The Enchanted Forest; Present Time
"Regina, is that...the mirror?" Emma inquires as her curious eyes catch a glimpse of the sparkling golden frame out of her peripheral.
Green eyes immediately lock onto the light shining from the mirror and she honestly hasn't a clue what possesses her to walk closer to the object after it sucked her in the last time she came in contact with it, but there is some kind of magnetically charged pull. Not only does her body feel this obsessive need to be closer, but she cannot find the courage to pry her eyes away from the light. Her feet are carrying her closer without her permission and she knows she should come to a screeching halt, but she cannot seem to force her body to stop walking towards the alluring piece. Off in the distance, she vaguely hears Regina's voice, but the words that are seeping into her brain sound all muffled and distorted.
Suddenly, she feels Regina's fingers wrap around her wrist, causing a familiar warmth to spread through her veins and snap her back to reality.
"Swan, stop! We don't know where the hell that thing will send us next. It's a portal, but I don't think it allows us the option to decide where we want to travel to," Regina gently explains, encouraging Emma to turn her head, ever so slightly over her shoulder, and to fall hopelessly into those warm chocolatey orbs staring back at her with concern.
"I know, you're right, but I can't help the way I feel right now. I'm being drawn to it," she flatly replies as if she's somehow being possessed by this damn mirror. "Maybe this time we can control it, if we work together. Take my hand," she urges, her palm open and offering the invitation.
Regina shakes her head, the fear so evident in those dark orbs no matter how skilled she is at masking her emotions. Except... it is too late. The glass morphs into thick liquid, oozing and stretching out toward both women until it's coiling maliciously around their bodies, squeezing their last breaths to evaporate the yelps begging to release from their tongues before jerking them inside.
Everything is pitch black at first and all Emma can comprehend is the bitter, icy bite against her flesh. So, she tries to control their destination, summoning thoughts of Storybrooke and images of Henry in hopes that it will guide them home. She only allows those two thoughts to consume her brain as she squeezes her eyes closed and begs for that quant town once again.
She feels the death grip release her body, encouraging her to open her eyes again and see her home once more. However, she is still surrounded by darkness and feels absolute emptiness around her. Very slowly, a beam of light pours through the blackness, generating an image of a young girl crying on a bed with...is that Tinkerbell wrapped around her?
Emma's head instinctively snaps to her right at Regina for an answer. However, the mayor is awfully pale and frozen in place as she watches the image play out before her. Emma scrutinizes her, her eyes falling to land upon the bottom lip that Regina is obsessively biting down on, before she travels lowers and acknowledges how high the woman's shoulders are raised with tension.
"Regina?" She tentatively calls to her, but the brunette either is ignoring her or is drowning her out while she remains intently focused on the image before her.
Emma turns her attention back to the young girl, who she believes in her heart is Regina, whispering so softly to Tinkerbell on a blue flower with this damn mirror behind them. What the hell is going on? She is utterly confused and she's becoming overwhelmed with the fact that she doesn't know where she is or what the hell is being displayed like a freaking movie in front of her. And by the frightened look upon Regina's face, she knows that whatever is about to happen, the mayor does not want it to be seen.
The young brunette reaches out toward the mirror, magically creating another image...what the fu- is that her? Instinctively, Emma's feet stumble forward all on their own, while she's squinting and desperately trying to focus on the blonde filling the mirror's image.
"Is that me?" She squawks, her green eyes blowing wide in bewilderment and out of her peripheral, she notices Regina's head slowly bobbing. The image unexpectedly fades before them, snapping Emma back to reality and inspiring her body to whirl around on Regina, who is still staring blankly in shock. "What the hell was that?" She shrieks, in no way control of her volume anymore.
Regina sighs, shaking her head as if she's refusing to reveal her secrets, but Emma patiently waits, knowing the mayor will explain.
"Emma, I...there's something that you need to know," she stutters and this is all new for Emma, because Mayor Mills never stutters. The woman is always so confident and in control and that's when this sinking feeling forms in Emma's gut and she knows whatever is about to be exposed must be really bad.
Except, Regina isn't granted the opportunity to confess her dirty secret because another image slowly appears before them again.
Now, who Emma assumes is herself or another version of herself, comes into view with a younger version of the mayor standing beside her. Green eyes expand to their fullest potential when she registers the fact that Regina is laying on top of her other self, gazing deeply into one another's eyes. Her eyes quickly dart back to Regina, who is a fumbling mess, with her embarrassment evident upon her cheeks and her fingers twisting and pulling together from her anxiety.
