She woke up at sunrise, as always, but she didn't move from the bed. She just listened to the house for a while and, as she suspected, heard no rumors. She was still sleeping. Rapunzel tried to fall asleep again for a while, but eventually she realized that she just couldn't do it. And that she couldn't just stay there waiting for Regina to wake up, because it hurt too much: as she tried to close her eyes, the fantasy of herself going to Regina's chamber to wake her up in the proper way immediately hit her brain. And, as she managed not to think about it, another flash of herself hugging the brunette and kissing her forehead killed her. So she just couldn't stay there. She had to move.
Silent as a cat she stood up and put a nightgown on. There was Regina's scent on it, but she tried not to think about it. She focused on the fact that it was really short and tight on the shoulders for her. She walked out of the room in the most silent way possible, cursing herself for her incapability to just stay on the bed.
Regina woke up at the annoying sound of her alarm clock. She shut it with a moan and a wave of her hand, that made the clock crush on the wall. " Ooops..." she murmured with one eye open. She had to remind herself that in Storybrooke magic was different than in Neverland. Neverland. She buried her face in the pillow, hiding it from the blinding morning light, and began to think about that place. The Lost Boys.... They attacked them just once. Yes, they defeated them, but it was still weird that, after that they had sent Greg and Tamara to Storybrooke, they didn't even try to take back Henry. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. Maybe they followed them. Perhaps they didn't want Henry, but just a way out of Neverland! Regina suddenly stood up and put on her nightgown. She warily opened the door, looking outside to see if anyone else was awake. Rapunzel's door was opened. Henry's was still closed. She exited her room and silently closed the door, in order to keep dark the hallway. She silently went downstairs and reached the kitchen, finding there a cascade of golden hair intent on preparing an excessive breakfast. The table was full of food, including bread, honey, marmalade, bacon, cheese and a dozen apples. Two cups were on it, one already filled with milk. The warrior was cooking something else, something Regina had no idea from where could come. She left poor food in the house when they sailed to Neverland.
" Good morning!"
Rapunzel's sudden voice startled her. She gazed at her. The warrior gave her a bright smile, then went back cooking.
" Sit down, Regina, it's almost ready."
Regina, speechless, simply obeyed. She looked at the blonde woman, but all she could see were her unleashed hair.
" Rapunzel what...?"
" Breakfast!" she smiled, pulling the pan and putting something on the plate she left next to the burner. She then put the plate on the table, showing the mysterious food: an omelet. " It's called breakfast." she repeated with a smirk.
Regina was still speechless, and a little embarrassed, too. " You shouldn't have..."
Rapunzel shrugged. " Why? I was awake and with nothing else to do. "
" Sit down and eat at least!"
" That's for Henry. And I've already eaten."
" But all this food could be enough for an entire army!"
Rapunzel rose her eyebrows. " As long as I remember, that's the tiniest breakfast that has ever been served to a Queen..."
Regina's face darkened. " I'm no longer the Queen. Stop..."
" I was just kidding, Regina."Rapunzel softly interrupted her. She had the kindest eyes she had ever seen. None had ever looked at her that way. " I'm sorry if it hur..."
" No, no. I am sorry. I was rough." she swallowed, and took some bread. " I appreciate this, really. And I guess you know. My story, I mean, that I never wanted that title, or you'd just see me as anyone else does. "
Rapunzel sighed. " I'd see you exactly as I see you now, but, aye, I know indeed."
Regina looked at her with a challenging smirk while eating. " You wish you didn't, isn't it?"
But Rapunzel didn't smile. She just looked sad. " No. Wish it didn't happen. I want to know. Someone has to."
Regina almost choked on the bread. She filled her cup with the milk, even if was coffee what she needed. Not that Rapunzel could know what coffee was. She gazed at the warrior. She still had that look. That one that had always made something crunch inside her chest.
" Snow knows." she replied, almost voiceless. She drank another sip of milk.
Rapunzel put on a tiny smile. " Snow knows nothing, and even if she knew, she couldn't understand. She's too ingenuous. It's her nature, it's not her fault."
Regina stayed silent for a while, taking her time to think. She wanted to ask her how the hell she came to know about her, and how much she actually knew, and a thousand of other questions. Yet she had just woken up, and she really wasn't in the mood for that conversation. Another time, she promised to herself.
