#wicked-writes

Alexandra Cabot and Casey Novak were infamous for their rivalry in the world of Storybrooke University’s School of Law.

Alex, the prim and proper niece of renowned Judge William “Bill” Cabot had always been a highly intelligent young lady, who operated with an effortless grace that irritated Casey to no end.

Casey - bright-eyed, stubborn, and fiercely intuitive - had managed to work her way into such an elite school on a scholarship. She constantly found herself fuelled with the urge to prove herself to the rest of the entitled, snooty assholes in this place, one of whom being Alex Cabot.

Alex despised Casey… which worked out well because the redhead hated Alex too.

She resented the way the blonde walked around the campus as though she owned the damn place.

She abhorred the way the Cabot family had, no doubt, bought Alex her way into the university, meanwhile Casey had leapt through countless hoops to even be considered for a place here at all.

She loathed the way her breath would hitch when Alex flashed that annoyingly smug little smirk at her during classes, along with staring her down with those stupidly captivating blue eyes whenever she had the chance.

But most of all? She despised the way that their teacher, Professor Moredock, had partnered herself and Alex together for their latest assignment - a mock trial in which both girls were to serve as joint-prosecutors. The redhead heavily suspected that he’d done so on purpose. Especially after what had happened the week prior; the two women had managed to break their current high-score for the number of no-holds-barred fights between them during class.

Quite frankly, seventeen disputes in sixty minutes might as well be a new world record.

He had probably thought this assignment would allow them the opportunity to settle their differences, but all it was doing so far on Casey’s end was tempting her more and more to take a softball bat to Cabot’s head and hit a home run.

The mock case they were prosecuting was a standard homicide. Despite the blatant facts pretty much confirming to Casey and Alex that the perp had done it - the most damning piece being a security photo of the defendant purchasing a shovel less than a mile from where the victim’s corpse was found - there was still not enough to make an airtight case. Even the photo itself was flimsy, the quality was grainy and the defendant's face was partly covered by a baseball cap.

Which was exactly why Casey had shoved Alex out of the room where themselves and their classmates had all gathered to do a quick practice ‘rehearsal’ together. The actual mock trial assignment, which Moredock would be assessing, was to be taking place the next day. Everybody in the class was hoping to avoid a crappy grade. Therefore, they had all agreed to meet for a brief practice in order to ensure that things would go smoothly for the real deal tomorrow. And it had been going well so far, until the middle of rehearsing the cross-examination. Alex had brought up the photo, catching Casey completely off guard. Before the blonde could even sit back down, Casey had led her out the door and around the corner of the hallway.

“I can’t believe you sandbagged me. I thought we agreed that introducing that photo could blow our whole case!”

“Relax, Novak-“

“It’s circumstantial at best. You didn’t think to confer with me, your co-counsel?”

“You know, believe it or not, there’s actually a point to every choice I make-“

“Oh, I highly doubt that, Princess.”

“I-“ Alex stopped. Her eyes grew dark as the unfamiliar nickname rolled off of Casey’s tongue, a dangerous hint of challenge on her face that was almost begging for the blonde to snap back with a rebuttal. “What?”

“You heard me,” Casey shrugged, folding her arms across her chest. Alex stared for a few seconds, letting her gaze pierce through the redhead. Licking her lips, she stepped forward.

“Princess? Is that what you think of me, Novak?” she murmured with a tilt of her head as she slowly walked towards Casey with a look on her face that caused the redhead’s stomach to flip against her will.

“Wh- I…” Casey stuttered as she took a step back. She mentally smacked herself for getting tongue-tied all of a sudden, finding it harder and harder to focus on coming up with an answer as the other woman approached her with such a predatory glare. She backed up another step, but Alex continued to draw closer.

“Well?” the blonde asked airily, as if she wasn’t less than an arm’s length away from Casey. The redhead took a final step, at which point her back became acquainted with the stone wall.

“Your uncle’s title is the only reason you got in. Everybody knows that,” she managed to breathe out, Alex barely a step away from her now. She swallowed quietly as she heard a small laugh escape the other woman, followed by another one of those damn smirks.

“Y’know, if I didn’t know any better, Novak… I’d say you were nervous right about now. Do I make you scared? Is that it?” Alex mocked, absolutely revelling in the way she was having such an effect on the other woman.

“Please,” Casey scoffed, attempting - and failing - to hide her unease with a roll of her eyes. “I’ve had hallucinations from a softball concussion that were scarier than you.”

The redhead was almost certain that Alex cracked a tiny smile after she’d said that, but before she could ponder it any further, the blonde was invading her space again and all thoughts in her mind were wiped completely away.

“If you say so,” Alex replied, unconvinced. “And in that case… a word of advice, Novak? From a princess to a… well, you.”

Casey didn’t respond to the clear dig in that last part. Her mind was preoccupied with the fact that Alex was now leaning completely into her. She felt the warm tickle of the blonde's breath on her ear as she began to murmur into her skin.