She's stunned into silence, the shocking turn of events quite literally stealing her voice away, but she needs to know more. Her intrigued eyes flick back at the image playing before her to find the two young teens horseback riding, speaking so animatedly and giggling. Actually, giggling. She didn't know either one of them giggled.
She swallows thickly, observing as the scene flashes and another image appears of them sword fighting. Her breathing picks up and her skin is prickling and all she wants are some damn answers because none of this makes sense. How come she does not have any recollection of these moments? Moments that seem vital to Regina and mostly likely to herself.
"Regina, please say something," she implores, her voice betraying her and cracking under the pressure. "I'm so lost, how come I don't remember any of this?" She suddenly snaps, feeling the loss of control slip through her fingertips and burn to ash as it hits the floor.
"You wouldn't have any memories of this," Regina finally murmurs under her breath.
"What, why? Did you wipe my memories?" She bitterly accuses, anger evident in her tone.
"Emma, no!" Regina barks, sounding insulted that Emma would even suggest such a thing. "Listen," she whispers, her voice so much calmer this time around, "when I was seventeen, Tinkerbell reveled this mirror that showed what my future held. I was told, that someone was going to fill the hole I had in my heart after losing Daniel and change my whole life around. Someone that was destined for me," her voice cracks, leaking the vulnerability that's been bottled deep within for too many years to count now. "The mirror showed me you," Regina breathlessly gasps. "It was you in the Enchanted Forest at the age of seventeen as well. I was told never to enter the mirror or I could damage the future, however, being the stubborn woman that I am, I didn't listen. I went into that mirror at least three times a week to visit you," her voice unexpectedly trails off, piquing Emma's interest, but those glistening brown eyes are locked into a trance at the new image glowing beside them.
Emma follows Regina's gaze, coming face to face with something she never thought possible. Her younger self is tenderly holding Regina in her arms. Regina's back is comfortably pressing against this other Emma's front, craning her neck to gaze lovingly into Emma's shimmering green eyes. She blinks, because the image seems frozen for a moment, but then she holds her own breath as she watches these two younger girls lean in for a gentle kiss, so unsure, so timid...so sweet. Her breath hitches, the oxygen lodged in her chest as she watches her younger self turn Regina carefully in her arms, so they can continue their little scandalous make-out session.
Emma licks her lips, maybe it's subconsciously, like maybe she can somehow still feel the taste of Regina upon herself or maybe she's trying to work up the courage to say something. She glances at Regina and her heart actually aches when she sees the deep frown upon her face. The woman looks so hurt, so utterly defeated, but Emma can't possibly wrap her head around why?
The image slowly fades away once again and they are both left in the deafening silence and emptiness of black that is every child's worst nightmare. The tension is palpable and she can hardly catch her breath, but she needs answers, so she steps forward, enclosing the space between them.
"None of this makes sense," her scratchy voice acknowledges and she hates, absolutely loathes, how she sounds like she's on the verge of tears. "I'm so confused. Please tell me you can explain this to me?" She pleads, starting to panic from not knowing something so vital.
Regina slouches down in defeat. She sits down, on who knows what, (because all Emma sees is infinite black around them), and pulls her knees to her chest. And never has she ever seen the former Evil Queen, Madam Mayor, ever look so small.
"I can explain. I'm so sorry, Emma. I shouldn't have ever went in that mirror. I knew it would effect my future in a negative way, but I did it anyways. Like you described earlier, it pulled me towards you. The minute I met you, I knew you were going to change my life. I fell so hard and so fast for you, no one compared to you. Not even Daniel," she confesses, and finally admitting that after so many years is what breaks her dam and allows the tears to freely tumble down her cheeks. Regina angrily runs her fingers through her hair and squeezes her eyes shut before she continues. "After our stolen kisses, Tink and Blue found out. They destroyed this mirror in front of me, they watched me cry for you and told me it was for the best. After that, I became full of anger, cold from the darkness that consumed me. Only seeking revenge on those who pulled you and Daniel away from me. Rumple and Blue told Snow everything about her future daughter and I. That's really why Snow ran away, so I wouldn't get to you. Rumple begged me to cast his curse, but I wouldn't. I was waiting for you. That's the main reason Snow put you in that wardrobe, to keep you and I apart. I cast the dark curse to freeze time, so I could find you. Eventually I gave up, but fate's a bitch and Henry brought you to me twenty-eight years later."
