This story picks up after the season 5 finale, with the Evil Queen separated from Regina and arriving in Storybrooke. I don't care about the Jekyll & Hyde storyline so I'm just going to pretend that hasn't happened - instead, prepare for some glorious jealous Regina and flirty Evil Queen goodness. Enjoy! x

Chapter one

Emma pushed open the door and stepped through the hazy air. The air pulsed with a wash of green. The force field that Regina had put around the house reminded her ever so strangely of jumping into warm water, and a part of her liked coming here now, just to feel that gentle brush against her skin as she stepped over the threshold.

Henry followed her, shrugging his backpack off of one shoulder. As Emma turned to close the door, a second pulse of light told her that the house was sealed once more.

"Regina?"

Her voice echoed through the empty hall, but she knew that Regina would have heard her. Since the news that the Evil Queen had made her way into Storybrooke had reached the mayor's ears, she'd barely left the house. Her den here had become her new office, and she had spent every waking hour of the last week searching for a way to send her darker counterpart back over the town line again.

Still, Emma received no response, and she rolled her eyes. Henry shrugged back at her. "You know she'll just be in her normal place."

"I'm sure she will," she said, grabbing the back of his coat as he began to walk towards the stairs. "But humour me."

"Mom," he groaned, pulling himself free. "Seriously?"

"Seriously," Emma replied, gesturing for him to wait where he was. "Regina?"

She heard a long-suffering sigh come from the other side of the house. "You should listen to our son, Miss Swan. I'm exactly where I always am."

Emma ignored the smug expression on her son's face and called back, "Code word, please."

"Stop being ridiculous."

Emma groaned.

"This was your idea," she said, abandoning Henry so she could stomp towards the source of Regina's voice. Henry seized the opportunity to dart up the stairs, his cell clutched in one hand and a message to Violet already half-typed.

The door to Regina's den was ajar and Emma pushed it fully open. Regina was sat behind her desk, her hair pulled back into a short ponytail and her glasses perched on the end of her nose. She didn't look up.

"Why did you even suggest we have a code word if you're just going to mock me any time I try to use it?" Emma asked.

"Because when I suggested it, I didn't realise that you were going to be even more paranoid about this than I am," Regina murmured, still not looking up. Henry's storybook was open in front of her, as it usually was nowadays, and in her right hand was a fat, glass syringe with a trickle of purple potion still swirling around the bottom.

"I'm not paranoid," Emma said, taking a step into the room. "I'm trying to protect our son."

Regina opened her mouth to argue, as was her natural reflex, and then stopped herself, sighing.

"Cobra," she muttered, and Emma's tensed shoulders finally relaxed.

"Thank you," she said, approaching the overflowing desk. She could count six coffee cups at first glance, sitting next to an uneaten sandwich and a pen that was looking decidedly more chewed than it had been when Emma had seen it two days ago. She paused.

"Have you taken a break at all today?"

"No," Regina replied flatly, turning the page. The circles under her eyes were dark and sallow, and though Emma could see her lips moving as she read, she knew that there wasn't anything new for her to take in. She'd read the book cover to cover a dozen times and for once, it had nothing else to offer her.

"You should," Emma said, reaching across the desk and collecting up all the dirty mugs. "You're going to go crazy."

"It's a little late for that, I think," Regina said, and the fact that she wouldn't look up was maddening. Emma reached out for the plate.

"Are you going to eat this?" she asked, hovering the sandwich in front of her nose. Regina shook her head.

"No."

"I'm going to make you something else."

"I don't want anything," Regina muttered. "Just like I told you when you made me that sandwich this morning."

"And just like I told you this morning, I don't care – you need to eat something. As you've mentioned plenty of times, there would be nothing worse in this world than you dying on us all and Henry being left alone with me as his sole guardian."

"I've actually had second thoughts about that," Regina said, twirling the syringe between two of her fingers like a baton. "The worst thing would be if I died and he was left with you and the one-handed wonder as your co-parent."

Emma felt her nostrils flare. Finally giving up, she straightened her back and turned towards the door. Making sure that the cups looped between her fingers clattered together as loudly as possible, she stormed out of the room and headed for the kitchen.

As she was angrily throwing yet another ham and cheese sandwich together from the rapidly deteriorating supply of food in Regina's fridge, the door opened behind her. Emma jumped at the sound – since the queen had arrived, everyone in town seemed to be irrationally jittery, even though after more than a week the town's newest visitor had barely made her presence known at all.

But even so, Emma spun around with the butter knife held in front of her, only to find Regina stood in the doorway watching her with her eyebrows raised.

"Are you going to ask for the code word again?" she asked. Emma glared back at her.

"You ignore me all week, and now is when you decide to take a break?"

"You interrupted my train of thought," Regina said, taking a step into the kitchen. Her eyes automatically regarded the sandwich Emma was making with some suspicion.

"A thousand apologies," Emma said, turning back to the counter. She could feel Regina's eyes on her and she knew that whatever she did now, it would be wrong.