“In the room back there? That wasn’t even the mock trial- if you’re stressing this much over a practice run, you won’t stand a chance in the world of law. Next time, spare me the lecture on circumstantial evidence for when we do the real thing in front of Moredock.”

Casey could’ve sworn she’d felt something graze lightly against her neck before Alex detached herself completely from her. However she didn’t move to check, or even attempt to say anything, fearing that she would collapse right then and there if she tried.

“See you back in there… co-counsel,” Alex rasped, before turning on her heel and sauntering away. But then, right before she pivoted the corner to enter into the room, she turned back to Casey. “And for your information, Novak… I didn’t get in here on Uncle Bill’s status. I’m saving that kind of leverage for a day in the future where it’ll come in handy.”

“Meaning what?” Casey mumbled, her brow furrowed as her hazy mind attempted to play catch-up.

“Meaning… when we both end up real lawyers a few years from now, you better hope you never go up against me in court. I’d kick your ass on a real case.”

With that, Alex continued walking, knowing damn well that the redhead was watching her from behind as she made her way back to their classmates. 

Once the blonde was gone, Casey peeled herself from the wall and exhaled, her mind short-circuiting from what had just happened. Running a shaky hand through her hair, she caught a glimpse of herself in the reflection of a glass display cabinet. Her face and neck were completely flushed. Casey seethed at the fact that she’d let Alexandra Cabot, of all people, see her in such a state.

She didn’t even want to think about the fact that the very same woman had been the one to elicit that reaction from her in the first place. The redhead growled at the notion as she fixed her hair before stomping her way down the hallway and back to the room, muttering profanities under her breath regarding a certain little infuriating blonde.

God, did she hate her.

____________________________________________

Emma Swan was used to the routine by now. She had it figured out by the time she was five.

Phase one, sit and wait at the group home.

Phase two, get picked out to live with whichever random couple that had deemed her good enough this time.

Phase three, get sent back mere weeks later for being ‘too difficult to handle’.

And then the cycle started over again.

The foster process itself had never been kind to Emma, from the very moment she was placed into the flawed system as a days-old baby after being abandoned on the side of a freeway, she was in for a rough life. The kids at the group homes were bullies, and every foster family she had would never keep her for long. She had stopped taking note of how many roofs she’d lived under at four years old, when she had reached family number fifteen- the Cranes.

Emma remembered them, she would never be able to forget the young couple who, for almost an entire year, gave her the home she had been longing for. The Cranes had been kind to her, unlike many of Emma’s other foster parents. The worst ones had been family number seven- the Bakers. Number twelve- the Valentines, they came a close second. And though it had been a long time since she’d shared a house with either of those dreadful families, their imprints on her still remained. After her stay at the Bakers, the little girl was afraid of taking baths. Or more specifically, she hated water. Following her return from the Valentine household, she had developed a newfound tendency of making sure no door was ever locked when she was in a room.

Her experience with the Cranes was never like those homes. They would have dinner together every night at 6pm, they would ask how her day was at school, they would hug her when she was sad, scared, when they were proud of her, or just because it was a random Tuesday. Their little family couldn’t be more perfect. That was, until the day that Damian - Mr Crane - was suddenly let go from his job.

‘Budget cuts,’ he had told Emma when she’d asked why he had been fired, though the four year old hadn’t the faintest idea what he’d meant by that. She hadn’t questioned it further; Damian’s offer to go out for ice cream that evening eliminated all queries in her head regarding his job, and new thoughts of a double scoop rocky road cone had swiftly replaced them.

The measly allowance the Cranes had received weekly from the state was barely enough to afford decent meals for Emma, therefore the couple had relied solely on Damian’s income to not only provide for themselves, but to also care properly for their foster daughter. After Damian had been fired, Hannah - Mrs Crane - picked up a part-time job in a library, but those wages were not enough on their own. Still, Emma didn’t notice. She would be too preoccupied with excitement over seeing the new book Hannah would check out from work every few days for them to read together before bedtime.

Her all-time favourite story that Hannah had brought home to her once was Snow White. But, unlike that tale, Emma’s life from there on out was the furthest thing from a happily ever after. The Crane’s income had been drying out, so there was only one option left.

They didn’t want to do it, they really didn’t. But they had no choice other than to send her back, no longer having enough to take care of their little girl in the way they knew she deserved. It wasn’t a decision they made lightly in the slightest, but that hadn’t mattered to Emma. All she had been able to comprehend was that she had actually allowed herself to give in to the contentment she’d begun to feel during her time spent with the couple. She had convinced herself for once that she’d found her forever home, only for it to have now been ripped away from her without warning- quite literally.

The social worker had to physically pry her from a distraught Hannah and a stoic, emotionless Damian, both of whom were holding onto her just as tightly, reciprocating the embrace with all their strength. Hannah had also been whispering to her, muttering every apology under the sun, as though that would solve everything.