" You seem to know her well." Regina finally murmured, watching Rapunzel above the cup. The warrior's eyes never changed their expression.
" I don't, but I have this... capability to understand people at first sight."
A moment of silence filled the air while a sort of anxiety started to fill Regina's heart. " As you did with me?" she hesitantly asked. She wasn't sure that that was true, but she didn't have another explanation for everything that had happened. She didn't know when exactly the warrior had first seen her, but she was sure that it hadn't been in her throne room the day that she had killed the Bogeyman, and she was also sure that she had never met the blonde before that day. And Regina never went out of her castle when Leopold was alive, but one time in the earlier period of that cursed marriage, when they went outside to visit the people... And when he died, she exited the castle only with her guards (and she knew each one of them, she couldn't have hidden between them), and only to find new ways to kill Snow White. So, either the woman had secretly spied her, or she had seen her during that only visit to the people.
She looked at the warrior and she saw her swallow and blush lightly. The answer came before the words. " Aye." she whispered. Then she cleared her voice and glanced down. " And many other people. It's probably what kept me alive through all this time." She pretended to smile.
Regina's heartbeat was absurdly fast, and she didn't even understand why.
" Yes, probably. " she smirked distractedly, pointing her eyes on the apples. Those were her apples, she thought. She stretched on the table and took one, looking at it as if it was her worst enemy. There was just one word in her mind: shit!
His mom was weird that morning. She was so silent! Rapunzel, on the other side, talked enough for both of them. She was that kind of person that made him smile as he saw her, he thought. She was funny.
" So, little Prince, what are you going to do today?" she just asked. Little Prince. He loved it! Everytime that he heard it he imagined himself on a horse, sword in hand and a red coat on his shoulders.
" I have to go back to school, I guess." he answered while eating the breakfast. It was good, even if it was weird to have all that food on the table. Better than cereals, though. He looked at his mother, hoping that she would deny. But she nodded.
" Correct." she said, but then smiled. " But, you know, I still am the Mayor here. And today it's Henry's Day. Town festival. We have to celebrate!"
Henry was so surprised that he gasped. " But... I thought that we celebrated yesterday..."
Regina jokingly arched an eyebrow. " One day isn't enough to celebrate my son's coming back home." She suddenly looked at Rapunzel, the same joking expression on her face. " I was a Queen, after all. "
He saw Rapunzel smile before his mom's look caught back his attention. " And you're a Prince."
He was still too surprised to speak, but not for standing up and hug his mother.
" Thank you, mom!" he managed to exclaim after a while.
She folded him in her arms, caressing his hair and his back.
" But tomorrow, back to school!" she said with a fake-threatening look. He smiled at her.
" Sure!"
Her smile had never been so wide. " Good boy. Now go and get ready. You'll have to wake Emma up, and I suspect it won't be so easy..."
Henry's eyebrows jumped up, but he smirked. " True! "
Regina stifled a laugh. " Go!" she said, delicately pushing him towards the staircase. He hugged her once again, then run upstairs. She absolutely wasn't the Evil Queen anymore. He began to doubt that she had ever been.
Henry's thin voice woke her up. He was almost screaming her name. Repeatedly. She slightly opened her eyes and groaned, pulling the blankets over her head. " One minute!" she pleaded in a mutter.
" You should have been ready to go out five minutes ago, Miss Swan."
Emma almost had an heart attack. She didn't expect Regina's presence in her bed chamber. She pushed away the sheets.
" Hi, Regina." she murmured rubbing her hands against her face. Only after a few moments she was able to totally open her eyes.
The former Evil Queen was standing by the door, arms crossed, left eyebrow arched. She had perfect hair, perfect dress, and perfect make up. Emma felt messy.
" I can see that your mother has failed waking you up this morning. What did I expect?" she asked rhetorically, dramatically rolling her eyes. Emma did too, but not that dramatically.
" Gimme a minute. "
Regina gave a look at the clock on the wall. " You've already taken seven."
" Why, you're in a hurry?" she almost shouted hiding herself in the bathroom. She could handle Regina's sass, but not when she was half-asleep, not after all that alcohol. She needed coffee. A barrel full of it, possibly.
