A Queen Without Power (Once Upon a Time; Regina/Emma)
TITLE: A Queen Without Power
CHAPTER 2: A Reluctant Ceasefire
FANDOM: Once Upon a Time
PAIRING: Swan Queen (Regina/Emma)
SPOILERS: Season one (in its entirety)
RATING: PG
SUMMARY: "A guy with a limp and a cane was able to tie you up. What do you think is gonna happen when he has extremely powerful magic at his disposal and you in his sight lines?”
*****
“Regina?” Her beckon was careful and cautious as her foot touched the top step, hand still on the ornate banister leading down to where her son was waiting.
She had to be there. Her car was there, door open and engine still idling. Henry’s room drew her attention for reasons unknown, and she moved slowly toward the half-open door.
“Regina...” Pressing her fingertips lightly to the door, it swung open easily and she stepped into the room, instantly spotting the mayor... queen, rather... standing at the window.
She watched as Regina’s spine straightened, hair still slightly disheveled from the events of the day, though still styled perfectly. To Emma, it was rather like Regina herself -- perfection hiding a wreck.
Regina’s left hand stretched out by her side, fingers splayed in a quick flick, and the door behind her slammed closed. Though the motion startled Emma, she didn’t jump; merely looked back at the closed door before turning her eyes to the back of the queen’s head.
“Sheriff Swan,” Regina greeted her, head tilting to the downward diagonal ever-so-slightly though she didn’t turn enough to meet her eyes.
Emma straightened her spine in accordance, hearing the low challenge in her voice. “Madam Mayor,” she returned, then one corner of her lips quirked in a hint of a smirk. “Or maybe I should start calling you ‘Your Majesty.’”
Regina’s lip curled in a sneer as she turned around, folding her arms across her chest and narrowing her eyes. “I suppose you should.”
Emma feigned a curtsy, watching a flash of anger hit the woman’s eyes though she didn’t flinch or falter. Once she had straightened again, she tilted her head, folding her arms to mirror Regina’s stance, though hers was more casual than confrontational. “So am I like a... step-granddaughter to you?”
“No.” Derision laced her tone. “Actually, you’re nothing to me.”
Emma’s eyes twitched, studying the queen. Even when they first met, Regina had exuded a regalness that was somewhat intimidating. Despite the sneers and false smiles, she had an air of sophistication. It was a mode she could flip on and off depending on the situation. Emma had been fascinated by it in the beginning; it kept her on her toes in their earlier confrontations, whereas now she saw it for what it was -- a defense mechanism.
“I’m nothing to you?” She scrunched her nose, shaking her head. “I think you know that’s not true.”
Regina bristled. “Really.”
Emma nodded. The tear tracks on her face were all too evident, and she knew exactly what they were from. “You and I share something. Maybe reluctantly, but that something is as much mine as he is yours.”
The veiled mention of Henry was what caused the queen to falter. Emma saw another flash of light in Regina’s brown eyes - the very same one she’d seen when she had revealed Henry’s fate: love.
“Henry.” His name emerged like a prayer, and Emma wondered if there was still a glimmer of hope for this woman, this fallen monarch.
“Yes.”
Regina started for the door. “Where is he?”
Emma blocked her exit, her back against the solid wood. “He’s safe,” she replied cryptically. “But he needs you.”
She scoffed, taking a step back, though not quite out of Emma’s personal space. “He got his real mother to come and rescue him, to break the curse that I created. What could he possibly need me for?”
“For that.” Emma just pointed over Regina’s shoulder, and they both glanced out the window, at the violet smoke still rolling over hills and valleys.
She watched as Regina’s lip curled -- half-sneer, half-smile. “Ah yes.”
“What is that?”
“It’s magic.” The smile on the queen’s face was soft... almost whimsical, as if looking at a treasured friend. “Magic is back.”
“What does that mean?”
Before Emma could so much as blink, she found herself airborne, her back slamming into the wall with her head just shy of hitting the ceiling. She grunted painfully as she landed, pressing her palms into the hardwood floor as she glared through her lashes at Regina.
She just smiled triumphantly. “It means I can do that, to my heart’s content.”