‘Please forgive us, baby girl. We swear, this isn’t your fault,’ was the most repeated phrase Emma could remember Hannah gasping out between cries that day. The rest all sort of melded into one whenever she thought back on them. Not that any of those promises or apologies helped anyway, because the only thing it solidified to Emma was that the couple had deliberately chosen to send her back. And the little girl had no idea what she could’ve done to make them hate her so much, she’d been so good.

In hindsight, she didn’t know why she was surprised. The family always sends her back. It’s the routine. With the Cranes it just… took a little longer than usual for phase three to take effect, that’s all.

Two months after moving back to the group home after the Cranes, Emma turned five. At that point she had figured out the routine. It made her time with the next foster families less painful to endure when they inevitably decided to dump her back in the group home. She couldn’t be hurt by what she already knew was coming, she’d tell herself.

She knew it was a lie.

After the Cranes, Emma lived with twelve more families over the span of the next two years. And each had sent her back quicker than the last. With the way her life had been turning out so far, the seven year old blonde would sarcastically muse to herself that somehow, she must be cursed. With her track record, luck was never on her side, after all.

She would wait.

She would get picked.

She would return.

But more than anything, she would cry herself to sleep every night, wishing for a family. For somebody to love her. For somebody who wouldn’t give her away.

A heaving sigh escaped my lungs as I entered the palace, returning from the most recent public gathering. The instant the doors closed behind me, I allowed my smile to drop, returning to my ever-persistent state of depression.

Keeping up the façade was a challenge at first, but over time, it had become somewhat of a reflex. No Ozian was ever to see how my mental state was slowly disintegrating with each passing moment. 

Showcasing the truth, my misery, would only evoke suspicion from the citizens therefore, whenever I find myself in the public eye, a plastic smile I weld unto my face.

It was best this way. It was safer too. But there was a time not so long ago, where these smiles weren’t so forced or disingenuous, where sadness was an emotion I hardly experienced.

My state of mind hadn’t begun to deteriorate until the depression took over. And the depression didn’t start until that fateful day, when everything I ever cared about was taken from me. 

What made things worse was that everything was all my fault. 

Sweet Oz, how I wish I could turn back the clock.

I wish I’d had the courage to disprove the rumours.

I wish I’d had the brains to take back my words prompting her sister’s death.

I wish I’d had the heart to stop the witch hunters.

I wish I’d never made that promise to her as not to clear her name. 

But most of all, I wish she was alive…

                                                           ~~~

The haunting silhouette of her shadow fades, and her cries subdue. A deafening silence washes over, and I hear only my own shuddering breaths against my palm.

Frozen, I find myself unable to move the trembling hand from my mouth, or wipe the tears rolling down my pale cheeks, until a sudden gust of cold wind blows through the castle, and shocks me out of my transfixed state. 

I stumble out from my hiding spot behind the drapes. 

“Elphie?” I brokenly whisper.

No response.

I feel my stomach drop as I reach out to pull open the curtain, longing for nothing more than to be met with the familiar green tint of her emerald skin.

The curtain opens, and there’s nothing.

The room is empty.

Through my tear-clouded vision, I notice a familiar object on the floor. It takes less than a moment to recognise what it is as I reach down, and gently pick it up.

The hideodeous hat. Her hat. 

“Oh, Elphie!” I sob, clutching the limp brown piece of cloth to my body, allowing myself to completely break down, finally accepting the events of which I had just unknowingly witnessed mere moments ago.

Elphie had been killed. 

She’s gone.

I’ll never get to see her again…

                                                         ~~~

“Miss Glinda?” came the voice of Chistery, flying overhead in the hallway before perching on the diamond-encrusted chandelier. 

It was seconds after Elphaba had parted for good that the two of us had formally met. Seeing his gentle soul, which he had no doubt mirrored from Elphie, I made it my goal to help him the way she had tried to. I’d taught him how to speak. The day he’d finally managed to form a complete sentence without fail, I knew Elphie was proud, despite not being there to witness it.

“Is something troubling you?” Chistery asked, flying down from the chandelier to the floor.

Chistery’s words brought myself back to reality, and I vigorously shook my head in an attempt to snap myself out of the memories from the dreaded day. 

Thankfully, Chistery was aware of my emotional struggles so understandably, hiding my sudden bout of tears from him was not a problem. Silently nodding at him, I wiped a fallen tear from my cheek and made my way to my room.

Despite its grandeur and spaciousness, I constantly felt confined within these bedroom walls. It simply didn’t compare to the coziness that had come with the previously shared dorm room with Elphie; one of the very few fond memories I still clutched onto.

After removing my tiara, wand, and ridding myself of the suffocating gown, my gaze wandered to my closet. I eyed the quoxwood doors and momentarily hesitated, before deciding to open them with a creak and reach in, pulling out the familiar cone-shaped object from the hidden depths of the wardrobe.

