herroyaldarkness:

What could Regina possibly say to the woman in a moment like this? She knew all too well the sting of a child’s rejection – perhaps in the opposite way, yes, but the hurt was just the same. Having the son she had raised turn on her and claim she wasn’t his mother was no different than the child Maleficent must have dreamt of for decades have so little to offer the woman who had given her life. With a deeply furrowing brow, and an ache in her chest, Regina stepped out fully to help lead Maleficent into her home. This was a personal matter for the woman, and not something that needed to be witnessed by the whole of Mifflin street. 

As soon as the door closed behind them, Regina was pulling Maleficent into a hug. The gesture was still, in a way, foreign to her. Henry and Robin being obvious exceptions, but there were no words that would do justice to what Maleficent must be feeling, and Regina saw no reason to pretend as though there were. She only hoped the gesture would translate. After all, affection hadn’t ever been either of their strong suits.

Her arms wound securely around Maleficent, one hand gently rubbing the other woman’s back as the stood, her eyes closing as she exhaled softly and surrendered herself fully to the embrace. She didn’t quite understand why Maleficent had chosen to come to her, especially considering the state of affairs between them since the night spent in her vault, but she was not going to let her leave believing Regina did not care.

   ❝ It’s going to be alright. ❞ 

She found herself saying in a soft voice, surprised by her own delicacy, then pulling Maleficent even tighter as she spoke. ❝ Lily is — confused, I’m sure. Not only has she gained a mother, she’s gained an entirely new heritage. I can’t imagine what effects the magic of Storybrooke may be having on her, especially if she’s anything like you. But I am certain that once she sees the love you hold, and comes to know the woman you are, that a week will quickly prove to be anything but enough time. ❞ 

The whole thing was foreign to her. The way Regina seemed to snap into some mode of care, of protection, and all for Maleficent’s sake. And even more foreign was the way that she simply let her do so. She followed as she was guided into the house, even when she was pulled into an embrace, a hug, something she hadn’t experienced in longer than she could remember really, nearly long enough to forget what she was meant to do in return. But after a moment it slowly came back, and despite her reservations, soon she was returning the gesture.

It was awkward, in a way, but at the same time, comforting. Not having been touched at all in years it was difficult at first to give herself over to it, like it somehow might sting if she allowed it to be anything more. And yet after a long beat, and Regina’s only hugging tighter, she found herself nearly melting into it. Touch was one thing, embrace was decidedly another. It dawned on her suddenly that the last person to hug her had likely been Regina herself. But that was a lifetime ago now.

Hearing her speak she let the words sink in. She heard no lie in them, no sign of some old obligation bringing them forth. They sounded genuine and like they too were meant to comfort her, and that made her stay in Regina’s embrace just a moment longer; before she was slowly pulling herself free.

“You sound very certain of that. But for once I can’t say I share your confidence. I’m not as terrifying as I once was. Even Lily seemed – unimpressed.” There was no humor in the laugh that followed, an empty, hollow sound that almost hurt to emit. “She…said things. That no one has ever had the gall to say to me, but I can’t say she was wrong. She wasn’t wrong. Maybe that’s what makes this so hard.” Her gaze dropped down toward her hands, her brow wrinkling pitifully as she fought more tears. Despite their talk in the forest she still wondered if she even had a chance at proving to her daughter that she was still needed, that she had anything to offer her at all.

Her brow wrinkled once again, even more painfully as she fought the swell of emotion in her chest. She wasn’t used to being so open, despite what Lily had said. And now it was as if she’d broken open a damn that just refused to quit flowing. It threatened to drown her with its might, swallow her within a wave and drag her into unknown depths. Where she might never be heard from again.

Keeping her gaze averted she wiped quickly at her cheek to banish some of the tears there, though they were replaced just as fast as she could swipe them away. “And, she’s already turned.” She added, a tearful smile showing itself for a moment, but then just as quickly it was only tears.

“We- I found her. She’s okay but, I don’t think I am.”

herroyaldarkness:

Regina had been determined to give Maleficent her space. She knew better than most how —- difficult a situation like this could be to navigate. She’d seen the girl, Maleficent’s child, reuniting with her mother only at a distance, and quickly found other ways to occupy herself. Seeing the two of them together stirred something deep within Regina’s chest that she found unsettling and very much unwanted. Desperate not to further examine the stirrings, she tried to put the pair from her mind. It would be selfish of her to ask anything of Maleficent at a time like this, much less to have expectations. Whatever was brewing between them had survived this long, and getting in the way of something so personal was hardly going to help the cause.  