" I have a job, I remind you."
Emma sticked her head out of the bathroom, eyebrows lifted. " Do you?"
Regina faltered. " Of course. I am the Mayor..."
Emma tightened her lips in a skeptic expression and locked herself in the bathroom. " Dunno."
While washing she heard Regina's steps on the floor. She was behind the door. " What do you mean?"
" I mean... Can we talk about this later?"
" No."
Emma sighed. " Right. I mean... Haven't you heard?"
" What?"
" Yesterday. "
" Miss Swan, I asked what, not when..."
Emma stifled a laughter. If she couldn't even pee in peace, at least she could enjoy her irritation.
She waited to exit the bathroom before continuing. Regina was curiosity and impatience in human shape. Emma smiled at her. " 'bout Belle."
Regina sighed heavily. " Miss Swan, why don't you simply..."
" Belle substituted you as Mayor while we were in Neverland."
" What???" Regina was evidently astonished. And, perhaps, a little bit angry.
" Yep. Her and Archie were the favorites, but Archie retired and so..." she explained shrugging.
" Why didn't she tell me? Why didn't anyone tell me?"
Emma looked at Henry, then shrugged.
" Maybe they're still afraid of you." Henry suggested. That wasn't totally absurd. Smart kid.
Emma put her jeans on, then her white tank top and, while talking, she slipped into her boots.
" So, kid... Whatcha wanna do?"
" Mmm... Dunno. Have fun. " he looked towards Regina with a mysterious smile on his little face. " Celebrate. "
The brunette smiled at him, then looked at her with an unfathomable stare. " I thought we could go for a horse ride. It could be funny."
Emma was a little confused. The night before they accorded in giving Henry a free day from school, but they didn't made plans for the day. " We? You mean you two?" she asked, a little sad. She had never rode a horse, true, but she could learn. And she wanted to spend time with her son. As much as she could.
But Regina gave her a tiny smile, shaking her head. " No. We. Henry, you and me. If you don't mind, obviously..."
Okay, she hoped for it, but she didn't really believe that she would say it. Kind Regina. Kind and smiling Regina. A true smile. No sass. No tricks. Emma had to wonder if her and Rapunzel...
" Sure! I mean, sure that I want to do it!"
Henry smiled and ran out of the room. " She said yes!" she heard him scream to someone else, probably David, in the living room. Emma couldn't help but smile. She stood up, passing a hand through her hair. " Ready!" she exclaimed, proudly looking at Regina. Sometimes she still felt like a little girl in front of her, wanting to make her proud of her. That woman was naturally intimidating. And, actually, she truly was just a little girl compared to her. How old was she? She barely looked thirty-five and she had to be something like... sixty?
" Let's go, then." Regina said, a weird look on her face, like if she perceived what she was thinking. Perhaps she did. She was a witch, after all. Odd. Everything was still weird to her.
They entered the living room, and Emma found out that the answer to her question was standing there. " Rapunzel! Didn't notice you were here, too. " Emma smiled at her, and, as usual, the woman brightened the room with her smile. Not a real, happy smile, though. No, they didn't.
" Good morning, Emma. "
The room was beginning to become too little. Mary Margaret and David were there too, their breakfast interrupted by the coming of the trio.
" 'Morning Em!" David and Mary said at the same time, making her smile.
" Mom, dad..." she greeted them, a little embarrassed by Regina's presence.
" David was kindly explaining to me that I need a job." Rapunzel suddenly said, breaking the silence that had fallen in the house. " And that for "job" he doesn't mean to be a mercenary. Such a pity! " she sneered, making him laugh softly.
" No but..." Emma hesitated, looking questioningly to her father. He narrowed his eyes. He didn't understand. " ... maybe you could work at the Sheriff's Office. "
David nodded, finally understanding. " Oh, sure! If we're in the budget..." he added, glancing at Regina. She flipped her hair with a tilt of her head.
" Ask Belle, not me, Charming."
" Regina she is just a temporary subst..."
" Do you really think that someone would vote for me now?" she interrupted him, and he stayed silent then. Everyone glanced down but Mary Margaret and Rapunzel.