                                                         ~~~

‘I thought you might wanna wear this hat to the party tonight!’

                                                         ~~~

The words of my formerly happy younger self rang in my ears, as I brought the tattered thing to my chest. One of the last things I had left of her.

I couldn’t bring myself that day to simply leave it in Kiamo Ko. I had initially tried to, but doing so felt as though I was leaving a fragment of myself behind. And I was broken enough as it was.

It was the only thing that sparked a sense of comfort within me. The incredibly faint smell of her scented oils still lingered on the fabric. It felt familiar. It felt comforting.

As I did every single day, I clenched my eyes shut and sunk to the floor, rocking back and forth on my knees, with the hat pressed tightly against myself, my endless river of tears soaking the headpiece.

“Elphie please, I need you. I’m broken.” I weeped, gently stroking the matte material of the hat.

“I wish you would come back to me.” I whispered.

Almost instantaneously, a creak from a floorboard came from the other side of the door, followed by a barely audible knock. Snapping my head in the direction of the door, I let out a sharp breath and arose.

It couldn’t be…could it?

Slowly, I approached the doorway, the most minuscule smile twitching at the corners of my mouth, and turned the knob until it clicked. Trembling, I gently opened the door. 

“Miss Glinda, your presence is requested regarding a matter of dispute between the citizens.”

It was a guard.

My barely-visible smile dropped, and my heart somehow managed to sink even deeper than it already had.

I assume he noticed my switch in demeanour, for his emotionless face morphed into that of concern.

“Your Goodness? Are you alright?”

“I-I thought for a second that she was…” I had began to mumble, before letting a small sigh escape through my nose. Plastering on my false smile, I looked back at the guard.

“Of course. Tell them to expect me in a clock-tick.” I replied, nodding my head before closing the door.

After hearing his footsteps fade, I turned to rest my back against the door, and found myself sliding down the wood. It wasn’t until moments later that I even realised I was sobbing once again, hugging my knees as I sat, broken on the floor. 

Not all wishes come true, I suppose…

____________________________________________

“Hello, dear husband.”

“No.” Robin whispered, stepping away from Zelena.

“What the hell was that?” Lily asked Emma, her tone hushed.

“That was magic.” the Savior simply responded, looking infront of them at Regina, who took a step toward a visibly distraught Robin.

“Come on Robin, we have to get you and Roland out of here.” she warned, waiting for him to move. However, his feet stayed planted to the ground and he refused to meet anybody’s gaze. “Robin, get Roland and let’s go.” she repeated, but no response came from the thief.

“I think he still wants to stay.” Zelena smiled, flashing her teeth with a knowing grin. Ignoring her sister, Regina focused back onto the man infront of her.

Why isn’t he moving?

“Robin what are you doing? Get your son and let’s go!”

“I-I can’t.” he suddenly stuttered.

“Yes, you can. Just come with me. C’mon, let’s go.” she smiled gently, holding out a palm for him to take, but when he shook his head, her face dropped and she lowered her hand.

“I’m sorry. I can’t leave her here.”

What?

“What?”

“Do you want to tell her, or should I?”

Regina snapped her gaze away from Robin to glare at Zelena, shooting daggers into her sister’s head. 

What the hell‘s that emerald nut job talking about now? 

“Tell me what?” she demanded, raising her voice to hide the quiver behind it. Her brows knitted together as she turned back to Robin and silently begged for him to talk. To look at her. Anything. “Robin?” 

But still, he simply let his eyes widen in horror as he stared incredulously at the redhead, mouth agape. Regina felt her insides coiling in on themselves. She pressed a hand to her chest in a futile attempt to calm her ragged breaths that were only getting quicker by the second, but nothing in all the realms could’ve remotely prepared her for the words that would escape from Robin’s lips moments later.

