard for her to breathe. "Please…" Regina whispered helplessly. "I'll be good." The fear made her heart pound thunderously, and the dark spots started showing before her eyes. As Cora's punishments went, this one wasn't the worst, or even one of worse, but the fear it instilled in the young girl's heart was enough to ensure obedience.
"Excellent. That's all I wanted to hear," Cora spoke after she had released her daughter and brought her down to ground. Her false proud voice grated on Regina's already frail nerves and she did the only thing she could. She ran away, after throwing a disappointed look in her father's direction.
"Don't, no…" the helpless sobs shook Regina out of her stupor and she gently shook the younger woman. But it seemed that the touch only made it worse. Regina started calling the Savior.
"Miss Swan! Wake up!" Rising of the pallet, Regina took the blanket with her, hoping that the sudden freedom and cold air would rouse the flaying woman. "Emma!"
With a start, Emma sat up right, placing her hands before her face in defensive position, breathing heavily. Seeing Regina, she relaxed slowly, trying to calm herself. "Hey," the older woman spoke gently, careful not to touch the trembling blonde. Emma brought her knees to chest and leaned her forearms on them, watching Regina carefully. Almost cowering, Regina noticed. The Savior seemed to wait for something bad to happen. And that made her close her eyes. Of course, Emma had left herself wide open for the Evil Queen to exploit her weakness. And yet, she remained there, not protecting herself or running away.
But, Emma does. Emma did trust her, regardless of their history, and that caused her to smile gently at the younger woman, feeling something warm her heart. Leaning her forehead on her arms, Emma shuddered, and took in a deep breath, trying to stave off the impending tears. But when the warmth of a soft hand on her back seeped through her chilled skin, all the barriers broke and a sob broke out of her chest, shaking her ruthlessly. Pulling the shaken woman into her arms, just as she would do for their son, Regina murmured soft words of comfort, letting her once competitor for Henry's love release the storm of emotions.
It seemed that they did nothing else but cry, lately, Regina noted to herself, holding the Savior to her shoulder. It had been hard, and a lot had happened, and the former Queen could not blame Emma for falling apart. They were only human, no matter how differently they acted.
The soft tears glided down Regina's face, empathizing with the pain and fear she felt emanating from the crying woman. For the first time after a very long time she could honestly say that there was someone in the world who could understand her fears. Because, what she had heard Emma say in her terrors, was the verbatim for what she had used to say in her own childhood. And, Regina doubted that Snow knew anything of her daughter's past. It seemed that Emma was like herself in that regard. How could you share darkness with someone so pure?
Nevertheless, Emma gathered herself quickly and pushed away from the comforting hug, albeit gently. "I'm sorry…"
"No, there is nothing to be sorry for."
Emma looked into the dark eyes and the shining paths on her face, glimmering in the soft light of a lantern beside the pallet. "Why are you crying?" The surprised edge made Regina chuckle mirthlessly, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.
"It seems that the Charming women are determined to make me cry today…" she spoke, amused smirk on her lips.
"Women? What did Mary Margaret do?" the quick, somewhat accusing tone threw Regina off balance.
The older woman watched amazed the Savior – who did not look like she had been crying just a minute before, apart from negligible redness of her eyes. The flashing green pierced the former queen, tensed posture of a person ready to jump into the fight, clenched fists - they were all the signs of the knight in shining armor ready to defend his damsel. And Emma, the Savior and a Charming fitted the bill perfectly. Only the damsel in question wasn't in distress, or needed help.
"We talked, she asked me something to do… It's ok. She did nothing wrong."
Seeing Emma's incredulous eye roll she chuckled again. Well, apparently it was a day for uttering strange sentences – such as Snow White did nothing wrong… Her bashful and awkward smile made Emma chuckle, relaxing her posture.
They settled on the mattress, lying side by side, staring at the ceiling, not able to sleep. After placing a warming spell on the blanket, Regina had shed her coat and scarf, remaining in her deep blood red jacket and black tights. Emma had followed her example, and took off her black overcoat. Their boots were abandoned beside bed.
"Bad dream?" Regina whispered in order to fill the silence, not looking at the other woman, rolling her eyes at herself for the senseless opening.