And, sure enough –

"Not too much butter."

"This isn't too much butter," Emma snapped, stepping to one side so Regina could see the tiniest sliver of yellow on top of the whole wheat bread. "And I bought that expensive ham that you like from the deli and your cheese had gone mouldy so I got you some more this morning. Same type. Okay?"

Regina pursed her lips. Emma's tone made her bristle and she was all ready to think of another criticism, but after a beat she just nodded. "Fine. Thank you."

Emma knew that was as good a response as she was going to get, so she turned back to the sandwich and finished making it without another word. She could hear Regina moving around behind her and deliberately didn't turn to look at what she was doing.

When the sandwich was made and Emma had cut it as neatly as possible – into triangles, because everyone knows that sandwiches taste better that way – she turned to find Regina sitting at the kitchen island, two cups of coffee in front of her. Emma blinked.

"Is one of those for me?"

Regina's right eyebrow shot back up again. "I'm not so selfish that I would let you make me a snack and then just tell you to leave."

A thousand catty remarks immediately came to mind, but for once Emma chose not to say any of them. She hopped up onto the nearest stool, sitting at a right angle to Regina, and slid the plate towards her.

"Thank you," Regina said, looking down at it. She wasn't hungry – she hadn't been hungry for days – but she picked it up and bit off one corner just to show willing.

Emma pulled her coffee towards her and wrapped her fingers around the warm cup. Silence fell between them, as it often did, and Emma felt her toes beginning to curl in her boots.

No matter what had changed between them over the last year – no matter how close to being friends she thought they may have been – Emma still felt painfully unsure of herself whenever Regina was around. Even now, when Regina was make up-less and wearing a scrubby old sweater, there was something intimidating about her that made Emma's tongue dry up in her mouth. She wanted to say something witty, but whenever she tried, it came out childish. She wanted to make Regina laugh, but Regina seemed to laugh at very little nowadays.

Even so, whenever Emma said something that Regina found particularly ridiculous, there was something about the look of amused derision that she would shoot across the table at her that Emma loved. It was almost worth making a complete ass of herself just to see that scornful smile being tossed her way.

"So," Emma said, abandoning any hope of being coming up with something clever and instead settling for mundane. "Any luck today?"

Regina shook her head, chewing slowly. "I don't know what I'm expecting to find. I've read that book a hundred times."

"What about all those other books?" Emma asked. "The ones you got from the library, and from Mr Gold's shop?"

Regina shrugged, and it was the completely helplessness in her slumped posture that was hurting Emma more than anything. "Nothing of any use. The magic I used to release her… it's not the same magic we have here. I'm not sure any of our books would know where to start."

"To start doing what?" Emma asked, shifting in her seat. "To kill her for good?"

Regina sighed, replacing the sandwich on the plate. Emma's eyes followed the solitary bite mark in the corner of it, but she said nothing.

"I don't know," Regina admitted. "Originally that was the plan, yes. But now… I'm conflicted. I don't know if that's the right thing to do."

"Why's that?"

Regina's eyes flicked up to look at her, and Emma saw the suspicion that still lingered there. But Regina pushed through it, reminding herself that – however ludicrous it felt – it was okay to trust Emma. "She's still a part of me."

"Well. Not physically."

"No, not physically. And I did feel freer when I thought she was gone. But now she's back here and I'm not as certain anymore. I thought that getting rid of her would make everything easier but instead I just feel…"

Emma swallowed and gently inserted, "…not like you anymore?"

When Regina breathed a sigh of relief, Emma felt her chest swell.

"Yes," Regina said, offering her a grateful smile. "Exactly."

Clenching her stomach muscles against the excited fluttering feeling deep inside her, Emma smiled back. "Trying to find a way to destroy her once and for all probably isn't the best way to go anyway."

"Why is that?"

"Well, if nothing else, you'll feel guilty as hell. You're not exactly the killing type anymore."

Regina glanced back down at her sandwich. Her left hand was absently picking at the crust.

"If I put her back, though… I'm not as strong as I was before. Maybe I won't be able to resist the evil side once it comes flooding back in."

"The Evil Queen has never been your strength, Regina," Emma said. "She was your ruthlessness, sure, and your fortitude, but you've shown plenty of courage as a hero. I don't have any worries about you suddenly giving all that up again."

She was hoping that Regina would smile at her again, but instead she just sighed.

"Even if that is true, we have a bigger problem."

"What's that?"

"I somehow doubt my dear evil twin is going to willingly hop back into my body, even if we do find a way to keep her there. She's tasted freedom, and I expect she likes it. There's still going to be quite a fight ahead of us."

Emma thoughtfully pursed her lips. "Well… maybe. But maybe not? She's been here for a week and she's had plenty of opportunities to make life difficult for us since then, but there's been nothing."

"Probably because I put a force field on the house. She can't get in to hurt me, or Henry."