“She's pregnant.”

~~~

No.

Bile rose in her throat.

No. He’s lying. 

Tears clouded her eyes.

He only left two months ago, he couldn’t have. . . not that quickly. 

Zelena smirked at Regina, a smug grin embedded on her face.

“Y-You got her. . . pregnant?” the brunette breathed out, before a wave of realisation washed over her. “Oh God, you and Zelena slep-” 

“No, no don’t say it.” Robin groaned, shaking his head.

“But you did.” Regina choked out, unable to form a coherent sentence any longer than a few words. Though it came out sounding like a question, she knew she was stating fact, and her stomach dropped even lower when Robin felt the need to silently nod in confirmation.

“We did. But I-I never would’ve if I knew . . .”

His words feel on deaf ears as Regina whipped her head back to her sister, every inch of her body seething at the sight of the redhead.

“Oh, you’re vile. You. . . with him?” she growled, trying to keep herself from absolutely losing it and raining hell on her sister in front of Emma, Robin, and Mal’s daughter. Zelena gleefully giggled and took a step forward toward Regina.

“Indeed, sis. And seeing you like this, all helpless and broken? Mmm, well that just makes all the effort I put in worthwhile.” she taunted coyly, tracing her fingers over her abdomen. Regina couldn't help but let her eyes follow along with her sister’s travelling hand and her gaze came to fixate on her stomach.

Her stomach holding his child.

“You did this to spite me?” she asked incredulously.

“Oh no, dear. I did this to destroy you, just like I promised I would at our little duel by the clock tower. Funny how my plan to change the past didn’t go as I’d originally anticipated, with Cora keeping me and you never being born. But I must say, this outcome is so much better than anything my original plan would’ve changed because this way, you’re alive. Alive to see that I won. And now, I get to sit back and watch as you suffer.”

Regina’s nostrils flared as she dangerously approached her sister.

“I am not having this conversation with you.” she spat venomously, her hands twitching as they fought against the urge to wring Zelena’s neck right then and there.

“Wait Regina, we really need to talk about this.” Robin pleaded, gently reaching for the brunette’s arm after she had just turned on her heel to walk away.

“No-I. . . I have to get away from here before I melt her face off and burn this damn apartment down.” Regina haphazardly fumbled over her words while trying to escape from Robin’s grip and make her way to the door.

“Regina, no-“

“Robin. Please.” she silently begged, managing to jerk her arm out of his grasp. Her heeled boots clicked against the floor as she brushed past Lily and Emma, the latter of which mumbling something into her ear when she was a few steps shy of leaving.

“Hey Regina, maybe you should-”

“Don’t, Swan. Not now.” is all she flatly replied with before slamming the door behind her and leaving the group of four alone in the living room of the cold apartment.

~~~

As the sound of the door slam echoed around the room, Emma sighed and pulled out her cellphone from the pocket of her jeans.

“I better follow her. She doesn’t know her way around New York, she’ll end up lost if I don’t keep an eye on her. Robin, I’ll text you when I find her and she’s cooled off a little?” she proposed, looking at the former thief who let out a tense breath.

“I-yes. Thank you, Emma. And uh, do you think you can take Roland with you, if it’s not too much trouble? It’s just, I don’t want him asking why his mother has suddenly disappeared. Or hearing anything from the conversation that we’re about to have.” he explained, gritting his teeth as he waved his hand between himself and Zelena.

“Y-Yeah sure, Roland can tag along. Lily, you’re coming too.“

“Fine. I’ll be in the hallway.” the young brunette shrugged, still stunned from having witnessed what she just saw, before leaving the apartment.

Emma sighed heavily and slowly walked into the bedroom of the apartment where Roland was too invested in a game he was playing with his toy horse to notice the blonde approach and kneel beside the bed.

“Hey, buddy.” she gently called, ruffling the boy’s head. Roland turned his head to the side and his eyes widened upon seeing the Savior.

“Emma?” he smiled with a hint of confusion in his tone, wondering how the blonde could possibly be in New York with him right now.

“Yup, it’s me.”

“How? Papa said that if you leave Storybrooke you can never go back.”

“That’s. . . not important right now, bud. But hey, you know who else is here with me? Regina.”

The toy horse dropped from the young boy’s hand and thudded as it fell against the wooden floorboards.

“She’s here too? Where is she, I wanna see her!?” Roland gasped, springing from the bed and onto the ground. Emma let out a soft chuckle and rose from her knees.

“Well, here’s the thing, I have to find her first. She left the apartment a few minutes ago. Wanna help me and my friend find her?”

“Yes!” Roland gasped, immediately finding and yanking on his jacket before scrambling past Emma to put on his shoes. Within minutes, the five year old was decked out in his outerwear, and Emma took him by the hand to guide him out the apartment with her. The blonde passed by Robin and Zelena before leaving, and gave the thief a reassuring nod as she lead Roland and herself out the door.

Once in the hallway Emma pulled Roland over to Lily, who was waiting by the top of the staircase.

“This is his kid?” Lily asked, walking towards the blonde and five year old. Emma nodded.

“Uh huh. Okay Roland, this is the friend I told you about before. Her name’s Lily. Lily, this is Roland.“

“Hi!” the small boy grinned, flashing his adorable dimpled smile at the young woman.

“Uh. . . hey, Roland.” the brunette fumbled, awkwardly. Emma adjusted her jacket and slightly grinned at her childhood friend’s nervous demeanor.