Emma can only imagine how perplexed her face looks because her cheeks actually hurt from being scrunched up and twisted so tight from her confusion. How, after all these years, has nobody ever told her this? Her own mother and father, Blue, Tink, the whole fucking town and worst of all, Regina, all knew about her future and nobody said a damn word?
Her blood immediately boils, sizzling beneath her flesh because she is so fucking tired of her destiny, her future, her fate. Everyone constantly telling her who she is and who she is to become and the one time it's about love, nobody can find a damn word to say? And she completely loses all self-control at this point.
"How come you never told me?" She explodes. "All these years and you never once told me that we were destined for one another? Never crossed your mind to tell me about our little rendezvous?"
Another image swirls alluringly around them, forcing their attention back to images of Regina's past. Emma's wide-eyed gaze watches a young Regina screaming out in agony as Tinkerbell firmly holds onto her from behind and the princess cries her eyes out. Green eyes fill with tears from the sheer torture of the scene and through her blurry vision, she observes as the image changes again and the Evil Queen searches for Emma, but Snow White informs her that she is too late.
The next scene that unfolds, Emma is all too familiar with because it was one memory that often crosses her mind, the first time Henry dragged her to Storybrooke. She watches as that Regina scans her body up and down, and now she knows it's all because the mayor knew exactly who she was. Emma remembers feeling an attraction to Regina that first night, but then the mayor became cold and distant, so she pushed those feelings aside, assuming, rightfully so, that Regina hated her.
"Why did you pretend to hate me?" She viciously screams, provoking them both to flinch from her shrieking volume.
"Emma, please calm dow-"
"Don't tell me to calm down!" She bellows, tossing her hands in the air out of exasperation before she bends down in front of Regina. "You and everyone I know lied to me! I had a destiny as the Savior and you all shoved it down my throat and made damn sure that I lived up to my potential, but I also had a destiny with you and you all kept me from it? You didn't even give me an option to decide for myself if that's what I wanted or not!"
With that remark, Regina scrambles to her feet, taking a stance far more confident, more Evil Queen as she glares murderously at Emma.
"You had a choice, Swan!" She condescendingly growls. "I was still a part of your life for over six years and not once did you feel anything toward me. I wasn't about to reveal the truth of the past just to have you ripped away from me again. I wasn't going to tell you what your future held, to force you to be with me. If you wanted me, you could have came and got me at any time!"
"That's bullshit! I thought you hated me, you pushed me away."
"I did that because I couldn't stand the thought of losing you again. Not to mention, I finally had someone I loved and who loved me back, Henry, and he wanted you! I didn't want you taking him away from me," she seethes from all those haunting memories as they come flooding back of when Henry hated her and only wanted the precious Savior.
They both fall silent for a moment, the only sound to be heard are their heavy pants from rage. Green eyes frantically search the broken depths of brown before her and Emma knows she needs to calm herself down before she speaks again.
"You still should have told me," she gently says.
Regina's eyebrows skyrocket in what can only be described as condescending amusement while her lips twist maliciously. "Hmm, should I have told you when you were chasing after Graham? Or maybe when you were in a love triangle between Neal and Hook. Or maybe that missing year when you were engaged to Walsh."
"Fuck you, Regina," slips bitterly from Emma's lips in almost a whisper. She is full of pent up anger just thinking about how the last ten years of her life were a lie. Regina pointedly narrows her eyes and for a split second, Emma is sure this woman is about to set her on fire, but Emma simply shakes her head in disappointment. "Don't you dare put this on me. You were fucking Graham when I came into town. Then you were on and off with that pathetic excuse of a man, Robin, too."
This shuts Regina up real quick.
Another deadly silence washes over them and neither one can find anything else to say because their minds are too consumed by their own memories of the past. The tension is still high, but it seems like the mirror won't be releasing them anytime soon, so Emma finally sits down from the weight of mental exhaustion. Discreetly, she peeks through her lashes up at Regina, examining her sour face that seems to slowly be relaxing as her shoulders slump in defeat. Regina sighs, then lowers herself next to Emma, anxiously running her fingers through her hair again.
"So, is that it? No more movie for us?" Emma investigates with a hint of sarcasm.
The mayor shrugs her shoulders, peering out into the nothing. "I think the mirror showed us everything you needed to know."
Regina pulls her legs to her chest and rests her arms over her knees while she fiddles with her fingers. And Emma heart swells, because she doesn't think she has ever seen Regina appear so young, unguarded, than in this moment. Her mind is immediately spinning back to the image of the two young girls, so carefree, happy...in love.
Emma sighs, feeling exhaustion hit her hard. "How the hell are we going to get out of here?"