"Come on, Regina. You know as well as I do that a little force field wouldn't stop her from having fun if she really wanted to. There are plenty of other places in town for her to mess up while she waits for you to come running."

Regina considered this. "I suppose that's true. But she could just be lying low – biding her time so that when she strikes, it hits us even harder."

"Maybe. Or maybe you're just expecting the very worst. The only reason we even know that she's here in the first place is because Leroy nearly hit her with his truck while she was crossing Main Street. She's barely been seen since then."

"She's in my vault."

Regina said the words so casually and with such certainty that for a moment Emma didn't register the significance of them. Then she frowned. "What? How do you know?"

"Because she is me, and that is exactly where I would go," Regina sighed, pushing the uneaten sandwich away from her. Emma forced herself to ignore the hurtful pang in her chest. "I have no idea what she knows about this town – she might remember every single thing that I have done since I arrived here, or she might only remember what happened up until the point where the Evil Queen turned into Mayor Mills. I don't know. But either way, she will remember the vault – that I am certain of. That's exactly where she is."

Emma bit her lip. She hated it when Regina was right – which she usually was – and now that the image of the Evil Queen prowling around Regina's magic-filled vault like a cat was in her head, she couldn't shake it away.

"If that's true," Emma said slowly, her eyes fixed on the cup of coffee between her hands. "Then maybe you're right – maybe she is planning something. So how about we just go and ask her?"

Regina's scoff of derision was louder than a gunshot. "What a tremendous idea, Miss Swan."

"I'm being serious. We're going to come face to face with her eventually, so why not now? She still hasn't come after us, so she probably isn't prepared for any kind of attack yet. And we might even take her by surprise. She definitely won't be expecting you to show up with the saviour, of all people."

Regina narrowed her eyes. "It's suicide."

"Come on, Regina. You know as well as I do that together we can handle just about anyone. This is only different because you're scared to face her again."

She watched as Regina bristled, her dark eyes flashing with something that Emma hadn't seen in a long time.

"I am not scared."

"Then what are you?"

"Right now, I'm annoyed. You have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, come on. You know I'm right. I'm not saying you shouldn't be scared – I wouldn't want to go and confront my evil counterpart either. But you have to at some point. You might as well do it with me by your side."

Regina pressed her lips together, staring Emma down. Sometimes she wondered why she ever decided to let this woman get close to her – it had been one of the biggest mistakes of her life.

After a moment she turned her face away, looking back down at her coffee. "It's a ridiculous idea, Miss Swan, and there is no way you will convince me to go and take the fight to her. We have no idea what she's planning and we could be walking straight into a trap."

"Yes, but—"

"Now, I am going to get back to my books, where I have a chance of finding something that will actually help us. You are going to leave, and you will not mention this again. Do you understand?"

Emma narrowed her eyes. Regina's voice was rich with a familiar old hatred, but she could see from her pallid expression and fidgeting hands that her heart wasn't in it. She was just lashing out, and as usual Emma was the only person there to take it.

In spite of everything Regina might say and how often she might tell Emma to leave her alone, she knew that Emma wouldn't go away. Not forever. She didn't really want her to.

Which is exactly why Emma slid off of her stool and straightened her jacket.

"Fine," she said, shrugging like it didn't matter either way. "I get it. I'll go."

She walked towards the door with purpose, her fists clenched by her sides. She could feel Regina blinking with confusion behind her, unable to believe that she had actually called her bluff, and even before Emma heard the sound of a wooden stool scraping back against the kitchen floor, she knew that Regina was coming after her.

"And where are you going?" Regina snapped at her from the open kitchen door as Emma reached the middle of the hall. Emma kept walking.

"You know where I'm going," she said, reaching the front door. "I'm going to go and talk to her myself."

Immediately Regina spluttered, "No you are not."

"You can't boss me around, Regina," Emma said, pulling the door open. "I'm going, and you can't stop me."

"I have magic that would drag you back into the house and tie you to that chair over there," Regina countered.

"And I have magic that would untie those ropes and drag you out of the door with me," Emma shrugged, turning back to face her. "But we both know that we aren't about to do that to one another."

Regina faltered. Infuriatingly, Emma was right – once upon a time she would have gladly used magic on Emma to get her way, or to prove a point, or even just to blow off some steam. She wouldn't have thought twice about it. Now though, there was an unspoken agreement between her and the saviour that magic was off-limits when it came to one another. Without even thinking about it, she had abided by that rule for months.

Regina knew that she could ignore their silent pact and use her powers to bend Emma to her will, but the simple, sad truth was that she didn't want to do that. That didn't feel right anymore.

She paused, clenching her teeth together, and Emma watched as her hand reached up to rest against her stomach. Emma could practically hear the cruel words that were crashing around inside Regina's head. When did you get so weak?

But the only way to pull her past them was to force her to ignore them, so Emma shrugged once more and turned back to the door.

"If you want to stay here and re-read useless books, then be my guest," she called over her shoulder as she began to stride down the path. "But I'm going to do something that will actually help."