“See she’s nice, isn’t she? Which is good because she’s coming with us. Now c’mon, let’s go find Regina.”

~~~

Following the directions of the GPS tracker on Emma’s phone, the trio soon found themselves parked outside of a bar not too far from the apartment building, squashed into the cramped space of the Savior’s tiny bug.

“Alright, according to her phone location, Regina should be in there.” Emma murmured, analysing her device screen as she unbuckled her seatbelt. After peeling away the suffocating strap, she glanced up to see Roland in the reflection of the rearview mirror, struggling in the backseat to remove himself from his own belt. She immediately turned around.

“No, no, no. Hey buddy, keep that on. You’re staying in here. Little kids aren’t allowed in places like these.” she ordered, gesturing in the direction of the bar.

“But I wanna see Regina!” he whined, desperately yanking on the annoying black band. Emma slowly reached to pull his hands away from the belt and looked the boy in his eyes.

“And you will, bud. You’ll see her in a little while but for now please, just wait in the car with Lily, okay? Can you do that for me?”

Sighing, Roland let go of Emma’s hand and gave a small nod.

“Okay. But be fast, I really wanna see her.”

“I will be, I promise.”

Emma got out the bug and slowly walked to the entrance of the bar. Before she creaked open the door, the blonde sent a quick text to Robin, typing out directions to the bar. After the text eventually sent, she proceeded to step into the building.

~~~

Regina mindlessly remained perched on the barstool just as she had been for the past twenty minutes, with a drink in hand. As she stared into space, she stayed quiet. However, her mind was anything but, giving her ever-increasing mountain of thoughts the perfect opportunity to echo around in her head.

Zelena’s pregnant. . .

It’s Robin’s child. . .

Marian was never here. . .

This is all my fault-

The booming thoughts in her mind were interrupted when Regina heard the stool next to her scraping against the floor. The brunette almost turned in her chair to face away from the person beside her when out of her peripheral, she saw a blur of unmistakeable blonde locks and tacky red leather jacket sliding onto the stool. With a heavy sigh, Regina reluctantly turned to her right where, to no surprise, Emma was seated.

“This stool taken?” the blonde smiled gently causing Regina to roll her eyes and turn back to how she was seated before, staring at the countertop.

“I thought I said this was not the time to talk, Emma?” she deadpanned.

“You did. But you forget Regina, that I always know when you’re lying. And when you told me you didn’t wanna talk, guess what? You were lying.”

“Oh, and you know me so well?” Regina huffed, snapping her head in Emma’s direction but the blonde shrugged, remaining unfazed as she gestured at the bartender for a drink and placed a bill on the counter.

“I’d like to think I do. You’re afraid that you’ll say something in the heat of the moment that you’ll regret, that you won’t be able to take back. And we both know I’m right.”

“I. . .” Regina began before trailing off, unable to muster the energy to refute the Savior’s claim, especially when she’d hit it nail on the head.

“Here look, try talking to me. See if it helps.” Emma suggested, tapping Regina’s bicep.

“Seriously?” the brunette scoffed, raising her eyebrows.

“Dead seriou- oh, thank you.” the blonde quietly thanked the bartender for the beer bottle that he placed in front of her before focusing back onto Regina. “Go on, just try. What do you feel?” she softly encouraged.

Exhaling through her nose, Regina eventually caved and put her drink down, turning her body to face her friend.

“What do I feel? Humiliation. Anger. Pain. Emptiness. Guilt.”

“Guilt? Why is that?” Emma questioned, taking a sip from her bottle. She waited patiently for an answer from Regina, who took a large gulp of her own drink before doing so.

“Because. . . this is all happening because of me. Face it Swan, this feud between myself and Zelena was supposed to be just that- between me and her. But instead she had to go and drag Robin into it. And, oh God, Roland.”

Emma’s ears suddenly perked up even more at the mention of the youngster.

“What about him?”

“That boy just lost his mother for the second time. He’s gonna be devastated.” Regina breathed out, her eyes watering at the mention of the five year old she hadn’t seen in months. 

“Do you think your magic could help him? You can change his memories, right? Like the ones you gave me and Henry when Pan’s curse hit and you sent us away?”

“That’s different. My magic can’t create new memories from scratch, they have to be created from real life moments. The memories I gave you and Henry were genuine events that happened in his childhood, they just weren’t. . . with you.”

“What do you mean?”

“They were all of my memories with him. I just changed the brunette mother in them to a certain blonde with an affinity for hideous leather jackets. Which is why I can’t do that for Roland. I have no memories suitable enough to manipulate and transfer into his mind. The only other option that would work would be something like.  .  . like-”

“A forgetting potion?”

“Exactly.”

Emma wordlessly nodded and lightly rubbed Regina’s arm, whispering to the brunette.

“So, how did that feel? Talking about it?”

“. . . Not the worst thing I’ve ever done. I-I feel lighter, I suppose? But just barely.” the brunette mumbled.

“It’s still progress, that’s good. And-uh, about Roland. . .”

“What? Did something happen to him-”

“No, it’s just he. . . may or may not be in the bug outside with Lily, waiting to see you.” Emma murmured, mostly into her half empty bottle, but Regina caught her words and her brown eyes immediately brightened as she gasped and stood from her stool.