" If by "vote" you mean that you need someone to stand up for you, I'm in. " the warrior said. Regina wasn't surprised, it seemed. But when Mary Margaret supported her, too, her eyes widened.
" Would you? " she incredulously asked her, with a hint of challenge in her voice. Mary Margaret tightened her lips in an attempt of a smile.
" I know you. So, yes, I would."
Emma watched Regina. She swallowed and stayed immobile, eyes wide opened. If that wasn't total surprise...
" But King George won't let it happen. He wants power, ya'll know it. If he is still alive..." Rapunzel intervened.
" He is. " her mother said, a bit if surprise in her tone, and Emma could swear that she saw even a little of angry regret in her eyes. Did her mother want him dead? She had to give a better look at Henry's book.
" So he will take the throne..."
Emma stifled a laughter. " There are no thrones here, Rapunzel."
Now the warrior was looking at her as if she had a pork nose. " What?"
" There are elections now. People choose their.... governors by voting. "
The Golden Death frowned and glanced down, assimilating the news. " Oh. Alright, but... Hey, and the heirs? They have the right to take the thr... power."
" One doesn't stay in charge until death here. Just a few years, depending on one's role, and then there is another election. " Regina explained with a professional tone. " It's called democracy."
Rapunzel was so stupefied that it was funny. Emma glanced at Mary Margaret, who was smiling, amused, as she thought.
" But... Why?!"
" To prevent... tyranny. " Mary Margaret muttered, glancing at Regina. The two women looked at each other for a while. Her mother was the first to glance down.
" Indeed. " Regina commented, a hint of darkness in her eyes. There was silence for a while, then David prevented a murder.
" You'd better move on if you wanna go for a real ride. Emma has to learn how to, it will take a while..." he said towards Henry, but smiling at his daughter then. She felt a little embarrassed, but smiled back at him.
" Yep. Right. Let's go, kid!" she exclaimed, feeling a fool for being the only one in that room, but more probably in the whole town, unable to ride a stupid horse.
" Enjoy the horse ride." Rapunzel sighed. " I'll go to Belle to talk to her about my role in this community. And about hers. " she smirked to Regina, making her laugh softly.
" I can handle a librarian, Rapunzel... Plus, these vacations are particularly appreciated. " Regina looked at Henry, smiling affectionately. Rapunzel nodded.
" I can tell." she murmured smiling happily in turn.
Regina gazed up at her.
She looked... afraid, Emma uncomfortably thought, as an afraid Regina was an unpredictable Regina. Rapunzel glanced down, blushing, and the brunette simply swallowed and looked away. Maybe Emma was just worrying too much.
She shared a knowing look with Mary Margaret, then they both hid their smiles.
" Moms? Do we go?" Henry asked, making her heart melt. She eyed Regina, and she suddenly knew that they shared the same, happy expression.
" Sure." she said looking back at her excited son.
They said goodbye to the others and exited the house.
Rapunzel entered Granny's already pointing her preys. She greeted Red and her grandmother with a slight bow, then walked rapidly towards the couple's table.
" Hello, dearie!" Rumplestiltskin stood up smiling. Belle turned and smiled at her in turn.
" Hi!"
" Good morning, lovebirds!"
" Are you jeering at us?" an amused Dark One asked, pretending a dark look. Rapunzel laughed and sat next to Belle.
" Aye!"
The girl laughed. " Brave woman... Or terribly stupid! " she pretended to be threatening, too, with narrowed eyes and a finger pointed towards her.
Rapunzel laughed again. " Probably both. Listen, I'm sorry to bother you guys, but, Belle, I heard you're the Mayor now..."
She blushed a little. " Yes, it's true. But just until the next elections."
" She will stay in charge." Red intervened while putting a smoking cup in front of Rapunzel. " Try this. Watch out, it's warm." she said winking at her.
Rapunzel took the cup and sniffed its aroma. It seemed good. Red put a little sugar bowl on the table. " Here's the sugar. On the house." she winked again, then turned and went back working.
" Well, thank you!" Rapunzel murmured, sure to be heard even at that distance. As she expected, Red turned a little and smiled quickly at her before listening again to the client she was serving.
" So, what did you want to talk about?"