And before Regina could respond, Emma had reached the end of the path and turned onto the street, disappearing from sight.

Feeling her rage prickling from her fingertips, Regina reached out one hand and, from across the hall, used her magic to slam the door shut. The glass in the window frames shook with the force of it. She turned back towards her den, ready to furiously study her books until she found something useful, just to spite Emma – but then she paused. Her fingers curled into frustrated fists.

She couldn't let her go alone. If she did, Henry really might have to deal with having just the one mother again.

Regina glanced towards the front door and immediately felt her pulse quicken. She knew the queen was up to something – she would never stay quiet for this long unless she had something up her sleeve. By going to find her, Emma was deliberately putting herself in danger. It was the stupidest idea Regina had ever heard.

But… Emma had a point. If the queen didn't expect them to come together – and why should she? – maybe the element of surprise would give them an edge. Maybe they would get there before she had a chance to set her plan in motion.

Regina groaned and glanced over at the staircase. Henry was upstairs, no doubt texting the girl who he was still feverishly claiming was absolutely not his girlfriend, and the thought of leaving him at home alone made her feel sick. But, then again, that was what the force field was for. He was far safer here than he was at school, and nothing had happened to him there either.

Clenching her fists, Regina let out a hiss of annoyance.

"Henry," she called up the stairs. She waited for his faint response before she said, "I have to go out. Stay here, don't open the door to anyone, and if there's any trouble I want you to call me right away."

Then she grabbed her coat and hurried out of the front door, feeling the warm caress of the force field around her for one last second before she left.

"I knew you'd come."

"Shut up, Miss Swan. I'm very annoyed with you right now and your smug I-told-you-so's aren't helping."

"Can't you just admit that I know you better than you think I do?"

"I absolutely cannot and will not admit that, because it's not true. You're just a manipulative child who knew I would feel too guilty to let you come here alone and get yourself blown up."

Emma rolled her eyes. She had been walking down the street on her way to the cemetery when that familiar black Mercedes had pulled up alongside her with an aggressive honk of its horn. She hadn't jumped, even though she knew Regina had only done it to make her do exactly that. Instead she had just turned and hopped into the passenger seat, clipping her seatbelt in without a word.

"You need to face her."

"And you need to keep your nose out of other people's business," Regina snapped back. Her knuckles were white as she gripped hold of the steering wheel. "What exactly are you expecting to happen here?"

And of course, Emma didn't know. She rarely did. She just knew that she'd spent a week doing things Regina's way – being careful, being quiet, and patiently waiting for the mayor to get a grip of herself – and it wasn't getting them anywhere. The longer they waited, the stronger the queen would be.

"You know that however strong she is, she can't beat both of us," Emma said gently, her eyes fixed on Regina's fierce grip on the wheel. "She has the same amount of power as you. And you have me."

"Lucky me," Regina drawled, and for the first time in a long while, Emma felt a stab of hurt inside her stomach. She pressed her lips together and turned away from Regina, letting her gaze wander out the window instead.

A terse silence fell in the car, and Regina glanced over at her. Emma's jaw was clenched and resting on her knuckles, and for once it didn't look like she was merely trying to think of a witty response.

Regina sighed.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't keep taking this out on you."

Emma hesitated for a moment before she turned back to look at her.

"Normally I don't mind," she said, and in spite of everything she so desperately wanted to reach out and touch Regina's arm. "I know I can be annoying. But I'm just trying to help, Regina. You have to trust me – I know you think this whole Evil Queen mess is all your fault, but your guilt is starting to blind you. I can see a lot clearer than you can right now."

Regina's teeth automatically gritted at Emma's considerate tone, but she forced herself not to snap at her again.

"I just hope you know what you're doing."

Emma paused. "I don't. But I still think that's better than doing nothing."

Eventually the car pulled up at the edge of the sidewalk that ran alongside the cemetery, and for a moment Regina just sat there, her hands resting on the wheel and her eyes staring blankly ahead. Emma watched her, taking in the rough ponytail that was so un-her and the circles below her eyes. Then she reached out, gently touching her forearm.

"Come on," she said. "She probably knows we're here already."

Regina nodded, for once in her life unable to think of a cutting retort. Emma clambered out of the car and waited for a moment until Regina reluctantly joined her.

They walked across the graveyard together, Emma carefully keeping a metre of space between her and Regina. She could see the mayor loosening her fingers beneath the sleeves of her coat, and with neither of them talking she could hear the faint clicking of her wrists as they flexed back and forth.

The vault was visible on the other side of the graveyard, and with every step they took Regina could feel her heartbeat getting just that little bit faster.

"She's in there."

Emma blinked, looking across at her. "You're sure?"

"Yes."

"How can you tell?"

"I just can," Regina said, not looking round. Emma rolled her eyes, but continued walking alongside her. The vault was getting closer and Emma found herself remembering all too vividly the first time she had come here with Regina – it had resulted in a blow to her temple, a bruised fist, and a dead sheriff.