“He’s here? He wants to see me?”

“Yes. Robin wanted me to get him out of the apartment for. . . obvious reasons- but anyway, when I told the kid you were in New York, one of first things he said was that he was so excited to see you again. And when we pulled up outside this place, he was insistent on coming inside with me.”

“He was?” Regina asked, as her lips smiled ever so slightly. 

“Honestly. I swear, if this place wasn’t a bar he’d probably be sitting here with us right now.”

Regina gave a light chuckle and glanced back at Emma.

“I wanna see him. Roland.”

“You think you’ve let off enough steam?”

“If that’s the way you want to so-eloquently word it then yes, Emma. I have.”

Rolling her eyes playfully, the blonde slowly hopped off her stool and nodded, before manoeuvring herself and Regina out the bar.

~~~

“Okay, okay, wait. So you’re telling me you’ve actually slept in the woods? Like, without a tent?” Lily asked, turning to face Roland in the back of the car.

“All the time with Papa and the Merry Men back in the Enchanted Forest!”

“Wow, you’re actually Robin Hood’s kid. This is craz-“ the brunette begun to say before the door opened and Emma’s head curled it’s way inside.

“Hey, guys.” 

“Emma!“ Roland cheered.

“Thanks for watching him, Lily.”

“Sure.” she nodded.

“And Roland, come on. Get out the car. Somebody wants to see you.” the blonde smiled, pulling her head back out the bug and closing the door. Roland gasped and fumbled to undo the seatbelt. The instant he was free, he scrambled out the vehicle and looked up at Emma.

“Where is she?”

“Follow me.” the Savior smiled, and held out her hand. She pulled Roland along with her to the end of the street, where Regina was nervously waiting against a wall, her arms crossed against her chest to keep herself warm in the frosty New York city air.

The instant Roland spotted the figure by the end of the street, he yanked himself from Emma’s grip and took off running.

“REGINA!” he yelled, his little legs going as fast as they could. Regina snapped her head to her left and gasped when she saw the boy running towards her with Emma not too far behind.

“Roland.” she breathed out, falling to her knees and opening her arms wide. The young boy launched himself into her body and Regina swooped him up in her arms, holding him tight against herself.

“Emma was right, you really are here.” Roland giggled into Regina’s ear as she nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck.

“I missed you so much.” she mumbled.

“Me too.“

Regina couldn’t help her smile as she gently loosened her grip on Roland and lowered him to the ground. She noted that she didn’t have to bend down as much as she had anticipated in order to set him down safely, and it was then that she finally realised the small, yet noticeable, difference in his height.

It had only been a few months, but the young boy had stretched a couple inches taller since leaving Storybrooke.

“Wow. You’ve. . . gotten so big.” the brunette smirked playfully, hoping that she was doing a good job at masking the pain on her face and in her voice. 

He looks so grown up.

“I drink milk everyday because Papa told me it will help me get tall and strong!” Roland beamed, flexing the pair of scrawny little arms hidden under the thick layer of his marshmallow-looking coat. 

“It seems as though that milk is doing the trick. Your father may be onto something there. He’s. . . he’s a smart man.” Regina chuckled before trailing off, noticing Emma on her phone, standing a few feet away after having jogged to keep up with Roland.

Emma slowly typed out another message to Robin, giving him word that Regina had seemingly calmed down a bit. After the blonde pressed ‘send’, she turned off the phone and stepped forward to the pair of brunettes infront of her.

“Roland?” she called.

“Hmm?”

“Can you do me a favor and stand by the wall over there? I need to talk with Regina.”

“Okay!” he grinned as he sprinted off, slamming his back into the grimy brick wall after making contact with it, and waiting eagerly.

“You seem happier.” Emma smiled, noting the soft smile that had weaselled it’s way onto Regina’s face.

“Yes.”

“So, uh. . . now that you’ve taken a small step- y’know, with Roland, are you ready for something bigger?”

“Such as?” Regina prompted, quirking an eyebrow.

“Talking to Robin-“

“No, Emma. . .”

“Look how easy it was with Roland!”

“Because he’s a five year old! It’s easy to talk to him. All he finds interesting is ice-cream and animals.” Regina deadpanned.

“I know, but don’t you think it’ll be better to talk to Robin sooner rather than later? You’ve said it yourself, he’s your soulma-“

“Who chose his back-from-the-dead-fake-magic-glamor-Zelena-wife over me.”

“See, you hear yourself? You’re already letting your thoughts stew in your head. And this way, when it all ends up coming out in long run, it’s going to end much, much worse. But only if you keep putting it off.” the Savior argued, and pulled out her phone, typing yet another quick message to Robin, asking for his whereabouts. When his reply informed her that he was less than a few minutes away, she smirked slightly.

Regina suddenly narrowed her eyes and stared at the blonde. More specifically, at the glowing phone screen in her hand.

“Emma. . . who’s on the other end?”

“Huh?”

“Your phone. Your texts.”

“Oh, that. I-“

“Is it him?”

“Regina-“

“Is it?”

“. . . yes.”

“For God’s sake, Swan. Why can’t you just listen to me for once in your life? I can’t speak with him, I’m not ready!” Regina exasperated, before a familiar British accent came from behind her.

“That may be so, but we do need to to work this out.”

“Robin.” the brunette gasped, turning on her heel.

“Please, Regina. We must talk about this.” the thief begged, reaching out to take her hands in his. 

“I- I. . .” Regina stuttered, unable to formulate a coherent thought, so Emma hastily stepped in. 

“Okay, I’ll take the kid back to the apartment. You two can stay here and talk in the bar.” she muttered, leaving with Roland before either Regina or Robin could protest. It was less than a few minutes later that the screech of tyres could be heard as Emma, Lily, and Roland drove away in the bug.

With the two of them alone on the street, Robin apprehensively took another step towards Regina and tilted her head upwards by the chin to look her in the eye.

“Shall we go to the bar? I’ll buy the beers.” he gently proposed, but Regina shook her head.

“No. Not beer. I’m gonna need something much stronger for this.”

