The Princess and The Hatter

Endings and Beginnings

A sharp bang echoed as Regina slammed the door of her car in the hopes it would help her frustration. It didn't. She'd slipped out of the cell Emma had locked her up in rather easily (Miss Swan's not the only one who knows how to pick a lock) and retreated to her vaults to lie low until she was sure everything had gone according to plan. Of course, she made sure the curse wouldn't affect her memory; however, she'd still been able to tell when it had been broken. It had sent a ripple through the town, perhaps even farther. She wouldn't be surprised if all of Maine at felt something, whether they knew Ana or not.

She'd debated remaining in hiding, given that there were likely people who would want their own revenge on her, that infernal hatter for one. In the end she decided she could handle anyone who dared to challenge her, and it wasn't worth staying trapped down there any longer.

She walked up the path to her front porch, and it wasn't until she was a few feet away that she noticed the door was slightly ajar. It didn't appear to have been kicked in, almost as if whoever broke in had a key. She pushed it open the rest of the way. She knew that if someone had broken in and left, they would have thought to close the door behind them, so it was likely whoever it was was still inside. She set her purse down and summoned a fireball in her right hand. She didn't bother removing her high heels, thinking that the sound of them on the wood floors might bring the intruder out of hiding.

She started to head toward the dining room, but stopped when she heard a voice from her right. "You know you really ought to invest in some better locks."

On instinct, Regina spun and sent the fireball flying their way, and with a flick of her wrist, Ana deflected it. She sat perched on the back of her living room couch, ankles crossed in the air casually.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" Regina demanded.

"Looking for you," Ana replied simply.

"Yeah I got that. Did you come to gloat? Rub it in my face that you broke the curse? You won, I lost? What made you think I wouldn't just kill you?"

"You won't kill me." Ana's voice was even in spite of the threat.

"You know, you're dumber than you…"

"You won't kill me, because if you kill me now, everyone will find out. Emma, Mary Margret, Henry…" She didn't need to finish to make her point. Regina just glared at her in silence. "Anyway, I didn't come to gloat. I came to tell that I remembered."

"And?"

"I mean I remembered everything. Including what I did to you to make you hate me." She paused. "And I wanted to apologize."

Regina snorted. "You think that's going to make everything better? Now that you apologized we can go eat ice cream and braid each other's hair like best friends?"

"No, I…"

"You ruined my life! You were the beginning of the series of events that took away my happiness. If you had kept your mouth shut I would have had a chance at a normal life, a happy life. But instead I was forced to be miserable. And that all started with you." She jabbed a finger at Ana on the last word.

"Regina, I'm sorry, but…"

"But what?"

"But I was just a girl!"

"So was I!" A deafening silence filled the room. Ana's mouth hung open slightly as the words she meant to say fell away. "Get out of my house," Regina said after a moment, her voice suddenly calm. "Now. Before I change my mind and kill you anyway."

Ana hesitated as if considering giving a final word, but left in silence instead. As she left Regina hugged her arms to herself, fighting pain and frustration of past memories that had welled up inside her. She pinched her eyes shut to prevent any tears from falling, and didn't even flinch at the sound of shattering glass that came from the mirror behind her.