She swallowed.

"So. What do we do?"

She glanced down at Regina's hands, which were still twitching beneath her sleeves. Her dark eyes stared straight ahead.

"We go carefully," she said flatly. "She's a dangerous woman. You should be prepared to kill her if you need to."

Emma forced herself not to snort. "Aren't you being a bit dramatic?"

"No, Miss Swan, I am not," Regina spat back at her. "Stop treating this like it's some kind of joke. Maybe once she's ripped your heart out and forced you to watch as she crushes it with her bare hands, then you'll take this seriously. But I, for one, don't plan on letting her do that to me."

Emma blinked. "Fine. Sorry."

Regina finally stopped walking, forcing herself to take a steadying breath. The cemetery was quiet and that only made her feel more anxious.

"Just… be careful," she said, wanting to reach out and touch Emma's arm. "Henry likes having two mothers. I don't want to ruin that for him."

Emma offered her a cold smile. "That's very considerate of you."

"Look, can you stop fighting me for once and maybe focus on her?"

"You're the same person," Emma said flatly.

"Not quite," Regina growled. She folded her arms across her chest and faced Emma head-on. "I take it you remember exactly how we ended up here? You rememberthe part where I split my soul in half and she climbed out of me and disappeared into the night?"

"Of course I do," Emma said, narrowing her eyes. "But when we removed your evil side, I really thought she would have at least taken some of your bad temper with her. Given how pissy you're being, maybe not that much has changed after all."

Regina clenched her fists to stop the sparks from flying out. "Excuse me?"

Emma knew she was being deliberately antagonistic, but she couldn't help herself. Regina had been subdued all week, barely registering Emma's presence when she stopped by and refusing to eat a thing. In spite of everything, Emma missed the old mayor. Taking the Evil Queen away from her had seemed like a great idea at the time, but if it came at the expense of the very fire that made Regina Regina, maybe it hadn't been worth it.

So Emma glanced down at Regina's hands, which she knew were trembling with rage and with magic, and said, "You're not exactly proving me wrong here, Regina."

"I am not—"

"Unfortunately, she does seem to have a point, dear."

The voice came from elsewhere, and it was familiar and foreign all at once. Both women twisted around to find the source of it, their bickering immediately forgotten.

As soon as she caught sight of her, Emma blinked, taking half a step backwards. It was Regina, but several shades darker. She was somehow taller, more threatening, more shadowy, with dark purple skirts billowing around her and gleaming black hair piled up high on top of her head. She was Regina mixed with rich, poisonous berries and overflowing with a deep, bubbling cackle.

Emma heard Regina growl from beside her, but for once she couldn't turn to check she was okay. She was transfixed, her arms hanging lifelessly by her sides.

"You," Regina hissed, staring herself down with an open fist automatically raised by her waist. The queen looked back at her with hoisted eyebrows.

"Me," she confirmed. "Did you miss me?"

In response, Regina raised her fist higher. It was shaped like a claw and, as Emma blinked, a ball of fire appeared in her curved palm.

Emma found herself merely staring at the both of them, unable to participate in any way. She hadn't considered how confusing this would be – it was Regina. A dark, cruel Regina, sure, but it was her all the same. Emma couldn't be expected to kill her, like Regina had told her to – she wouldn't even be able to try.

She couldn't believe she hadn't realised this before.

She shook her head, trying to gather her senses back to her, and took a minute step closer to Regina. At once, the queen's gaze snapped onto her. She didn't appear to have noticed her before that moment, but now she smiled. Her teeth seemed whiter and sharper than Regina's as they slowly appeared from between her dark red lips, and Emma didn't know whether to recoil or blush at the sight of them.

Something was fizzing inside her stomach, and just the effort of pushing it down nearly ended her.

"Now," the queen said, her voice a slow, deliberate drawl. She let her black eyes wander freely down Emma's body, pausing at her narrow waist and aimlessly dangling hands. As if some irresistible magnetic pull was tugging at her gaze, her eyes suddenly snapped back up to consider Emma's face once more. "You must be the saviour. What a pleasure."

Emma swallowed. At least that answered their question about whether the queen had Regina's Storybrooke memories or not.

"Stop that," Regina snapped. With a sigh, like this was the biggest convenience she'd ever been faced with, the queen turned to look at her once more.

"Stop what?"

"Stop talking to her."

"Why should I do that?" the queen huffed, tilting her head to one side. Everything she did was grand and dramatic, like she was in a play and knew that every single person in the audience was watching her. "Why bring her along if you don't want me to make friends?"

"I mean it," Regina growled. "You're not here to see her."

"Actually, I'm not here to see anyone," the queen said, delicately swishing her skirts to one side and taking a step towards them. The fireball in Regina's hand automatically swelled. "If I'm not mistaken, you just came here to find me."