“I don’t think you want to do this,” Emma growled, pushing herself up on arms still feeble from the shock.
“Don’t I?”
With a flick of her fingers, Regina had pulled Emma to her feet and had her against the wall again, though this time she had her forearm against her throat and her free hand pinning Emma’s wrist against the wall. The positioning was instantly familiar, and Emma knew it was payback for what happened at the hospital.
Regina leaned close, breath puffing against Emma’s lips as she stared her down. “Why don’t you give me one good reason why I shouldn’t do this.”
As if in answer, the door flew open and Henry burst in, his eyes wide at the confrontation taking place. “Stop!”
“Henry.” Instantly, Regina dropped Emma to the floor again.
Emma grasped at her throat, coughing slightly from the choke-hold. She knew Regina would give as good as she got, and then some. This had been their dynamic since her arrival. One-upmanship with a slight chess mentality. She half expected the woman to tell her it was ‘her move.’
“I knew it! I knew you would try to kill us!” Henry spat at his foster mother. “Emma tried to tell me that you wouldn’t. She said she saw it in your eyes, but I know what you really are. You’re evil.”
Apparently it was that slightly-cutting remark from the ten-year-old that gave the wicked queen pause. She met eyes with Emma and searched them. “You said that to him?”
“I told you before,” Emma ground out. “It’s my job to know how to read people. To be able to tell if they’re lying. I know you love Henry.” Regaining her breath, she stood and leaned against the wall. “He’s as much yours as he is mine... even though that idea sucks.”
Regina stepped back and cast her gaze to the floor, hands on her hips. Emma couldn’t tell if she was composing herself, or plotting her next attack. “I do love Henry,” she murmured after a moment, slowly looking up at the boy. When she did, tears were clouding her brown eyes. “I love you Henry, please believe me.”
The little boy shook his head. “I don’t think I can,” he said sadly... though there was a note in his tone that was off. He sounded almost too sad..
Regina spun away and Emma glimpsed at her surreptitiously before kneeling down to study her son. “Henry...”
The boy looked at her, and just the barest hint of a smile told her everything she needed to know. It was an act. So she straightened up, resumed her position against the wall, and allowed him to play Regina.
“If you loved me, you wouldn’t try to hurt Emma,” he pressed, stepping up behind Regina. “But that’s all you’ve ever wanted to do since she came here, don’t you see?”
Regina was facing the window now, looking down. One hand left her hip only long enough to toss her bangs out of her eyes and Emma studied the motion carefully. Even teetering on the edge of a breakdown as she appeared to be, Regina retained her grace. Emma had to wonder how long it took her to achieve that balance. If it was something learned as a girl or something acquired somewhere along the way.
Even when she was being a royal, raging bitch, there was never an ounce of un-ladylike behavior. Maybe that was what gave Emma a charge when challenging the mayor... queen... whatever she was. It was the thrill of trying to get that sophisticated mask to fall away.
There was also a part of Emma that admired Regina’s grace, as much as that admiration pained her. She was envious, in a way. When Emma cried, she knew she looked like a snotty, sniveling mess. Her eyes would get bloodshot, her nose would run, and there was this particular vein in her forehead that stuck out a bit too much for her liking.
And Regina could experience those exact same emotions and still look flawless. It was as irritating as it was captivating.
She shook the thought away quickly as Regina turned around. “So this is a trick to get me to leave Emma alone, is it?”
“No trick,” Henry told her, and Emma just watched them interact from afar. A slightly strained mother-and-son dance borne of ten years of familiarity. Emma didn’t even have one year under her belt with him.
She ducked her head. Christ, another thing she envied about Regina. Great.
“It has to be. I don’t get anything out of it.”
Henry thought about that for a moment, and then shrugged. “Maybe you wouldn’t get killed by Rumplestiltskin if you stuck with us,” he reasoned.
Emma watched as realization dawned on Regina’s features. With the swift return of magic, she clearly hadn’t considered the repercussions.