~~~

After entering the bar and ordering their drinks, Robin and Regina chose a spot in a secluded corner of the room to talk without being bothered, except neither of the pair even dared to utter a single word after being seated.

Not until around ten minutes later, when their drinks were brought to the table. 

Robin retrieved his drink from the waitress, yet he barely took a sip, simply propping his elbow up on the table and resting his head in his hand. Regina, on the other hand, was quick to grab her cup and swallowed a large gulp. 

The fresh wave of alcohol seemingly appeared to have given her the slightest ounce more of courage, as she finally decided to be the one to break the silence.

“So. . .” she trailed off, setting her glass down.

“Yeah.” Robin whispered, dropping the hand under his chin.

“So, you moved on. With her.” Regina bitterly stated.

“That’s not fair, you understood. You agreed.” Robin insisted, exhaustion creeping into his voice. 

“Understanding it and seeing it are different.” the brunette scoffed, cradling the drink in her hand.

“That’s hardly the most important point here? My son. Zelena’s not going to keep wearing that glamor and Roland’s not going to understand where his mother’s gone. For him to lose her again-“

“A forgetting potion.” Regina interjected, cutting off the thief’s spiralling thoughts. “Just take him back to before the fake Marian showed up. He’ll lose time but. . . it’s better, right?” she asked apprehensively.

“Yes. Thank you.” he sighed gratefully at Regina, who watched as his relief then morphed into distress.

“God, poor Marian. . . and Zelena, just killing her like she meant nothing so she could play out this sad farce with us. I just- I wanna... but I can't. I mean, I- I knew that things didn't feel right, but I just didn't know why.”

“I'm sorry. This was all about me. For her, this was all about. . . making sure I never get my happy ending.” she sighed, looking down at her lap. Robin quickly lowered his head to meet her gaze.

“If by ‘happy ending’, you mean us, then . . . at least, in a way, that's possible again.” he slowly divulged, causing Regina to stare at him incredulously.

He’s got to be kidding.

“Look, it's messy, I know, but . . . between us-“

“Is a huge obstacle. And it's going to get bigger every day, and not just for nine months either. It's a lifetime she has cooking in there. No matter what happens from now on, there's going to be this child. You're tied together in a way... in a way we'll never be.” Regina mumbled and averted her eyes in shame, unwilling to elaborate on that last comment of hers. “I'm such an idiot to think that life wouldn't kick me in the teeth again.”

“I hear you.” Robin insisted. “Just. . .” 

“Just what?” Regina quietly demanded, her words lacking their usual bite.

“What do we do now?”

 ~~~

Regina took another swig of her drink and faced Robin. 

“We go back to Maine.” she whispered. The former thief’s brows knitted together in confusion.

“Go back? But, I thought leaving meant-“

“That you couldn’t come back, I know.” Regina replied, shaking her head as a plan began to string together in her mind. “And that still hasn’t changed, but Emma and I found a way to briefly bypass the protection spell long enough to cross the town line.”

“You did?” Robin asked through a smile, to which the brunette responded with a small nod. “Alright, then we’ll leave in the morning.”

“No, tonight.”

“Does it make any difference?”

“Yes.” Regina insisted. “We have to contain Zelena as quickly as possible. Not to mention Roland’s forgetting potion. We can’t afford to wait, who knows what else that witch could pull.” she muttered under her breath. 

After taking a second to assess the plan, Robin nodded slowly and then shifted out of his seat.

“Okay. . . I trust you.” he gently said, holding out his palm for Regina to take. 

“I know you do.” the brunette smiled, accepting his hand and easing herself from the chair. “Now . . . let’s collect everybody from the apartment and get the hell back to Storybrooke.”