Once We are Descendants

Chapter 67: Heart to Heart

"Yes, Crystal that's fine," Regina says into her phone as she leans against her kitchen island. She has the ingredients for apple flavoured pancakes ready to mix as well as bacon ready to fry on the stove; all in preparation for the hungry teenagers who would no doubt be raiding her fridge within the next hour if she hadn't gotten up early. "I will get you the parts you need, but I don't want you going into my vault alone. The last time someone did that, Henry was nearly killed by those Agrabah vipers. There are too many things from my Evil Queen days that I can't even remember if they're dangerous or not. So just hold out until after breakfast."

As she listens to the other end of the line, Evie comes into the kitchen and sits on the opposite end of the kitchen island, waiting for Regina to finish. She's dressed in silk light purple pyjamas, which were not her usual style or colour, but they are comfortable, nonetheless. Many of the citizens of Storybrooke was asked to offer clothing and other essentials to the children while they were so far from home and while Evie appreciated the generosity, the styles could be updated a bit. She'd noticed through her time in the town that everything was from a different era... not medieval-like some of the things in Auradon, but still outdated. She'd have to ask around to find out when this town was created and whether anything had been updated since. She remembers from several of the stories that the first Dark Curse lasted for 28 years, and it's clear a lot had changed since then.

The daughter of the Evil Queen texts Mal, wanting to hear from her best friend. She had planned to stay up late and text Mal, but she had gone mysteriously silent for some unknown reason. Immediately, Evie suspected that it had something to do with Ben, as that was usually what happened with the two of them, and she hoped that it was positive. She did hope the two of them would get back together and mend the rift that had been created through a series of misunderstandings and interferences from other people, including Uma. She wanted them to be happy, celebrate the true love they shared.

She then begins scrolling through the pictures on her phone, smiling the entire time. There were photos of her and her four closest friends. The group at dances, parties, picnics, the movies, and even the time they had a giant water balloon fight on the campus lawn. The moments make her eyes almost tear up because of the happy memories and feelings that come flooding into her mind. She can't imagine life without them, they were the people who kept her grounded but also supported her in everything she did.

There are other pictures of her with some of the AKs like Ben, Jane, Lonnie, and even a few with Audrey and Chad, and there are several more with Dizzy. There are also pictures of the various outfits from her fashion company, including a full-fashion show that happened during the spring. But the ones she loved the most are of her and Doug, her real prince charming. There are photos of them sharing desserts, working on projects together, the time Doug accidentally set off a bad chemical reaction in the chemistry lab that left them with red faces from the residue, the two of them during the holidays, and some of them just having fun being with one another. Her smile is the widest when she goes through these images, memories that she will always cherish. She's so enthralled from walking down memory lane that she doesn't notice someone behind her.

"I'm guessing he's your one true love?"

Evie jumps, not realizing that Regina has been behind her for quite some time, mixing the pancake batter in her arms; and while it could be considered rude to be looking over someone's shoulder at their personal photographs, Regina only did it to get to know her alternate daughter better. She was curious about what the young girl's life was like at this Auradon place and based on the pictures she'd seen; it was clear Evie was her best self there, having everything she could ever want in life. It amazed the mayor of this town that this girl in front of her was the most amazing and gifted person she could have ever imagined.