She took the opportunity to step forward. “Think about it, Regina. Now that the curse is broken, everybody knows what you’ve done and they’re gonna be after you.” An image of a glowing purple vial hit her mind’s eye and she blinked. “And if that ‘true love’ magic that Rumplestiltskin had was really the most powerful magic ever... do you really think you’ve got a chance going up against what he’s probably been planning for years?”
Henry watched his foster mother consider the options carefully as he hammered in the final point. “You might be able to use magic, but you don’t have all the power. He does. And he doesn’t like you very much.”
Regina met Emma’s eyes again and she saw right through her, saw exactly what was on her mind.
“A guy with a limp and a cane was able to tie you up,” she reasoned with her softly. “What do you think is gonna happen when he has extremely powerful magic at his disposal and you in his sight lines?”
Regina’s eyes darted back and forth, seemingly assessing the air in front of her as she thought through their arguments. After a moment, she finally replied in a low, sullen voice, “I guess I don’t have any other choice.” Then she looked up, adding, “For now.” She kept her fiery gaze leveled on Emma as she sauntered toward her and said, “But don’t you dare mistake this temporary white flag as an olive branch between us, Miss Swan. We may share a love for Henry, but that’s as far as it goes.”
Emma just shrugged, holding her gaze. “Fine by me. I don’t wanna be best friends with you, either.”
Regina glared.
Henry just glanced between the two women, deeming the agreement sufficient as he shrugged and said, “Okay, so what do we do now?”
Regina closed her eyes momentarily, seemingly shifting out of confrontation mode as she looked down at the boy and told him simply but sternly, “Now you’re going to go to bed.”
**
"Thank you," Regina murmured as she closed Henry's door, being as quiet as possible.
Emma nodded. "Hated to agree with you," she said with a hint of a smirk, "But he does need his rest."
"He's been through a lot."
The two women met eyes, the other half of the statement unspoken: and so have we.
Emma drew in a breath, huffing it out as she shoved her hands into her back pockets. "So now what?"
Regina shook her head slowly, deep in thought as she pursed her lips. Then she looked up. "First things first," she told her, and started down the stairs. "Follow me."
Reluctantly, Emma trudged down the stairs after the queen, following her into her study. It was there, just inside, that Regina poured them each a glass of scotch. Emma couldn't help but raise her brows in appreciation. "Good idea."
"Sit."
She did so while taking a long sip of the scotch, enjoying the slow burn as it slid down. Her eyes never moved from Regina's frame as she watched her head for her black chair, crossing one leg over the other. It reminded her very much of the start of their ‘war.’ Of the chess game that essentially got them into this entanglement.
She took another long pull of the scotch, her eyes meeting Regina’s over the rims of their glasses while she, too, took a drink. After enjoying another slow burn, she turned the glass in her hand, watching the liquid swirl. “You tried to kill me.”
Regina tilted her head, eyes cut to the side, contemplating. Slowly, she blinked, looking through her lashes at Emma. “I never wanted you dead,” she told her. “I just wanted you out of the way.”
“So it wasn’t real poison in that turnover.”
She shook her head, taking a drink. “No,” she said when she was through. “It was a curse.”
“A sleeping curse.”
Another nod, another drink of scotch, and Regina commented, “The same one I used on your mother.”
A strange pang hit Emma at the mention of her mother -- Mary Margaret or Snow White, she couldn’t keep anything straight today. “So I really am--”
“The product of true love?” Regina quirked an eyebrow. “Yes.” Her lip curled. “Disgusting, isn’t it?”
“Don’t know about that.” She took another drink, looking up to find Regina watching her closely with eyes narrowed.
“So you’re a true believer, then.”
Emma raised her brows. “I believe that the curse was real. I believe that you deliberately punished all of these people... over what, I don’t know and I don’t care to know. Whatever the reason, it’s petty now. And probably moot. But true love?” She wrinkled her nose and shook her head. “Still seems a little far-fetched for me.”
“Then I guess there’s a second thing we share,” commented the queen with a slight smile, and the women locked eyes once more.
"You don't believe in it either?"
Regina swallowed another drink of scotch, voice hard and eyes averted as she muttered, "Not anymore."
And then the queen left with her glass of scotch, leaving Emma to her thoughts in the study.
