What the Heart Wants (Sequel to Pixie Dust Never Lies)

Chapter 6

After everything that had happemed that night and early morning, Emma ordered me to sleep in. I wasn't going to argue; I was exhausted. I assumed that I would be tossing and turning again. That's why I was surprised when I laid my head on the pillow, and suddenly opened my eyes to the sun shining on my face. I glanced at the clock on my bed stand; it read 10:43.

"Damn!" I yelled under my breath. I threw the covers off of myself; immediately, goosebumps appeared on my exposed legs, but I didn't have time to worry about that. I was about to jump out of bed when I noticed a note on Emma's pillow.

Regina,

Don't worry about going into work today; I already called your office (I didn't know you had a secretary!), and everything is taken care of. Take the day off for once! I'm going to be out trying to find Cora, but if you wanted to drop off a grilled cheese and some root beer by the station at lunch, I wouldn't be too mad at that ;-)

Don't worry: I'll find Cora. Henry is with Mom and Dad, so he'll be safe. She won't be able to hurt us this time.

Love,
Emma

I finished reading the note and sighed. She should have just let me go to work. With my mother in town, we needed all the hands we could get. But, I had to admit, I was glad I actually got to sleep. I decided I wouldn't be too mad at her. I got up and started gathering my things to shower. At least I'd woken up in time to get ready.

As I ducked my head under the hot jets and lathered my hair, I relaxed. The steamy escape allowed me to think more clearly. I knew I had to figure out a way to stop my mother, and quickly. It could be done, but last time she was barely defeated, and she'd succeeded in manipulating me. I sighed. She already knew all of my weaknesses; she had raised me, for God's sake. But for all the years I'd known her, the only weakness I found in her was...me. Well, me and power. With her heart in her chest she would be more vulnerable, but would it be enough?

I realized that is been standing still in the shower for far too long at that point. I needed to get out and go see Emma. Besides, she was expecting food.

I went to Granny's and ordered her a crunchy chicken ranch wrap. It wasn't her favorite, but she had eaten a grilled cheese the day before. Contrary to what Emma would have me believe, grilled cheese has never been, and will never be a balanced meal. I paid for both of our lunches and walked to the sheriff's station. When I arrived, I saw David's truck parked in front. My shoulders slumped slightly in disappointment; I'd hoped that I would find her alone. The Charming's tended to get on my nerves a bit, and it could sometimes be difficult to talk to them; particularly David. Since he'd gotten a late start on the Dad-train, he made up for it whenever Emma had a date. Of course, he warmed up to me...mostly. It probably didn't help that we had a not-so-amazing history.

I heard the trio talking in low voices as I walked down the hall. They were soft enough that the sound of my heels clicking against the tile floor seemed to resonate through the entire building. As I got closer they suddenly became completely silent. Although it was a little odd, I didn't think much on it. I rounded the corner and was greeted by all three of them staring at me. Not just looking up at me: staring. I stopped where I was in the doorway, waiting for them to say something. They didn't. The awkward tension in the room could have been cut with a knife.

Finally, I cleared my throat. "I just came by to drop off Emma's lunch. If I've interrupted something-"

"Oh, no, Regina," Emma said, cutting me off. "You're fine. Stay and have lunch with me, please."

Although I could definitely tell that something was off, I couldn't say no. "Alright. I sat down and placed the bag on the table. Emma lunged for it, ripping out the contents like a child opening a present at Christmas.

Her face fell into a small pout when she found what was inside. "A wrap?" she asked.

"Don't look at me like that," I replied. "You had a grilled cheese yesterday. Besides, I still got you root beer and onion rings."

She shrugged her shoulders in agreement, and began devouring the wrap. She overestimated herself on her first bite, and stuffed half of the wrap in her face. When she lifted up her head, her cheeks were puffed out like a chipmunk, and all I could do was chuckle. After worrying all night long, it was really good to laugh even a little. Mary Margaret smiled faintly, but David's face remained serious and unchanged. His expression quickly sobered me, and my face fell. I started biting into my food, just to have something to do.

"Regina, what the hell is going on?" David suddenly said in a hard tone.

I swallowed the bite that was in my mouth, and tried to be calm. "Did Emma tell you what happened?"

"The basics, yes."

"Well, then you already know everything I do," I replied.

"That's not good enough!" he shouted.

"David!"
"Dad!"

He ignored Mary Margaret & Emma. "Why is she in Storybrooke? More importantly, how the hell is she alive?"

I took a deep breath, trying to keep my composure, even though I wanted to be yelling right back at him. "I don't know. She didn't tell me anything."

"Well, what did she say?"

"She said that she was sorry for everything she's done, and wanted to make up for it. Then, when she found out that Emma and I were married, she lost it. She said that it was an abomination and that if I couldn't see reason she'd 'knock it out of me,'" I said, using air quotes.

David nodded. Although he was still glaring at me, least he seemed to understand.

"So what does that mean for Emma?" Mary Margaret asked.

"I'm not sure," I answered, looking at the love of my life, "but knowing my mother, it's not good."

David gave a short laugh without humor. "Well, I'd say that was pretty obvious."

I forced a tight smile. Sometimes it was really hard not to punch David in the face.

"We need to make a plan," Mary Margaret said, probably trying to release the tension. It didn't work.

"I'm going to try to find something that will help us defeat her," I said, standing up and starting to gather my things.

"Wait, what?" Emma exclaimed. "Regina, we need to do this together!"

"She's right," Mary Margaret agreed. "We need to figure out how and why she's back!"

"Well, I think we already know why," I replied dryly. "To ruin my happiness again. As to how she's back, I'm sure you can find that without me. It will go a lot faster if we divide and conquer."

Mary Margaret wasn't convinced. "But what if she comes after you?"

"Don't worry about me. I can handle her." I wasn't so sure I could, but I definitely wasn't going to let them know that. "If you need me, you know how to reach me," I said, and walked out of the sheriff's station.