A Second Chance

Chapter 6

Some time ago in Wish Realm Neverland

Emma and Wish Regina we're running through the forest, lost boys hot on their tail. Every so often and arrow would whiz by, missing them by inches.

"Great plan, your Majesty." Emma snipped as she tried not to trip over the branches on the ground.

"It would have been if you had any idea how to follow instructions. I should have left you tied to that tree." she snipped back. Emma rolled her eyes as she tried to catch up.

"I thought these kids were your friends!" Emma yelled ahead as Regina gained a few more steps on her.

"Not all of them!" she yelled back.

"We'll never out run them. Those arrows are getting closer every time." Emma said.

"You're right, we won't...hold on!" she said.

"Hold on to what?" Emma asked.

"Just hold on..." Regina said as she stopped, turned around and grabbed Emma's arm in one fluid motion, pulling her down.

"What are you..." Emma never got a chance to finish because the next thing she knew, she was falling. The ground had seemingly just vanished from under them. After a moment, they landed with a thud, Emma partially on top of Regina. Regina groaned and pushed Emma off. They laid their on their backs a moment in silence, until Regina back handed her with a glove. It made a slapping noise that might have been funny in a different situation.

"Idiot." she deadpanned without even looking or moving.

"I'm the idiot? I'm not the one who just threw us into a hole in the ground." she spit back, also not moving.

"I just saved your ass, a thank you would be nice." she replied.

"I'll try to remember to thank you once I can breath again." she said sarcastically. They stared up in silence for a moment.

"I almost had him." Regina said quietly.

"What?" Emma asked, surprised by her sudden change in tone.

"I was so close to capturing Pan, I could have finally been rid of this place...and now...now he'll be more ready for me than ever. I exposed myself. I don't think I'll ever get that close again." she explained. "Without his powers... I'm stuck here."

"I'm stuck here too." she sympathized as she finally moved to lean on her arm and look over at Regina.

"Yeah, but you just got here." she said mirroring Emma's position. "Me... I've been here for 35 years. So don't pretend you understand." she struggled a bit and stood, brushing the dirt off herself. Emma followed suit. Emma came up behind her and put a hand on her arm.

"I'm sorry, you're right... that's...a really long time." Emma said. Regina didn't move.

"When I first got here, all I wanted was revenge, but now...all I want is to get out of this...prison." she said. Emma was caught off gaurd. In all the time she'd been stuck in Neverland with this other Regina, she'd never divulged anything resembling feelings. It was always just facts and sarcasm, and the occasional insult.

"We will. You just gotta have hope." Emma said.

"For me, hope has always been a four letter word. It's only ever made things worse." Regina said. She then realized Emma was staring at her and it made her self conscious about the truth she just let slip. She subtly, but not without notice, pulled her arm away from Emma's touch. "Is there a problem?" she asked defensively.

"What?" Emma said, snapping out of her trance.

"You were staring at me." Regina explained.

"Oh, sorry. It's just....you remind me of someone I know." she said. The longer Emma spent with this Regina, the more the lines began to blur between her and the Regina she'd come to think of as family. She wasn't exactly the same, but there were some similarities there that we're so strong she could swear her Regina was standing in front of her.

"Does that person also think you're an idiot." Regina asked.

"Most of the time." Emma said frankly. Then, despite her instincts, Regina laughed. It was a small laugh, but it meant much more than what one could see on the surface. Emma had made a crack in her wall.

"So who is it? This person I remind you of." Regina asked.

"She's uh...the woman who adopted my son." Emma had told her everything already, well at least the shorthand of it, being careful to leave out all the elements of the curse and anything that might give away her true identity.

"Renee right?" Regina asked, recalling what Emma had told her.

"Right." Emma said, trying not to cringe at it. She'd almost called her Regina in her story and had to correct it midway through. It was the first thing that popped into her head.

"You must hate me then." she said.

"I don't hate her at all, or you." she replied.

"You told me she tried to poison you." she said.

"Yeah well, nobody's perfect." Emma said.

"You forgave her?" Regina asked, not really believing.

"Everyone deserves a second chance, and she earned it...and then some." Emma explained.

"Not everyone is as forgiving as you." Regina said.

"No, but not everyone needs to be. You only need to find one." Emma said.

"And this Renee, she's your friend now?" Regina asked.

"My family." she corrected.

"Your son?" she wondered.

"We're both his mother." she said. Regina lifted an eyebrow. "Not like that." she cast off the idea.

"Right." Regina was unconvinced.

"So how do we get out of here?" Emma changed the subject.

"We don't. The only way out is the way we came in. Rufio uses this as a hiding place from Pan, he takes the ladder with him when he leaves." Regina informed.

"What! So we're just stuck down here!" Emma started to panic.

"Relax. It's just until morning. I left him a message. He'll get us out." Regina said. She went into a corner and pulled out a large box. She opened it and pulled out some blankets and a flint to start a fire with. She tossed Emma a blanket. "Might want to get comfortable." Emma grunted. She made a spot for herself in the least rocky part of the hole she could find while Regina lit the fire. After Emma laid down Regina laid her blanket right next to hers. Emma looked over confused. "It's gonna get cold down here." she said. Emma said nothing, not sure if she even minded.