TBC
{x-posted to onceupon_fanfic and regina_emma}
CHAPTER 2: A Reluctant Ceasefire
FANDOM: Once Upon a Time
PAIRING: Swan Queen (Regina/Emma)
SPOILERS: Season one (in its entirety)
RATING: PG
SUMMARY: "A guy with a limp and a cane was able to tie you up. What do you think is gonna happen when he has extremely powerful magic at his disposal and you in his sight lines?”
*****
“Regina?” Her beckon was careful and cautious as her foot touched the top step, hand still on the ornate banister leading down to where her son was waiting.
She had to be there. Her car was there, door open and engine still idling. Henry’s room drew her attention for reasons unknown, and she moved slowly toward the half-open door.
“Regina...” Pressing her fingertips lightly to the door, it swung open easily and she stepped into the room, instantly spotting the mayor... queen, rather... standing at the window.
She watched as Regina’s spine straightened, hair still slightly disheveled from the events of the day, though still styled perfectly. To Emma, it was rather like Regina herself -- perfection hiding a wreck.
Regina’s left hand stretched out by her side, fingers splayed in a quick flick, and the door behind her slammed closed. Though the motion startled Emma, she didn’t jump; merely looked back at the closed door before turning her eyes to the back of the queen’s head.
“Sheriff Swan,” Regina greeted her, head tilting to the downward diagonal ever-so-slightly though she didn’t turn enough to meet her eyes.
Emma straightened her spine in accordance, hearing the low challenge in her voice. “Madam Mayor,” she returned, then one corner of her lips quirked in a hint of a smirk. “Or maybe I should start calling you ‘Your Majesty.’”
Regina’s lip curled in a sneer as she turned around, folding her arms across her chest and narrowing her eyes. “I suppose you should.”
Emma feigned a curtsy, watching a flash of anger hit the woman’s eyes though she didn’t flinch or falter. Once she had straightened again, she tilted her head, folding her arms to mirror Regina’s stance, though hers was more casual than confrontational. “So am I like a... step-granddaughter to you?”
“No.” Derision laced her tone. “Actually, you’re nothing to me.”
Emma’s eyes twitched, studying the queen. Even when they first met, Regina had exuded a regalness that was somewhat intimidating. Despite the sneers and false smiles, she had an air of sophistication. It was a mode she could flip on and off depending on the situation. Emma had been fascinated by it in the beginning; it kept her on her toes in their earlier confrontations, whereas now she saw it for what it was -- a defense mechanism.
“I’m nothing to you?” She scrunched her nose, shaking her head. “I think you know that’s not true.”
Regina bristled. “Really.”
Emma nodded. The tear tracks on her face were all too evident, and she knew exactly what they were from. “You and I share something. Maybe reluctantly, but that something is as much mine as he is yours.”
The veiled mention of Henry was what caused the queen to falter. Emma saw another flash of light in Regina’s brown eyes - the very same one she’d seen when she had revealed Henry’s fate: love.
“Henry.” His name emerged like a prayer, and Emma wondered if there was still a glimmer of hope for this woman, this fallen monarch.
“Yes.”
Regina started for the door. “Where is he?”
Emma blocked her exit, her back against the solid wood. “He’s safe,” she replied cryptically. “But he needs you.”
She scoffed, taking a step back, though not quite out of Emma’s personal space. “He got his real mother to come and rescue him, to break the curse that I created. What could he possibly need me for?”
“For that.” Emma just pointed over Regina’s shoulder, and they both glanced out the window, at the violet smoke still rolling over hills and valleys.
She watched as Regina’s lip curled -- half-sneer, half-smile. “Ah yes.”
“What is that?”
“It’s magic.” The smile on the queen’s face was soft... almost whimsical, as if looking at a treasured friend. “Magic is back.”
“What does that mean?”
Before Emma could so much as blink, she found herself airborne, her back slamming into the wall with her head just shy of hitting the ceiling. She grunted painfully as she landed, pressing her palms into the hardwood floor as she glared through her lashes at Regina.
She just smiled triumphantly. “It means I can do that, to my heart’s content.”