She looked back at Belle. " Well, I need a job, it seems. Prince David has already offered me one at the Sheriff's Office, whatever this means, but... " she paused, looking at herself. She still wore August's clothes; they were comfortable, but she missed her armor, and her sword. "... I suspect I would be inadequate, if it isn't about using a sword and... You know... "
" Why? You could help him! You know, your strength could be very useful in catching criminals..."
Rapunzel looked at Rumple, who had stayed silent until that moment. He was knowingly looking at her.
" Killian will need a job, too, and that would be good for him." she said, not stopping to look at the Dark One.
" What are you really here for, dearie?" he asked before Belle could speak again.
She stayed silent of a while. She was afraid to ask it, but... " Are we staying here, Rumple? "
He swallowed, glancing at Belle. " I don't know. "
She narrowed her eyes. " Can't you see it?"
" No." he shook his head. " Magic is different here. I can't see the future. "
Rapunzel nodded, then glanced down at the table, thinking.
" What?" Belle was confused. " What are you talking about?"
Rapunzel glanced at Rumplestiltskin, asking him to explain for her with her eyes. He nodded, then spoke.
" If we stay here forever, she probably won't need to use her sword, so she can stop training. Which is what she wants. A normal life. " He eyed her, asking for a confirm. She nodded, so he continued. " And so she needs a normal job. But if we go back to the Enchanted Forest, she will need to be ready to fight."
" And you will, too. " Rapunzel continued, eying Belle. " So I was thinking to become a fencing master here, so that everyone can protect themselves if we need to fight. Which is probable, after thirty years. Being an army would be better than being a group of survivals in that case."
They both stayed silent. Belle was evidently hard put. The young woman looked at her love. " What do you think?"
He smiled at her and took her hand. In the meanwhile Rapunzel took a sip of the now lukewarm drink. It was bitter, but good.
" The choice must be only yours, Belle. " he was saying " But, if you ask me, I'd take some... precautions. For now we're safe here, but..."
" You don't have to decide now, Lady Belle." Rapunzel smiled at her grateful look. " Just think about it, alright?"
Belle nodded. Rapunzel finished her drink and stood up.
" Good. See you soon, lovebirds! " she said winking at them, making them laugh.
She stopped at the counter before leaving. " Red? What was that drink?"
" Coffee. Did you like it?"
" Aye! Coffee... Weird name. " she said, patting thoughtfully the counter. Red stifled a giggle.
" Yeah. Hey, heard you need a job."
" Sure you heard it, puppy!"
Red jokingly hit her with the dish towel she was using to clean the counter. " Don't call me puppy!"
" Alright, wolf cub!"
" Fuck you Rapunzel!"
They both laughed hard. The whole diner was looking at them, but they didn't care.
" I was saying that you could work here..." Red continued after that she had finally stopped laughing. " We need someone who cleans up after the closure."
" We wouldn't if you weren't so lazy!" Granny growled, hiding a smile.
Red shrugged. " Whatever."
Rapunzel thought about it, then shrugged. " Alright. Thank you."
Red's smile grew wider. " Good! Come here at nine, I'll wait for you."
Rapunzel frowned. " I'll ask Regina to tell me when "nine" is."
" Oh, right, sorry..." Red tinkered with a weird bracelet around her wrist, then handed it to her. As she saw that Rapunzel didn't know what to do with it, she grabbed her arm and fastened it to her wrist. " This is a watch. It shows the passing of time. When this hand is here and this is here, after sunset, then you come here. " she explained to her, pointing the moving little black arms under the round glass. " Clear?"
Rapunzel nodded. " I guess. How does it works?"
Red laughed. " I have no fucking idea! It's all about weird mechanisms and cogs and quartz... Dunno."
" Quartz?"
" Yep."
" So it's magical!"
Red laughed again. " Probably. Go, now. Take a look around, learn things, meet people! You need it!"
Rapunzel frowned again, but then smiled. " Aye, you're damn right. See you later... Cub!" she laughed, walking toward the door. She turned just in time to see Red's eyes flash yellow for a second while she smirked.
Emma was trying with all herself not to watch Regina the whole time. Which was the main reason why she almost fell from the saddle twice. Three times now. Hell, that horse was agitated! " Shit..." she muttered pulling the reins. Regina turned on the saddle to watch her. Emma felt her critical look slide upon her and frowned, embarrassed.
