What the Heart Wants (Sequel to Pixie Dust Never Lies)

Chapter 4

I hardly slept at all after my nightmare. I was tossing and turning all night. When I finally did sleep, I was plagued by fragments of nightmares that I couldn't piece together. However, when I woke up I felt terrified. Finally, at about 5:00 AM I decided that enough was enough and forced myself to get out of bed. I couldn't shower and start getting ready for work yet because I didn't want to wake Emma, who was still sleeping soundly. I took a moment to admire her, to watch her chest gently rise and fall with each breath. A couple of strands of her hair had drifted in front of her face, and stretched outwards with every exhale. I couldn't help but smile at how peaceful she looked.

I grabbed my robe on my way out of the room and walked down the stairs to the kitchen. Then I filled the coffee maker with water and turned it on, waiting for the water to heat up. It seemed to take an agonizingly long time. Finally, the machine indicated that the water was ready, and started to brew the coffee.

A chill started to creep up my spine, and goosebumps began to form on my arms. I had the sudden feeling that I was not alone. I turned and looked around me, but there was nobody there.

You're being ridiculous, I told myself. All you need is a cup of coffee, and you'll be fine. I turned again to face the coffee maker, which was almost done brewing. It made a long sputtering sound before it spit out the last of the coffee. I sighed gratefully, and pulled a mug from the cabinet in front of me. As I poured the coffee in my mug, the aroma wafted up towards my face and I smiled. Nothing like a good cup of coffee in the morning. I'd started putting in my cream and sugar when I happened to look up, and saw a dark figure in the reflection of the glass cabinet. I whirled around to face the intruder and demand to know who they were...but then I recognized them and I stopped short.

"Mother," I breathed.

"Hello, Regina."

I reflexively tensed, ready to defend myself. "But...how? You're dead; I watched you die!"

"It doesn't matter," she replied, stepping closer to me. "What matters is I'm here now." She kept walking closer until she was only a a couple of feet away.

"But why?" I asked.

"I had to see you again," she said. "And I needed to tell you...how sorry I am."

"What?" I said.

"I'm sorry for...well, everything. I was so fixated on ensuring your happiness through power, I didn't stop to see how unhappy you were. If I had taken the time to listen and get to know you as my daughter, perhaps things could have been different between us." She sighed. "I was a fool, and you paid the price. And for that I'm sorry."

She reached towards me and gently put her hand on my arm. I flinched instinctively. She pretended not to notice. "But now," she said, "I have my heart again, and we can be the family we always should have been." She paused. "If you want to, of course."

Tears began selling in my eyes as she spoke. I tried to blink through them, but as soon as I did more tears replaced them. "Of course I want to!" I exclaimed. "That's all I ever wanted!" I started to leans forward to embrace her, but stopped quickly.

"No."

"What?" she asked, her forehead wrinkling in confused concern.

"No," I repeated. "I want to trust you. I want to have that relationship with you, but I can't. Every time I gave you a chance you lied to me and manipulated me, and I just can't do it again. I'm sorry, Mother."

She nodded. "I understand," she said. "I know I don't deserve a chance after what I did...but I'm asking you, as your mother to give me a week. Just a week, and I'll show you. Please."