"Bad memory."
The silence stretched, and after a while Regina thought that the blonde had drifted off, until whisper broke the quiet.
"One of my foster parents was abusive. I was eight when I got there, already marked a troublemaker. He knew no one would believe me if I said anything…" The detached, quiet way Emma used to share information made Regina cold inside. "He would snap for no reason, and beat me, always careful not to hit my head or arms. Everything was my fault. The supper was late, TV was too loud, other kids did not settle quickly enough… One day I was late from school and he tied me up on a bed and took his belt off…"
Regina lifted herself onto her elbow, and drew nearer to the pale blonde. Lining her body with Emma's, she placed her palm onto the heaving chest before her. It was very intimate position, but for Regina, it was the only way to show Emma that she was not alone anymore.
"I ran away the next day…" Emma finished softly, turning a bit into the warmth.
"Did he…?" Regina started but she didn't know how to formulate the question. However, she didn't need to, for Emma understood perfectly.
"No. He wasn't interested in that. I guess I was lucky that way, for no one forced himself on me. But, I knew a lot of children who weren't as lucky. I heard the stories…"
"I do not regret the curse, for it brought me Henry, but I am sorry for what you went through."
Emma looked up at the chocolate eyes avoiding her gaze, playing with the lines in her turtleneck sweater. She took the hand, just as she had several hours before. "They put me in the wardrobe, not you…" Emma squeezed the elegant fingers gently. "And, I think that what I went through only made me a stronger and better person, not easily blinded by rules." The sheepish smile appeared on her face, when Regina looked at her. "And I had Henry."
Regina smiled at the mention of her boy. "He was always an adventurous boy, testing the limits." The faraway look in her eyes transformed her face, giving it softness that Emma rarely connected with Regina. She knew that the look appeared only several times in the time she had known the Madame Mayor, and in every instance Henry was the topic. "He would come to me in the evening and tell me everything he did that day, bad and good. We'd shared a lot in those days, before Gold told him about adoption."
"And you became the Evil Queen…" Emma continued. She knew what Regina was doing. She missed the kid and decided to share something of him, with the only person who could appreciate it and maybe share something in return. "When we went to New York, he was glowing. Everything was interesting to him, but he stayed near us, mindful of the 'mission' as he called it. Not many eleven year olds would have the strength of character to stay put. I certainly didn't."
Regina smiled at the hidden praise and lowered her shoulder on the pillow, placing her elbow beneath her head. "Apart from meeting Neal, did he enjoy the journey?"
"In the beginning. Later, he was angry with me." Emma saw the surprise in Mayor's eyes. Apparently, the 'Emma can do nothing wrong' was just proven false. "He found out I had lied about Neal. He blew up."
Henry was sitting on the fire stairs, while Emma was standing before him, explaining why she hadn't told him about his father. "… That is why I didn't tell you. I was thinking of me, not you."
He looked at her, his heart breaking, and reproach on his face. "I thought you were different. But you are just like her… Regina. She always lied to me, too."
Emma explained everything that had happened in New York, including his comparison of Emma to Regina. It was in that moment that Emma understood when her opinion of Regina started changing. That very moment in New York she learned about black and white definition of the world, and how it wasn't fair or correct. There were too many shades of gray in between to categorize, and people could never be placed in neat little boxes, simply labeled good or bad. Of course, she didn't share her discoveries with Regina, just the facts and memories of Henry.
They talked, firstly about Henry, then about Storybrooke… Simple talk, without sharing too much, just to pass time. But neither of them saw that their bodies grew closer with each passing hour. Finally, they dropped off to sleep in the early hours of the morning, Regina's hand in Emma's held on her chest.
Despite to what Emma would think, the morning was not awkward. They woke up at the same time, disturbed by David's booming voice calling them out for breakfast. After a quick soft good morning, they dressed and stumbled out of the room. They ate in the galley, where Snow placed plates with scrambled eggs in front of them.
"This will be a very busy day for you. There is a part of your education you are lacking in." Regina spoke, watching Emma inhale the food, just like Henry had been doing when he had been at home. Disregarding the groan of disagreement and affront, she pressed onward. "I will teach you the basic defensive magic, but seeing that we are going against the enemy who knows how to disable the magic, you need to learn to fight."