“I don’t think you want to do this,” Emma growled, pushing herself up on arms still feeble from the shock.
“Don’t I?”
With a flick of her fingers, Regina had pulled Emma to her feet and had her against the wall again, though this time she had her forearm against her throat and her free hand pinning Emma’s wrist against the wall. The positioning was instantly familiar, and Emma knew it was payback for what happened at the hospital.
Regina leaned close, breath puffing against Emma’s lips as she stared her down. “Why don’t you give me one good reason why I shouldn’t do this.”
As if in answer, the door flew open and Henry burst in, his eyes wide at the confrontation taking place. “Stop!”
“Henry.” Instantly, Regina dropped Emma to the floor again.
Emma grasped at her throat, coughing slightly from the choke-hold. She knew Regina would give as good as she got, and then some. This had been their dynamic since her arrival. One-upmanship with a slight chess mentality. She half expected the woman to tell her it was ‘her move.’
“I knew it! I knew you would try to kill us!” Henry spat at his foster mother. “Emma tried to tell me that you wouldn’t. She said she saw it in your eyes, but I know what you really are. You’re evil.”
Apparently it was that slightly-cutting remark from the ten-year-old that gave the wicked queen pause. She met eyes with Emma and searched them. “You said that to him?”
“I told you before,” Emma ground out. “It’s my job to know how to read people. To be able to tell if they’re lying. I know you love Henry.” Regaining her breath, she stood and leaned against the wall. “He’s as much yours as he is mine... even though that idea sucks.”
Regina stepped back and cast her gaze to the floor, hands on her hips. Emma couldn’t tell if she was composing herself, or plotting her next attack. “I do love Henry,” she murmured after a moment, slowly looking up at the boy. When she did, tears were clouding her brown eyes. “I love you Henry, please believe me.”
The little boy shook his head. “I don’t think I can,” he said sadly... though there was a note in his tone that was off. He sounded almost too sad..
Regina spun away and Emma glimpsed at her surreptitiously before kneeling down to study her son. “Henry...”
The boy looked at her, and just the barest hint of a smile told her everything she needed to know. It was an act. So she straightened up, resumed her position against the wall, and allowed him to play Regina.
“If you loved me, you wouldn’t try to hurt Emma,” he pressed, stepping up behind Regina. “But that’s all you’ve ever wanted to do since she came here, don’t you see?”
Regina was facing the window now, looking down. One hand left her hip only long enough to toss her bangs out of her eyes and Emma studied the motion carefully. Even teetering on the edge of a breakdown as she appeared to be, Regina retained her grace. Emma had to wonder how long it took her to achieve that balance. If it was something learned as a girl or something acquired somewhere along the way.
Even when she was being a royal, raging bitch, there was never an ounce of un-ladylike behavior. Maybe that was what gave Emma a charge when challenging the mayor... queen... whatever she was. It was the thrill of trying to get that sophisticated mask to fall away.
There was also a part of Emma that admired Regina’s grace, as much as that admiration pained her. She was envious, in a way. When Emma cried, she knew she looked like a snotty, sniveling mess. Her eyes would get bloodshot, her nose would run, and there was this particular vein in her forehead that stuck out a bit too much for her liking.
And Regina could experience those exact same emotions and still look flawless. It was as irritating as it was captivating.
She shook the thought away quickly as Regina turned around. “So this is a trick to get me to leave Emma alone, is it?”
“No trick,” Henry told her, and Emma just watched them interact from afar. A slightly strained mother-and-son dance borne of ten years of familiarity. Emma didn’t even have one year under her belt with him.
She ducked her head. Christ, another thing she envied about Regina. Great.
“It has to be. I don’t get anything out of it.”
Henry thought about that for a moment, and then shrugged. “Maybe you wouldn’t get killed by Rumplestiltskin if you stuck with us,” he reasoned.
Emma watched as realization dawned on Regina’s features. With the swift return of magic, she clearly hadn’t considered the repercussions.
She took the opportunity to step forward. “Think about it, Regina. Now that the curse is broken, everybody knows what you’ve done and they’re gonna be after you.” An image of a glowing purple vial hit her mind’s eye and she blinked. “And if that ‘true love’ magic that Rumplestiltskin had was really the most powerful magic ever... do you really think you’ve got a chance going up against what he’s probably been planning for years?”
