A/N:This chapter is a bit shorter than the rest, I hope you can forgive me. It contains a major turning point in the story, so I hope that makes up for the length
Chapter 6
Regina could smell her surroundings before she could see them. The familiar smell of the stables made her heart skip a beat for a moment, remembering a time when she sat in that very spot, cradling Daniel's body. It felt like a lifetime ago.
"Hello Regina." A familiar voice sounded behind her, pulling her from her thoughts. She turned around to face Snow White, standing behind her in the doorway of the stables, her hands raised in a symbol of surrender.
"Follow me." Regina said, walking towards the woman. Her dress was large and long, the corset on top was tightly laced around her body, and the collar moved behind her head as she walked. After spending over thirty years in Storybrooke, Regina didn't realize how much she missed her powerful dresses from her time as Queen. She lifted the front of her dress as she walked past Snow White, leading her away from the stables.
"Do you remember when I ran down your runaway horse, Snow?" Regina asked, leading Snow White to the top of a hill. "Do you remember when I saved your life?"
"Of course." Snow White responded, looking around. "It all looks the same."
"Not quite." Regina said, looking down at the stone placed in the ground before them. "This is new."
"Is that..." Snow started to ask.
"A grave..." Regina said, pausing to collect herself. "...Daniel's grave..."
"Daniel...but I thought..." Snow said, her eyes filled with sadness as she looked over at Regina.
"You thought he ran away?" Regina asked, already knowing the answer to the question. "I told you that to spare your feelings, out of...kindness." Regina said, her eyes burning as she looked over at the woman who would one day bring Emma into the world. "But he died because of you."
"I'm..." Snow stammered. "I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry too." Regina said. "But nothing can change what happened. What you did. You promised to keep my secret. You promised, but you lied."
"I was very young, and your mother..." Snow said, defending her younger self.
"She ripped his heart out because of you. Because you couldn't listen to me." Regina yelled, getting caught in reliving the moment.
"You took my father. Haven't we both suffered enough?" Snow asked, her voice sounding tired. Tired of all the fighting.
"No!" Regina yelled, taking a deep breath. "Yes..." she added, as she reached into the satchel she held.
"What is that?" Snow asked, as she watched Regina pull something out.
"It's just a morsel." Regina said, looking down at the perfect red apple in her hand. "Did you know that apples stand for health and wisdom?" Regina asked, getting pulled back into reliving the moment.
"Then why do I get the feeling that one might kill me?" Snow asked quickly, cutting Regina off, her eyes fierce with anger.
"It won't kill you..." Regina said, lifting the apple to meet Snow's gaze. "No, what it will do is far worse. Your body will be your tomb, and you'll be in there with nothing but dreams formed of your own regrets."
"You're going to force me to eat it?" Snow asked, her voice sounding disappointed.
"No." Regina said, shaking her head, as she pulled herself out of the memory, remembering what she was there to do. "No, Snow, this apple isn't for you. Not anymore." Regina added, her demeanor changing drastically.
"Regina, what are you saying?" Snow asked, the anger falling from her face as she watched the sorrow rush across Regina's face.
"We've been fighting for so long, Snow..." Regina said, taking a deep breath.
"Yes, we certainly have been." Snow agreed.
"I need you to listen to me." Regina said, taking a step closer to Snow. "Soon, you're going to have a child. A little girl, with blonde hair and green eyes."
"Regina...how do you know..." Snow asked, her eyes wide with shock. "I'm not pregnant."
"No, not now. But soon you will be. Sooner than anticipated after today." Regina said, looking down at the ground. "Cherish her. Protect her. Keep her safe. She's going to grow up to become the most amazing woman in all the realms." Regina said, her eyes soft and filled with tears.
"Regina?" Snow asked, confused.
"I need to save her, Snow. I need to save her, because I Love her. I'm in Love with her, and I need to save her from...from me..." Regina said, tears streaming down her face.
"Regina, what are you talking about? You're not making sense. How can you be in Love with someone who doesn't exist yet?" Snow asked, now concerned about Regina.
"That doesn't matter. What matters is that I finally realize something. Something that I should have realized a long time ago...when it mattered. I'm in Love with her, Snow. I'm in Love with her, and this is the only way I can save her. I've failed too many times. This time...this time I'm going to succeed." Regina said, her tears falling on exposed skin on her chest. "Even if it means losing her forever."
"Regina? What are you saying? What are you doing?" Snow asked, her face scared again.
"Love her, Snow. Love her the way she always deserved to be Loved." Regina said, her voice catching in her throat. "And make sure she finds someone and falls in Love. Someone who can Love her the way I never had the opportunity to."
"Regina!" Snow screamed, as she watched Regina with unblinking eyes.
Regina took a bite of the poisoned apple.
Regina's eyes went wide instantly, as her chest struggled to take a deep breath. Snow stood in shock as she watched Regina's eyes roll into the back of her head, her body collapsing suddenly, hitting the ground hard, the apple that was previously clutched tightly in her hand rolled halfway down the hill.
A/N: Regina ate the apple!!!! This changes everything!!!!!
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