— I’m not. But enough of you have risked your lives because of something that’s between the Queen and me. I won’t let anyone else get hurt because of me, — said Snow. — I’m not asking I thank you all for your support, and I love each and every one of you. But this is something I have to do. Alone.
She pushed past the dwarfs, looked back at her friends once more, and smiled. They were her family. They were strong. They believed in her. She loved them.
— I don’t trust the Queen, — said Red.
— I know, — said Snow. — Neither do I.
She smiled one last smile and walked out the door.
It was not a long trip. Snow left at dawn, and an hour before dusk, she was approaching the estate where Regina had grown up, and where Snow had spent so much time as a little girl. So much had happened since those days! And she was here again. So much stronger than she had ever been. So much more in possession of herself. Even after her father had died — after Regina had killed her father — Snow White had been unable to see the forest for the trees and had been too scared and too intimidated by the size of the world to push back against it, to demand justice, to unseat Regina when she deserved to be unseated. Right then and there. In a strange twist of fate, it had taken all of this — her time alone as a bandit, her friendship with Red and the dwarfs, and her love for Charming — for her to really come into herself. For her to be able to confront the Queen now. Funny how things tended to work out.
She tied her horse at the front of the estate and went on foot to the stables, where she knew Regina would be waiting for her.
And she was. Snow saw her on the top of the hill, watching as Snow approached. Snow walked resolutely, her head up, her eyes locked on Regina’s.
— Hello, Regina, — she said once she’d reached her.
Regina looked down the hill.
— Do you remember when I ran down your runaway horse? — she asked. — Do you remember when I saved your life?
— Of course, — said Snow. — It all looks the same.
— Not quite, — Regina said. — This is new.
Snow looked to where Regina was pointing — a mound of grass with a simple marker. She realized what it was.
— A grave? — she asked.
— A grave, — Regina repeated. — Daniel’s grave.
— Daniel? — Snow asked, suddenly realizing the true extent of what she had done as a child. — I thought he ran away.
— Ran away? I told you that to spare your feelings. Out of… kindness, — Regina spat. — But he died. Because of you.
Years. It had been years that she’d assumed that Daniel was somewhere safe. This changed everything.
— I’m… so sorry, — Snow said. — I was very young, and your mother…
— …ripped his heart out in front of me. Because of you. Because you couldn’t keep a secret.
— And you, — said Snow, — killed my father, and took him from me. Haven’t we both suffered enough?
— No, — said the Queen.
The word hung in the air between the two women. After a moment, then, Regina withdrew a red apple from a black satchel.
— Did you know that apples stand for health and wisdom? — she said, admiring it.
Snow did not like the look of the apple. Not one bit.
— Why do I think it would kill me if I ate it? — Snow said warily.
— It won’t kill you, — said Regina. — No, what it will do is far worse. Your body will be your tomb, and you’ll be in there with nothing but the dreams formed of your own regrets. — The Queen smiled at the apple.
— You’re going to force me to eat it.
— No, of course not, — said Regina. — That would be barbaric. And it wouldn’t work anyway. The choice is yours. It must be taken willingly.
— And why would I eat it?
— Because if you refuse the apple, then your Prince Charming will be killed.
She had known it was coming, but hearing the Queen say it made her imagine his death, and along with that came a glimmer of the feeling. Agony. Years — decades — of agony. It would not be worth it to live like that anyway. She was trapped.
— As I said, the choice is yours, — said the Queen.
— I take it and he lives? — Snow said. — That’s the deal?
— That is the deal.
Snow nodded, took a breath.
— Then congratulations, — she said. — You’ve won.
Snow took a step forward and took the apple, and without another moment’s hesitation, she bit into it.
She chewed slowly, looking at the Queen, waiting for the pain to come. And when it did, it came all at once, rushing over her chest. She dropped the apple; she felt her eyes go wide and her legs quiver. Regina smiled through it all.
The last thing Snow saw were blades of grass; the last she heard was a quiet laugh from the Queen.
Emma stopped on the middle of Mifflin, gathered herself, and approached Regina’s home. Before she pressed the doorbell, a thought struck her: It’s not just Regina’s home. It’s Henry’s.
Regina answered the door wearing an apron and holding a spatula. She looked genuinely surprised to see Emma.
— We need to talk, — Emma said.
— Yes, — said Regina. — I imagine we do. Come right in. — Emma remembered the first time she’d been here, which was the night she arrived in town. Everything looked the same, and yet virtually everything had changed. From the kitchen, the smell of something — pie or some other pastry — filled the whole first floor with a warm, inviting scent. She didn’t trust the feeling it evoked.
— Look, — Emma said to Regina, who was waiting patiently. — This isn’t easy. But I think this — whatever it is between us — needs to end.
— At last, something we can agree on, — Regina said dryly.
— I want to make a deal. About Henry.
— What kind of deal? — Regina said cautiously.
— I’m leaving town, — said Emma.
— What? — Now Regina looked absolutely befuddled. Emma enjoyed catching the woman off guard, although this time it was bittersweet.
— This? What we’re doing? It’s a problem. — Emma pointed from Regina to herself. — I’m going to go. But there are conditions. I still get to see Henry. Visit, spend time. Whatever. And you promise not to hurt anyone again. Not David, not Mary Margaret. No one.
— I never hurt anyone, — said Regina.
— Then it’s an easy promise to make, — said Emma.
Regina looked dubious. She crossed her arms.
— Do you expect me to believe you’re really giving up? — she said.
— I’m not giving up, — Emma responded. — I’m doing what I’ve always done. I’m doing what’s best for Henry. The only way for us to stop fighting is… for us to stop fighting.
— You’re right, — Regina said. — It has to end.
— So then let’s make it easy, — Emma said. — I go back to Boston. You get Henry.
— And you still get to see him. You’re still in his life.
— Let’s be honest. We both know the world where I’m not in his life no longer exists, — Emma said. — There’s nothing anyone can do about that.
She took a deep breath, then nodded.
— Fine, — Regina said. — You’re right. Would you mind following me for a moment?
Regina led Emma into the kitchen, where the temperature was a little higher. The place, Emma had to admit, was a real home. A clean, safe home. The lights were bright, and when Regina went to the oven, Emma watched as she pulled out a crisp, steaming apple turnover. There is no chance in hell, Emma thought, I could cook something like that.