"Yes, Crystal that's fine," Regina says into her phone as she leans against her kitchen island. She has the ingredients for apple flavoured pancakes ready to mix as well as bacon ready to fry on the stove; all in preparation for the hungry teenagers who would no doubt be raiding her fridge within the next hour if she hadn't gotten up early. "I will get you the parts you need, but I don't want you going into my vault alone. The last time someone did that, Henry was nearly killed by those Agrabah vipers. There are too many things from my Evil Queen days that I can't even remember if they're dangerous or not. So just hold out until after breakfast."
As she listens to the other end of the line, Evie comes into the kitchen and sits on the opposite end of the kitchen island, waiting for Regina to finish. She's dressed in silk light purple pyjamas, which were not her usual style or colour, but they are comfortable, nonetheless. Many of the citizens of Storybrooke was asked to offer clothing and other essentials to the children while they were so far from home and while Evie appreciated the generosity, the styles could be updated a bit. She'd noticed through her time in the town that everything was from a different era... not medieval-like some of the things in Auradon, but still outdated. She'd have to ask around to find out when this town was created and whether anything had been updated since. She remembers from several of the stories that the first Dark Curse lasted for 28 years, and it's clear a lot had changed since then.
The daughter of the Evil Queen texts Mal, wanting to hear from her best friend. She had planned to stay up late and text Mal, but she had gone mysteriously silent for some unknown reason. Immediately, Evie suspected that it had something to do with Ben, as that was usually what happened with the two of them, and she hoped that it was positive. She did hope the two of them would get back together and mend the rift that had been created through a series of misunderstandings and interferences from other people, including Uma. She wanted them to be happy, celebrate the true love they shared.
She then begins scrolling through the pictures on her phone, smiling the entire time. There were photos of her and her four closest friends. The group at dances, parties, picnics, the movies, and even the time they had a giant water balloon fight on the campus lawn. The moments make her eyes almost tear up because of the happy memories and feelings that come flooding into her mind. She can't imagine life without them, they were the people who kept her grounded but also supported her in everything she did.
There are other pictures of her with some of the AKs like Ben, Jane, Lonnie, and even a few with Audrey and Chad, and there are several more with Dizzy. There are also pictures of the various outfits from her fashion company, including a full-fashion show that happened during the spring. But the ones she loved the most are of her and Doug, her real prince charming. There are photos of them sharing desserts, working on projects together, the time Doug accidentally set off a bad chemical reaction in the chemistry lab that left them with red faces from the residue, the two of them during the holidays, and some of them just having fun being with one another. Her smile is the widest when she goes through these images, memories that she will always cherish. She's so enthralled from walking down memory lane that she doesn't notice someone behind her.
"I'm guessing he's your one true love?"
Evie jumps, not realizing that Regina has been behind her for quite some time, mixing the pancake batter in her arms; and while it could be considered rude to be looking over someone's shoulder at their personal photographs, Regina only did it to get to know her alternate daughter better. She was curious about what the young girl's life was like at this Auradon place and based on the pictures she'd seen; it was clear Evie was her best self there, having everything she could ever want in life. It amazed the mayor of this town that this girl in front of her was the most amazing and gifted person she could have ever imagined.
"Uh... yes, he's my boyfriend," she says.
"Boyfriend, or one true love?" the former Evil Queen asks, raising her eyebrow curiously.
Evie swallows and then bites her lip extremely hard, having never really thought about it like that. Doug had always been her boyfriend, her partner in fashion, and her real Prince Charming, but nothing else. She had never taken the time to think deeply about whether they were true love or not. She'd like it to be correct, but she had never been sure, after all, Doug was never put under curses or targeted by Uma like Ben was. Her brown eyes go wide in panic as she races to find an answer.
Regina realizes that she's majorly overstepped, maybe Snow and David's lovey-dovey crap had rubbed off on her too much. While she'd known what it was like to be in love, she always had a more realistic and sometimes cynical approach to it, not the "I will always find you," stuff of the Charmings. Robin was always okay with that, and despite what the soulmates went through, they loved one another just as much as any other sappy true-love couple. She feels immediate guilt for putting the poor girl on the spot and decides to do damage control.