"You came to Storybrooke," Regina snapped, "after I tried to kill you. I doubt you did that just to mock the saviour and declare squatter's rights in my vault."

The queen's eyes flicked back over towards Emma, who had finally snapped back to some sort of attention and lifted her hand to match Regina's fighting pose. As the queen's gaze fell back on her Emma tried to look away, but it was impossible. When the queen slowly licked her lips, she felt a shiver run through her entire body.

"Stop that," Regina repeated, and the queen suddenly tutted, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, hush," she snapped. "The saviour is right – you're being overdramatic."

"I am not—" Regina started, but that was as far as she got before the Evil Queen sighed and raised one hand. In a flash, Regina was frozen to the ground, her lips slightly parted and her eyes wide open. The flames in her hand went still.

Emma jumped, immediately darting towards her. She reached out for Regina's arm and hissed at the contact – she was freezing cold and as solid as marble.

"What did you do to her?" Emma demanded, turning to face the queen. She found her already watching her, an amused expression on her face.

"Relax," she said, taking a step towards her. The closer she got, the less she looked like Regina. "She'll be fine. I just wanted her to stop yammering on for a moment."

"But what have you done?" Emma asked, looking back at Regina. Her skin was paler than normal and it was obvious that she couldn't see or hear them anymore. Her stomach churned.

"Would it be too patronising if I told you that I froze her?"

"Wake her up!"

"No," the queen said simply. "Not yet. I told you – she'll be fine. I just wanted to speak to you."

"Me?" Emma asked, but she was distracted. She reached back out for Regina, gently covering a frozen hand with her own warm one. "She could die. You have to wake her up. Now."

"She won't die. Don't be so dense, dear – I don't know what will happen to me if she's dead," the queen said. "No, sadly she needs to stay alive. Although, I suppose there's nothing stopping me from keeping her frozen like this forever."

Forgetting that it wasn't Regina who was speaking to her, Emma snapped her head around and shot the queen a withering look.

At once, the queen let out a bark of laughter, shaking her head at Emma's vicious expression.

"Well, princess," she said, inching closer still. "It seems you certainly don't need this guard dog to keep you safe."

"She isn't a guard dog," Emma said. "And I'm definitely not a princess. You saw to that, remember?"

A flash of something that looked like admiration crossed the queen's face, taking Emma by surprise. The queen crossed her hands over in front of her.

"A good point," she said. She took another step closer, and suddenly she was within arm's reach of Emma, her sharp black eyes taking in every inch of the younger woman's face. "So, tell me – what is your name?"

Emma straightened her shoulders. "Emma Swan."

The queen smiled once more, and Emma saw that same flicker of admiration in her face.

"The daughter of Snow White is a swan," the queen mused, and the softness in her voice was startling. "It's very fitting."

Emma narrowed her eyes. "I'm glad you like it. But, to be perfectly honest, I'm not really here to seek your approval."

"Then why are you here, Emma?"

The queen said her name differently to how Regina did – she rolled it around her tongue like chocolate, savouring it down to the last letter. Emma's name had never sounded delicious before, but she heard it now.

She forced a smile – a brief, arrogant one that she knew gave nothing away. It was the smile that most infuriated Regina.

"I'm here to find out what your plan is."

The queen laughed. "I have no immediate plans. Unless you're inviting me to dinner, in which case I would be glad to make some."

Ignoring her, Emma said, "You obviously have some score to settle with Regina."

"That's a reasonable assumption. She did try and kill me, after all."

"Oh, because you've never ripped a heart out before. How stupid of me – of course you'd never do something so barbaric."

Another reluctant smile twisted at the queen's lips.

"Miss Swan, you really needn't concern yourself with what my plans are. I can assure you that it's only Regina who needs to worry about them."

"And that's exactly what worries me," Emma said coolly. "Regina has worked hard to get to where she is now. Getting to the stage where she wanted to take her evil self away and destroy it completely was a huge step. You're not going to ruin that."

"I'm not?"

The queen's eyes were glinting with the challenge, but beneath that she looked curious. Emma was standing firm, her arms crossed over her chest, and most bizarrely, she didn't look scared of her. She was staring the queen down like she'd faced worse evils every single day.

No one had ever looked at her like that before.

Emma shook her head. "No, your majesty. You're not."

"I suppose you plan on stopping me?"

"You're damn right I do," Emma said. "I'm the saviour, and Regina deserves saving more than anyone else in this town."

Then she paused, reassessing the queen. "Then again, maybe I shouldn't be worried. I'm starting to think that you don't have a plan at all."

The queen barked with laughter. "Oh, really?"

"Really. You followed us back to this town, but you haven't done anything since. If one of the dwarves hadn't nearly run over you, we wouldn't know you were here at all. That doesn't seem like your style."

"How sweet. You think you know me already?"

"I know Regina," Emma said. There was a pause, and then the queen's lips twisted into a perverse smile. Emma knew at once that she'd said the wrong thing.

"Yes…" the queen murmured, inching forwards. "You do, don't you?"

