Regina's Queen - OUAT Fanfic

CHAPTER SEVEN

Regina sat despondently at the kitchen table of her home, gazing fixedly into nothing. She ached all over, and was disappointed in herself for letting the Evil Queen take over once more. It had been to no avail, anyway... She'd battled, and she'd lost. Maybe if she'd approached the situation as a Hero, instead of a Villain, she would have triumphed... She blew sharply through her nose in exhausted frustration. When would she ever learn?

An insistent hammering stirred Regina out of her depression. She listened for a moment, hoping whoever it was would simply go away. But the knock at the door came again, more aggressively, along with Emma's voice. 

  "Regina? Regina, open up!"

Regina forced herself to her weary feet with a soft groan. There was no chance Emma would leave just because she didn't answer the door. The woman was stubborn like that.

  "Regina? I'm serious! Open this door right now!"

Emma paused mid-strike as she heard soft footfalls on the other side of the door. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot, waiting. The latch clicked, and the door began to swing open.

  "What do you want?" Regina spoke softly. She held the door half open, barring the way inside.

Emma's scathing comment died in her throat at the sight of her. 

Blue bruises under Regina's eyes stood out in sharp relief against her pallid face, and her gaze was halting. She looked utterly shattered, a faint shadow of her former self.

  "Uh, can I come in?" Emma said, instead of her original furious comment.

  "I'm in no mood, Miss Swan," Regina replied. But she shook her head helplessly and let the door swing open. She turned and walked away toward the kitchen, leaving it up to Emma to follow, or not.

Emma strode after her, taking in her dishevelled appearance with growing alarm. She was still wearing the same attire she'd had on at Granny's two days ago, now creased and rumpled, and though she hadn't removed her stockings, her formidable heels were conspicuously absent. Emma couldn't recall if she'd ever seen Regina barefoot before.

In the kitchen, Regina sat down heavily at the kitchen table and cradled her unkempt head in her hands. Emma put the kettle on and scraped back another chair opposite her.

  "You look like hell," she said. "Where on earth have you been? No one has seen you for two days."

  "Has it been two days?" Regina glanced up in confusion.

  "Yes, Regina," Emma said with gentle firmness. "Two days. Where have you been?"

  "I... I was – in my Vault," Regina replied. Her voice was distracted, vague.

  "For two days?" Emma raised an eyebrow.

  "Apparently," Regina sighed. She pushed her hair back out of her eyes and met Emma's gaze at last. "I honestly couldn't have said it was two days... It felt like a moment - it felt like a lifetime."

The kettle boiled up loudly and switched itself off, and Emma got up to make tea. She swirled cream and sugar into each cup, letting Regina's brew a little longer than usual. She looked like she needed it strong.

Emma returned shortly with the tea, set the two cups down, and resumed her seat. "Regina, two days ago, you stormed out of Granny's like the Angel of Vengeance. Today you show up looking like the Angel of Death. You want to tell me what happened?"

  "Not really," Regina answered absently. She folded her hands in her lap, leaving her tea untouched. "It's... complicated."

  "Did you find a way to beat this Red Queen?" Emma prompted, sipping at her tea.