Olivia stood on the sidewalk gathering her courage. She shook her head clearing her thoughts. She did this everyday, walking up to random houses everyday. But this was different. This house felt strangely familiar. This house could hold her answers.
Putting on a mask of firm resolve she opened the waist high wrought-iron gate, and made her way to the Door. Ringing the doorbell the stepped back. Waiting a minute she brought her hand up to knock when she heard someone approaching the door. The locks kirplunked, and the door opened.
Standing before her was a woman, probably mid thirties. Dark hair, dark eyes, mirroring her expression of shock and disbelief. Olivia knew this woman. She was an older version of Regina, from the pictures and letters. However, she was the same woman from her dream.
"I, um. My name is um-" Olivia struggled, not finding the right words, far from her usually confident, and self assured personality.
"Olivia?" Regina whispered, "is it really you dear?" She asked, gently caressing Olivia' s cheek.
"My name is Olivia Benson, yes." She said, wringing her hands.
"Please, come in!" Regina said pulling her inside, and into a tight embrace. "You must be incredibly confused." Regina took her hand and led her into through the house, and into a room with a couch, that faced two arm chairs, with a coffee table in between. Regina and Olivia sat on the edge of the couch facing each other.
"Would you like some cider, or wine?" Regina asked.
"Wine please." Olivia managed. When Regina returned with two glasses of wine, she took her spot facing Olivia.
"Olivia, do you know who I am?" Regina asked making eyes contact, dark brown, on chocolate brown.
"You're Regina, my mother's sister, I think." She said, sipping her wine.
"She didn't tell you?" Regina said a look of annoyance passed her beautiful features. Features a lot like her own, Olivia took note. "Olivia, I'm not your mother's sister. I'm your mother's daughter. There were three of us, myself, Serena, and you. Olivia Dear, we're sister's." Suddenly thoughts buzzed through her head. Olivia was overwhelmed with realizations; she was raised by her sister, she had been to storybrooke before, Regina was definitely older than she looked, who was her, rather their mother? and Olivia was sure she'd been in this room before.
Olivia stood up. Overwhelmed by this new knowledge, and by all the questions racing through her mind. "I was raised by my sister? That's not possible." Nothing made sense in this town, it was like laws of nature didn't apply here. If Serena really was her sister, then Regina had to be older than she looked. Olivia tried to do calculations in her head, but her thoughts were slowly becoming a muddled mess. *darned wine* she thought. She leaned her forearm on her the mantel.
"I know this must be terribly confusing, dear. But it will make sense in time." Regina took Olivia's hand and led her the tall backed arm chair, and sat her down. Sitting on the edge of the coffee table she continued. "Serena was never going to be happy with us. She couldn't be satisfied with the gift she had, she always wanted more. She wouldn't accept who she was, and would never be accepting of what we are. Before we were born our mother was told that her children would be powerful, but the last born would be the greatest and most talented of all. When you were born Serena was mad with jealousy. Always arguing with mother, finally she ran away. She said she was going to find a land without magic. And as a final, brutal stab in the back she took you with her. You both were swept up in the curse, along with every one else. Because you were just an infant, your alternate reality, was your reality.
"So what are we? And what are these talents?" Olivia closed her eyes. Her head and her heart were at war. Ever since she had found that postcard her world had been turned upside down. She no longer felt like the self assured woman who took down the world's worst on a regular basis, but instead a confused little girl. This whole thing is crazy, she's a police officer, for goodness sake. She was the root of logic, yet everything she knew to be truth was fighting with what this this stranger was saying. Fighting against what her heart knew had to be right.
"Every woman in our family is born with magic inside of her, it's in our blood, who we are. If taught and mastered we have the potential to be very powerful. And you my dear, are the more powerful than we could ever imagine."
"Right." Olivia said, smirking and raising an eyebrow.
"Olivia, will you try something for me? Even if you think it's ridiculous?"
"Um, I guess?" Olivia replied slightly worried.
"Lean back, relax, and close your eyes," Regina said gently pushing Olivia's shoulders back into the chair, "remember your dream from last night. Focus on our mother's face. The way she looked at you. Focus on that. When you reach up and touch her face. She leans down and kisses your forehead, focus on that moment."
In her mind Olivia pictured the scene from her dream. Cora holding her close. Looking at her like she was a gift. Looking at her like Serena never did. Like a mother looks at a daughter. The bond was strong, and the love deep. The love she felt penetrated every longing she'd ever had, every hug Serena never gave her. Every maternal need fulfilled. In that one instant.
"Livvy." Regina said, sounding far away. Olivia opened her eyes shocked to see she was not only standing, but levitating inches off the ground. She was surrounded by a glowing, swirling, white light. Her hair splayed out, as if she were under water.
"Trust your instincts." Regina said as she made a gesture with her hand, as if she were holing a baseball, a green light glowed in her hand. Regina threw it.