She reached out one hand, expecting Emma to flinch away, and found herself strangely disappointed when the blonde woman didn't move, instead continuing to watch her levelly.

The queen gently touched Emma's cheek with one, sharp fingernail and considered her. "It is strange that, of all people, the saviour would be the one to get close to her."

Emma shrugged. "We have a lot in common. It's not that weird that we should become friends."

The queen raised her eyebrows. "Friends?"

"Yes," Emma said firmly. "She might not like to admit it most of the time, but I think that's what we are."

But the queen was examining her curiously, her hand still pressed against her cheek. Regina was tiny, far shorter than Emma, but the queen was wearing towering heels that allowed her to stand taller than the saviour. Emma looked up to meet her gaze, taking in the strangely familiar face that was just inches away.

When the queen suddenly laughed, Emma felt herself jump.

"Oh, I see," she cackled, releasing Emma's face and taking a step backwards. "I understand. Oh, isn't this marvellous."

Emma narrowed her eyes. "What is?"

"No wonder she's become so weak," the queen continued, talking more to herself than to Emma.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about you, you foolish girl," the queen cackled. "You really expect me to believe that you are just friends?"

"Of course I do," Emma said, blinking. "That's the truth."

"Hardly," the queen said. She began circling Emma, examining her like she was up for sale. "My dear girl, you have made such a mistake."

"I really don't know what you're talking about."

"You've fallen for her, haven't you?"

Emma spluttered, snapping her head around to face her. "Excuse me?"

"I'm not as naïve as Regina is," she said slowly, still prowling around her like a panther, its fur so jet-black that in certain lights it almost looks blue. "You came with her today to support her, and to protect her. You've been by her side all week – I've seen you. I've seen your face when you leave her. You long for her every day."

Emma's face blushed crimson. "I have a boyfriend."

"Yes, I know. The one-handed pirate," the queen sniffed. "I must say, you do seem to make some poor life choices. But don't worry, we've all been there."

"Been where?"

"Forcing ourselves to spend time with a man we don't love, convincing ourselves we do. I'm afraid you're fooling no one, Miss Swan," the queen said, looking pointedly at Emma's leather jacket and boots as she spoke. "Besides, men aren't all they're cracked up to be, so you shouldn't bother pretending. Admitting your true feelings really will make things easier."

"I don't have any 'true feelings'," Emma snapped. Her words came out far more loudly than she had intended. "I don't like Regina that way. And she certainly doesn't like me."

It was the worst possible thing she could have said. The queen's face cracked with a smile that was half gleeful and half pitying. At once, Emma fell silent, swallowing down any more stupid words that she may have been about to say.

"You poor girl," the queen said softly. Yet again, she reached forward to touch Emma's face. But this time Emma pulled away, her cheeks burning and her eyes desperately looking anywhere else than at the wretched woman stood in front of her.

The Evil Queen pulled her hand back, letting it hover between them for a moment. She continued to watch Emma, taking in the furious pout of her lower lip and the tick-tick-ticking of confused thoughts crossing over her face. For a moment, she almost felt sorry for her. Then she remembered how much fun she was going to be able to have with this.

Because she knew Regina. She had seen the longing in her eyes too.

The queen suddenly flicked her hand through the air and, with a gasp, Regina returned to them. She staggered to one side, choking down warm air with her hands grasping at her own throat.

Emma's automatic reaction was to reach out and steady her – but she wavered. Suddenly, some part of her wasn't sure she should touch Regina. The queen saw her hesitation at once.

"Regina," she said in her brightest, boldest voice. Regina glared up at her, still bending over her knees as she tried to catch her breath. "I'm so glad you're back with us."

Regina spluttered, "You just…"

"Yes, yes," the queen said, dismissing her outrage with a wave of her hand. "I assure you, it's not the worst thing either of us has ever done. You'll be fine. Miss Swan, don't you want to go and help her?"

Emma immediately glared at her, her jaw jutting painfully far forwards. She didn't move, and the queen tutted at her.

"Dear, dear," she chided, shaking her head. "She hasn't got the best manners, Regina. You really do know how to choose them."

Regina straightened up, one hand still rubbing at her own throat.

"What?" she wheezed. She glanced across at Emma, expecting to see the same confusion on her face, but instead she found her glaring at the queen with discomfort and resentment radiating from her entire body. She paused. "What are you talking about?"

"Then again," the queen continued, beginning to approach the pair of them once more. Emma edged backwards. "I can't say I blame you. She does have a very pretty face."

"Stop it," Emma muttered, her eyes on the ground. The queen suddenly appeared in front of her, taking hold of her chin and hoisting it upwards. Emma gritted her teeth as she came face to face with her self-satisfied smirk. God, she longed to reach out and slap it off of her.

"Stop what, dear?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Emma could see Regina moving towards them both, her fist raised once more. The queen barely seemed to register her. Her eyes were on Emma, who appeared to be shrinking with every passing second.