She fears that she's wrecking the bond that was already starting to form between her and her daughter.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that... you two seem very happy."
"We are," Evie says. She begins playing with the bracelet Doug had given her, the one that Regina had repaired with magic. "He's everything I could ever want in a partner... in a boyfriend."
"Does he treat you right?" the mother asks, feeling that protective side coming back, despite her barely knowing this girl very well.
"In every way possible," the young girl says. She feels a little uncomfortable with this line of questioning, especially about her dating life, but it did feel nice that someone was taking an interest in her life and asking her about her feeling instead of worrying about her friends and their relationships. Compared to Ben and Mal's, hers was a fairy tale.
"What did he do to win your heart?"
Evie swallows. "He respected me. He didn't take advantage of me for my looks or my brains. He gave me credit when I deserved it and stood up for me. He gave me the chance to be seen like everyone else, and not just a villain kid or a pretty face."
"I sense that you had a previous partner who did none of those things and treated you as such?" Regina questions, sensing the sad and slightly angry tone in the girl's voice.
Evie just nods and puts her phone away, not wanting to discuss it any further. Again, Regina realizes that she's probing too much and risks losing a new connection with Evie.
What is wrong with her today?! She's usually not this nosy nor does she usually care about other people this much. It's clear that she needs to stop hanging out with Snow White so much, her behaviour is becoming too much like the royal pain. She decides to change the subject.
"So, have you ever had apple-cinnamon pancakes before?"
"Never," Evie says, glad for the change in topic.
"I know I might go overboard with the apple-theme sometimes, it definitely doesn't help with the stereotype, but there are a few signature dishes that I can't help but make. Why be good at anything if you can't flaunt the talent once and a while?"
Evie smiles. "Well the apple-turnover last night was amazing, I think everyone loved it."
"I did see some hesitation at first, but that's probably because of who I am, not my actual cooking."
"I really wish people didn't see you like that," the teenager says earnestly. "You're clearly not like my mother or whatever this world's fairy tales depict you as. You are one of the nicest people I've ever met and you clearly care about everyone close to you."
"Trust me, I wasn't always like that," Regina says, adding some cinnamon to the pancake batter.
"If being in this town has taught me one thing already, it's that it doesn't matter who you were in the past, it matters who you are now and how you make it count,"
Regina smiles widely, knowing that her daughter understood everything that she'd worked so hard to accomplish for Henry's sake, and eventually for everyone else in her family. She wanted to be known as the hero now, not the villain before. She had redeemed herself in the eyes of every person, even her alternate daughter.
"Do you want to help me flip the pancakes so I can start on the bacon?" she offers.
"Is it okay is I design them into a few funny shapes?" she asks playfully.
"I will never say no to that. My son Henry used to do that all the time."
Evie happily gets up and joins Regina at the stove. She drips the batter onto the griddle, creating pancakes that looked like rings, hearts, and even ones that look like that Disney character... that mouse. The warmth of the kitchen once again brings these two closer together, despite the awkward discussions earlier and the desire not to become too close too quickly.
Eventually, Doug comes into the kitchen and wraps his arms around Evie tightly, kissing her until the point that she has to swat him away with the spatula, so she doesn't burn anything.
"Just sit down, they'll be ready soon."
"I already see something delicious that I want," he teases.
Regina shifts to the far end of the stove, wanting to give the two a few moments to themselves and also not becoming the third wheel in the situation. She turns away to avoid the PDA... maybe Evie had more Snow White in her than she had first anticipated. It wasn't a bad thing, but the Evil Queen in her was still rather repulsed by it.
Despite her slight disgust, Regina knew deep down that the two loved each other very deeply and that Doug was the perfect prince of her daughter.
A/N: Hey guys, sorry it's been so long since I've posted, but here's a new chapter and I hope you enjoy it and leave lots of reviews and comments