It wasn’t as if she were completely alone, either. Henry had stayed with her while Emma fetched the girl, and for a time he sufficed to keep her completely engaged. Talk of the author abounded, and what she would want written when he was found. Yet, he’d left now, skipped back over to his other home to hear all the stories Emma, still not darkened, had to tell of her journey to fetch a dragon’s spawn. With the house empty once more, Regina found herself torn. Conflicted. She scrolled her phone once, then twice, staring at the number she’d programmed in, only to set the device back down. She’d already begun to move on from Robin, in small ways, but when she was left to the merciless clutches of silence, somehow determination lost much of its punch against the creeping memories that she kept caged behind rusting bars in her mind. And to speak of memories, she had to also face the once newly escaped. Maleficent was after all, much more than a mere friend.

Sat on edge of her couch, Regina let out a long sigh, giving a dismal and dissatisfied glower to the untouched glass of wine sat upon her coffee table, now warm from neglect. Alcohol did little to sate the aches with her, if anything it merely numbed the edges of her mind. Forced her to stop thinking about the countless things she’d never be able to change, and the even more innumerable things that haunted her past. It was as her hand moved to lift the glass that the doorbell chimed, stilling the motion before she could succumb to the self pitying indulgence. A frown creased her brow as she stood, feet moving with a haste as she reached her foyer within moments. Peering out the door’s peephole, she was shocked to see Maleficent standing there, alone, no less. 

Without a moment’s hesitation she opened the door, concern gripping her features as she saw the state the woman was in. She could not recall any time in her long and sordid history with Maleficent that she’d ever witnessed the other woman crying. 

                   ❝ Maleficent? ❞ 

She spoke cautiously, glancing each way out her door as she stepped nearer to the woman, a singly hand reaching out tentatively to lay gently on her arm. She could only guess what might have put the woman in such a state, and not one of them were good. How could they be? Maleficent was one of the strongest people Regina had ever known. To see her reduced to something so… pitiable was nothing short of alarming.

                                      ❝ What’s happened? ❞

Somehow even through the thick pine door the sound of the doorbell made her head throb. A deep and dull resonance that echoed louder than made any sense. By the time the door swung open Maleficent had almost forgotten why she’d come there in the first place, and had forgotten exactly what sort of state she had come there in. Her lips parted softly as if to speak but for the longest moment she couldn’t form words. She’d come here for solace, for something she wasn’t sure why she thought she’d receive and yet somehow the look Regina gave her, the hand that touched her arm in some manner of comfort made it almost achingly clear she could have anything she needed here. And that thought alone stalled her voice for another beat.

Her lips pursed together, head nodding side to side like she were trying to deny what she knew was obvious to the other woman. She was hurting, confused, and somehow here, this place, this woman was what she ran to. Drawing in a breath through her nose, she kept her arms crossed tightly in front of herself, and yet despite the defensive posture she finally spoke, in a way that was both honest and desperate not to be turned away.

“Lily, she — she gave me a week, to stay here to, be her mother. A week Regina. I only have a week to spend with my child.”

Tears cut through an already broken tone, splitting her words as they flowed freely down her cheeks. Her eyes stayed cast down at first but slowly they worked their way up, staring at Regina in some silent plea for – something. Advice, a distraction, even she didn’t know what she needed. All she knew was there was no one else here who she could or ever had trusted, and no matter how complicated things were between them now, she was the only one capable of providing either one.

   "I don’t know how to be a mother, I just know now I can’t be anything but.“

One week. They’d agreed, she’d agreed. One week in Storybrooke and they would see how things went. And yet, once they’d left the forest it wasn’t exactly all she had hoped for. Lily wanted time, space, a place to sleep, and while Maleficent was still new to this world herself she’d offered what she could; Gold’s cabin was as good as hers now with Ursula and Cruella gone.

     "I know you’re my mother, but I can take care of myself.“

It was hard not to cry, again, she’d been waiting so long for this, and now she just had to wait a little longer. Answering with a nod she agreed to meet for breakfast in the diner, and see where the day took them from there. Despite that promise somehow it felt like she was losing her all over again, offering a pathetic wave as she watched Lily make her way through the diner door. She almost couldn’t bear it. And the thought of how many hours now laid between seeing her again made it feel even more impossible. She had so many questions, there was so much to learn and time was well, ticking. But there was nothing she could do about it now. It would be worse to smother the girl and have her running for the townline even faster.

Sniffling slightly as she turned down Storybrooke’s main road, she made it about four sturdy steps before a soft sob escaped. Her hand was drawn up to her lips to quiet it, the other pressing against her abdomen as she felt almost sick with emotion. This wasn’t like her, but then she’d never had the chance to know what she might be like as a mother. There was an emptiness that ached inside her, seeing her daughter but not knowing her at all. And now she couldn’t even do the former. Fourteen hours laid between her now and when she would see her again, and it just felt so much longer.

Before anyone could have the chance to witness her display she blinked as far as her magic could take her. Unfortunately that method of travel was not as efficient as she would have wished it, and she wound up only a block down the street. Pulling her coat tight around herself she resigned to walk the rest of the way, as she had not the energy or focus to get there otherwise. Once the white house had come into view she gave one more push, appearing on the front porch, her finger already on the doorbell.