Emma gritted her teeth once more and forced out, "Stop making shit up. It's not going to work."

"I'm not making anything up, Emma," the queen sing-songed, releasing Emma's chin and turning back to face Regina. "Regina, you really have to get your pet under control. She must walk all over you."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Regina growled. "But you need to stop this right now. Either say what you need to say, or go."

For a split second the queen seemed to actually consider these options, but Emma knew exactly what would come out of her perfectly pouted mouth next: a stupid, nonsensical lie that Emma would be left to explain.

Emma groaned. A hundred thoughts were clattering around inside her head like an upturned box of Lego, and she realised then that she didn't have enough time to try and sift through them for a solution.

Without thinking, she raised her hand, mimicking Regina's stance, and waited for the burst of warmth to appear in her palm. She didn't need to look down to know that the flames she'd been hoping for had appeared.

The queen turned to look at her with mild wonder on her face.

"You need to go," Emma said quietly, standing very still. "Now."

"Oh, Emma. You aren't going to use that."

"Really?" Emma spat, and both of the women in front of her blinked in surprise. "You want to bet?"

The queen turned to face her head-on, smiling her intoxicating smile. She didn't look at the fireball either: her eyes were locked entirely onto Emma's.

"I do," she said softly, taking a step closer. "Go ahead. Throw it."

Emma drew her hand back, ready to hurl the fire towards her with every tiny scrap of energy she possessed. But she hesitated – because the queen's readiness was unsettling, or because her resemblance to Regina was, she wasn't sure. The queen noticed at once and threw her head back, laughing loudly and deliciously. When she looked back at Emma, she was shaking her head.

"That's what I thought," she said. And then she turned to face Regina instead, a ball of fire in her own hand. At once Emma gasped, taking a step forward.

The queen grinned. "How about now?"

She pulled her arm back to throw the flames at Regina, but Emma got there first. She hurled her own fireball at the queen and watched, her heart pounding furiously, as the woman disappeared into smoke, the fire smashing into the grass where she'd been standing moments before.

Emma faltered, looking frantically around her with a dry mouth and trembling hands. The cemetery had fallen silent again and all she could hear was her own blood pounding through her temples.

Then a whispered voice came from behind her, only millimetres away from her ear.

"That's what I thought," the queen repeated, and as Emma spun around to face her, she disappeared once more, her cackling laughter wisping away on the wind.

Emma stood with her chest heaving up and down, her clenched fists quivering by her sides. She took a deep breath.

When she turned to face Regina, she was met with the exact expression of confusion and fury that she'd been expecting.

"What the hell was that about?"

Emma swallowed, reaching up to smooth down her hair.

"I have no idea," she said, trying to shrug. The wobble in her voice was obvious at once, and Regina scoffed.

"Don't you dare try that," she said, walking towards her. When Emma flinched, Regina felt her heart tremble slightly. She stopped in her tracks and tried again. "How long was I frozen for? What did she say to you?"

"Not long…" Emma said, pulling down on her sleeves. "And she didn't say much. Apart from that she wasn't going to kill you because she wasn't sure what would happen to her without you here."

Regina raised her eyebrows and took a step forwards, slower this time. "She froze me to the spot just so she could tell you that you don't have to worry about her killing me?"

Emma groaned to herself – she was normally much better at lying than this.

"She's messing with you," she eventually admitted. "She wants to pull you back over to the darkness."

"I think I could have guessed that much myself, Miss Swan," Regina said, and Emma could see the annoyance starting to build beneath her flushed cheeks. "She said something to you. I know it. Why was she looking at you like that? Why did she call you my pet?"

"It's nothing, Regina," Emma said. "She just… she was asking a lot of questions about you and me, and how you managed to become friends with the saviour. She could tell we are kind of… close. She thought it was funny, I guess."

Regina just stared at her for a moment, her eyes getting progressively darker as they darted furiously across Emma's face. When she finally spoke, it was like an explosion.

"What is wrong with you?" she all but screamed. "Emma. She is the Evil Queen. You can't just stand around chatting with her like this is some kind of goddamn PTA meeting."

Emma opened her mouth to defend herself, but Regina immediately cut across the top of her.

"No," she snapped. "This is typical you, Miss Swan. You drag me down here when I explicitly tell you it's a bad idea, and then when she freezes me to the ground you don't even try and help me – instead, you have a nice little chat with the person who's keeping me hostage and tell her all about the intimate details of my life."

Emma felt her cheeks turn red. "I didn't tell her anything."

"I'm sure you told her more than enough," Regina spat at her. "And she thinks we're close? I've never heard something so ridiculous in all my life. We aren't friends, and this is why we never will be – this is just another example of why I never should have decided to be nice to you. Now it's going to get me killed."

She had turned away before she'd even finished talking, and the heat of her words carried across the graveyard long after she had walked away. Emma stayed where she was, burning from the humiliation, and watched Regina drove away without looking back at her.