" If you can't be still, Miss Swan, then she can't. They feel it. Try to relax."
Emma eyed her, pretty surprised. No, really? Was Regina empathic now?
" Uhm, okay. I'll try." she forced herself to say. The former Mayor gave her a skeptical look, then turned and purred her horse.
Emma tried to imitate her, but the equine didn't move.
" Oh, come on!"
She spurred her again, stronger, and finally the animal began moving. But it was too fast. The horse trotted for the first three seconds, then began galloping, and Emma didn't fucking know how to ride a horse at a gallop. She involuntarily screamed, trying to pull the reins, but the only result was to scary the horse and make her run faster. She clasped the saddle, trying to stay on it. She was almost falling from it when a dark stain invaded her field of view. A gloved hand reached her reins and firmly pulled them. Regina murmured something to Emma's mount, still pulling the reins, and the horse began to slow her pace. After a while both animals were simply walking. Emma, breathles and blushed, thanked her.
Regina smirked. " As mother as daughter..." she said with a dark stare that contrasted with her smile. Emma swallowed.
" What?"
" She saved grandma almost in the same way!" Henry had galloped his horse up to them, and now was smiling. He looked amused. " It's cool, mom!" he added, looking at Regina.
She gave a snort, slightly shaking her head. " If you say so..."
Regina gazed at Emma. She had a strange look, and the Savior couldn't understand what that meant.
" I find ironic that I saved the Savior, more than anything else." she sneered. Henry laughed, Emma frowned.
" Well hell... I'm a mess!" she exclaimed, making Henry laugh harder.
Regina almost smiled, but she then turned her horse and spurred him. " Better if we go on."
Henry gazed at Emma. They both spurred their horses.
" Hey, Emma!" he whispered.
" What?"
" Sssshhh! Low!" he furiously whispered again, pointing at Regina with his chin. Emma raised her eyebrows. Another Operation Cobra? She thought that they were over with the Operations. She just nodded.
" I... hem..." Henry hesitated, gazed at Regina once again, then looked at her directly in the eyes. " Do you think she loves Rapunzel?"
Emma gave a start. Hell of a smart kid, he understood everything! She glanced at the brunette as if to watch her would give her the answer. Could she love again? Could she love a woman? " I don't know, kid, you should talk to her if you..."
" Oh, no! I'd ruin everything! She'd be afraid and kick her out of home."
Emma snorted. " Shit." He was smarter than Mary Margaret.
" What?"
" Uh, nothing. Just... Your mother knows about... what Rapunzel feels for her. You can talk to her about it, don't worry."
Henry shook his head. " No, no, I didn't mean that. I meant... She would be afraid if I talked about her feelings for Rapunzel, not the opposite!"
Emma watched him as if he was a fucking alien. Wasn't he like eleven years old, bloody hell?! Why the hell was he speaking like he was older than her? It wasn't normal. She wondered how much Neverland had changed him.
" What?" he asked, probably noticing her expression.
" What? Errr, nothing, nothing. Well, kid, you're right, maybe... Okay, let's take it this way: if nothing happens in...hum ... three weeks? Then, you'll talk to your mother."
He thought about it, then nodded once. " Okay. And if something happens?"
Emma stared at him. His look was still the same: smart, curious... He was still her son. She sighed. " Would it be a problem for you? I mean, your mother dating another woman..."
He snorted. " Why should it be it?"
Emma snorted in turn, shaking her head with happy incredulity." Yeah, wise man, why should it?"
" Wise man?"
She sneered, but a glitter of pride was dancing in her eyes. " You'll be it."
Regina gritted her teeth and glanced down. Did they think she was deaf? She could hear them whispering... And Henry, boy, how could he think that she could love Rapunzel? That was just ridiculous! Let alone the fact that she had never felt any interest for a woman, didn't her son remember that her True Love was Daniel? She had had a relation with Graham, but it was nothing more than this. And Rapunzel then... She couldn't even trust her, how could she... Ah, even the thought was too stupid to be formulated. Three weeks... So for three weeks she would be under watch. Nothing new. Not so wise, Miss Swan. This had to be her genes' fault, she thought with a grin.