Henry watched his foster mother consider the options carefully as he hammered in the final point. “You might be able to use magic, but you don’t have all the power. He does. And he doesn’t like you very much.”
Regina met Emma’s eyes again and she saw right through her, saw exactly what was on her mind.
“A guy with a limp and a cane was able to tie you up,” she reasoned with her softly. “What do you think is gonna happen when he has extremely powerful magic at his disposal and you in his sight lines?”
Regina’s eyes darted back and forth, seemingly assessing the air in front of her as she thought through their arguments. After a moment, she finally replied in a low, sullen voice, “I guess I don’t have any other choice.” Then she looked up, adding, “For now.” She kept her fiery gaze leveled on Emma as she sauntered toward her and said, “But don’t you dare mistake this temporary white flag as an olive branch between us, Miss Swan. We may share a love for Henry, but that’s as far as it goes.”
Emma just shrugged, holding her gaze. “Fine by me. I don’t wanna be best friends with you, either.”
Regina glared.
Henry just glanced between the two women, deeming the agreement sufficient as he shrugged and said, “Okay, so what do we do now?”
Regina closed her eyes momentarily, seemingly shifting out of confrontation mode as she looked down at the boy and told him simply but sternly, “Now you’re going to go to bed.”
**
"Thank you," Regina murmured as she closed Henry's door, being as quiet as possible.
Emma nodded. "Hated to agree with you," she said with a hint of a smirk, "But he does need his rest."
"He's been through a lot."
The two women met eyes, the other half of the statement unspoken: and so have we.
Emma drew in a breath, huffing it out as she shoved her hands into her back pockets. "So now what?"
Regina shook her head slowly, deep in thought as she pursed her lips. Then she looked up. "First things first," she told her, and started down the stairs. "Follow me."
Reluctantly, Emma trudged down the stairs after the queen, following her into her study. It was there, just inside, that Regina poured them each a glass of scotch. Emma couldn't help but raise her brows in appreciation. "Good idea."
"Sit."
She did so while taking a long sip of the scotch, enjoying the slow burn as it slid down. Her eyes never moved from Regina's frame as she watched her head for her black chair, crossing one leg over the other. It reminded her very much of the start of their ‘war.’ Of the chess game that essentially got them into this entanglement.
She took another long pull of the scotch, her eyes meeting Regina’s over the rims of their glasses while she, too, took a drink. After enjoying another slow burn, she turned the glass in her hand, watching the liquid swirl. “You tried to kill me.”
Regina tilted her head, eyes cut to the side, contemplating. Slowly, she blinked, looking through her lashes at Emma. “I never wanted you dead,” she told her. “I just wanted you out of the way.”
“So it wasn’t real poison in that turnover.”
She shook her head, taking a drink. “No,” she said when she was through. “It was a curse.”
“A sleeping curse.”
Another nod, another drink of scotch, and Regina commented, “The same one I used on your mother.”
A strange pang hit Emma at the mention of her mother -- Mary Margaret or Snow White, she couldn’t keep anything straight today. “So I really am--”
“The product of true love?” Regina quirked an eyebrow. “Yes.” Her lip curled. “Disgusting, isn’t it?”
“Don’t know about that.” She took another drink, looking up to find Regina watching her closely with eyes narrowed.
“So you’re a true believer, then.”
Emma raised her brows. “I believe that the curse was real. I believe that you deliberately punished all of these people... over what, I don’t know and I don’t care to know. Whatever the reason, it’s petty now. And probably moot. But true love?” She wrinkled her nose and shook her head. “Still seems a little far-fetched for me.”
“Then I guess there’s a second thing we share,” commented the queen with a slight smile, and the women locked eyes once more.
"You don't believe in it either?"
Regina swallowed another drink of scotch, voice hard and eyes averted as she muttered, "Not anymore."
And then the queen left with her glass of scotch, leaving Emma to her thoughts in the study.
TBC
{x-posted to onceupon_fanfic and regina_emma}