And true to her word, Regina created three blunt swords and gave them out to the Charmings. Emma listened to David showing her the proper grip and several simple moves, while Snow walked to Regina.
"I thought you would be teaching her." Snow glanced at the woman watching her daughter carefully.
"I will be, but this is more important. Go there, help him," Regina said, not looking away from Emma. It was still early, but they would reach the shore in the evening of the day after, and it left them too little time to train the Savior properly. Soon, Emma was engaged in a vicious training exercise, trying to fight off both of her parents, her moves clumsy and slow. From time to time, Regina would shout out an advice or a proper maneuver to help her, but mostly she was just watching, observing for the weak points, that surprisingly weren't many and the numbers were dropping by the hour. The Savior was indeed a quick learner.
After three hours of grueling training Regina strode in and started throwing fire balls at Emma.
"Oy! What are you doing?" Emma yelled at her, after one of the balls passed her face.
"What does it look like? Defend yourself!" Regina said, waving the Charmings off. David had been just going in her direction before Snow had stopped him with several words of reassurance. "You are the child of True Love. Your magic is not acquired or learned. It is part of you." Regina circled the confused and angry blonde, throwing not more balls of fire but of ice, using Emma as the target. "Defend yourself, Miss Swan. Use your instincts." She knew Emma tried, but nothing was happening. She would have to push, but she was reluctant in fear of damaging the new precious balance and relationship that was growing between them. She didn't want to lose a friend.
"Aw! Regina, stop it and tell me how to do it." Emma tried to use the sword to repel the painful attack to no avail. She was getting angrier, as her clothes were getting soaked by the melted bits of ice.
"No." The one word, filled with such contempt and condescending made Emma bristle. "Come now, dear, giving up so soon?" The mocking voice of the Evil Queen filled the air. "How can you be a Savior if you cannot stop simple hail?" Regina noticed Emma focusing on her but she still got pelted with ice. Damn it, Emma, do it! Regina said internally, already regretting the next move. "And, how are you going to save Henry?"
The moment Henry's name was invoked, the air itself filled with magic. Emma's eyes, focused on Regina in fury, were glowing with pale blue sparks. The ice melted, the water evaporated and the fire was put out. A thunder sounded and Regina found herself flung back, flying through the air, before colliding painfully with the higher deck.
The footsteps sounded but Regina could not see who ran to her, for the darkness was flooding her consciousness. A hand gripped one of hers, and another one lifted her head, cradling it gently, before the gentle tingle of magic enveloped her.
"Is she alright?" Snow asked, grimacing at the blood covering the floor, where Regina's head connected with the wood. Emma smiled bashfully, holding Regina's healed head on her lap, pushing away the wild strands of her face.
"She is fine. Should wake up soon." Emma had noticed Snow's holding Regina's hand but did not comment. She looked down at the witch that had made her so angry, but now when she was calm, she knew why she had done it. Emma had been thinking too much paralyzed with sudden attack, and Regina had told her to use her instincts. The magic was based on emotions. And anger was the easiest to provoke.
She felt the slight movement and smiled at the confused brown eyes, peaking bellow the half opened lids. "Hey there. You ok?" Emma asked, helping Regina sit up.
Regina looked around and saw that she had been thrown for more than twenty feet. "Not the way I meant, but effective." She looked at the blonde woman and smiled. "There is hope for you yet, dear."
In the next hour Emma got better at accessing her magic and controlling it. Snow watched the women do repetitive movement, with different success. Not once Regina raised her voice at Emma's failure, nor did she get mean. In fact, Snow thought that she could see the glimpses of the young Regina that had helped her get back on the horse.
David also watched, amazed by the speed Emma was picking things up. He noticed his wife smiling, and went to her. "She is learning fast."
"She has a good teacher. Look at her, David. Look at them. I have never seen Emma so pleased with herself. Just like Henry. And, Regina…" Snow stopped, with a gentle smile on her face. Words weren't necessary for David to understand what his wife had meant. Regina seemed so different too. Maybe this would be the thing needed to bring them all together in, at least, semblance of peace.