It was time to make them stop. She turned on the saddle.
" When you'll have ended your whispered chat, I'd be glad to spend my time with my son, too, not only with Maximus, for how pleasant he can be. "
She nodded towards her horse, just in case the former Sheriff couldn't remember his name.
Emma and Henry put their poker faces on, but their fear was still evident. Regina smirked, amused. Caught!
She turned on the saddle, caressing the white fur of the horse. Henry trotted next to them in a second, guiltily smiling at her. " Sorry mom. We were just..."
" Trying to hide something from me." she finished for him, unable to hide her rage. " It appears to be quite a common behavior, I should expect it at this point."
" No, mom, I was just..."
She glared at him, making him give a start. She immediately regretted it, but the anger was burning too high in her chest. " Weren't you talking in whispers to make me hear nothing?"
He stayed silent, his jaw dropped. He was afraid of her, his eyes were enormous.
" Regina! Let him talk!"
" Don't you dare say to me what to do!"
Emma made her horse gallop to outride them, and then succeeded in making her turn and stop right in front of Maximus. The stallion immediately stopped, neighed, and menaced to become frisky. Regina calmed him down, but her heart was beating furiously.
" Miss Swan! You could kill me!"
" Sorry. Listen..."
" "Sorry"? Really? I could have my neck broken and you..."
" Regina! Listen, bloody hell!"
Regina stared at her fury. She forgot how to speak for a while. Enough to make Emma go on.
" Good! We were just trying to protect you, stupid selfish paranoid egocentric!"
" Emma..." Henry's voice was trembling.
" But, d'you wanna know? Well then, listen!"
" Emma don't..."
" Your son noticed that you're in love with the fucking amazing woman that loved you for all of your damn existence, and it's a fucking long period of time, when you can't even realize it because you're too concerned in being the main fucking victim of this shit of real fairytale!"
" Emma!" Henry screamed, but none of them noticed.
" And he was trying to make you understand it without interfering, because he's too fucking aware of everything for his age and he knows you're too fragile to have the strength to realize that you have a damn second chance to be loved, Regina! And... "
Regina slapped her cheek. Emma's head turned with the strength that the rumor suggested. When she looked back at her, half of her face was already red. Regina found the strength to hold the fireball that burned in her other hand. The flame extinguished, but her rage didn't.
" You know nothing about me, Savior." she growled, dark eyes filled with burning tears. She moved closer to Emma, stretching on the saddle. Their noses were almost touching. " Dare again to say anything about me and I swear..."
" Mom!"
Henry was crying. His pleading voice reflected the bright tears that slid over his red cheeks. He sniffed before talking again. Regina's heart crushed. He was terrorized. " P-please mom..."
" Henry..."
She tried to reach him, but his horse went back when he instinctively pulled the reins. Regina made Maximus stop, suddenly feeling empty. She did it again. She ruined, destroyed everything. The tears rushed free all over her face.
" Henry, please, don't run from me..." Her voice cracked. Something else cracked too, inside her chest.
She bent down on the saddle, incapable to bear the pain. She couldn't control herself, and she broke down and cried.
Henry stayed still, but still a hand laid on her shoulder. Emma's hand.
A flare of rage burnt her soul. She stretched a hand towards her, with the intent to distance her. But she was out of control. The air thickened, and Emma was thrown down of her saddle. She fell on the ground, and rolled until she hit a tree. She then stayed still, face down. Her horse had run away neighing.
" Momma!" Henry screamed jumping down from the saddle and running up to her. He kneeled and touched her shoulder, but she didn't move.
Regina dismounted and joined him, but he threw her away with a rough push. " Stay away!"
Regina could feel only pain, and see only tears. " Henry..."
" Go away!" he cried out, weeping.
He shook Emma by her shoulder, but she was immobile. He hugged her, crying. " Please, wake up... Please..." he was whispering.
Regina faltered. What had she done?
Henry had taken his phone and was talking with someone with broken voice. He then put down the phone and hugged Emma again, still weeping. Regina made another step back. Henry glanced at her. Fear. Hate. Then he hid his face behind Emma's still figure again. Regina glanced down, watching her tears hit the dusty ground. Then a purple fog covered her figure, taking her away.