Reset

"Please don't," Regina chuckled throatily, "I'd love an escape, please, sit down," she gestured the comfortable looking tub chair opposite her desk.

Emma smiled and walked over to the chair and sat down, "what are you working on?"

"Taxes, new school curriculum funding, correcting the hospital equipment buy-back plan," Regina listed.

Emma frowned, "wait, you're.. doing town work?"

"Yes," Regina said as she shuffled papers around, "how did you think you got paid each month? The Mayor is a cricket."

"You're still doing the Mayor's job?" Emma blinked.

"Some of it, finances are not Archie's strong suit," Regina admitted.

"You're.. spending your evenings doing the town budget and finances?" Emma asked in surprise.

"Not all of them," Regina corrected, "but some, yes."

Emma smiled and shook her head, "they couldn't do it could they? They have no idea how to run this place do they?"

Regina grinned, "no, they took it all from me but then they questioned this and then that and before long it was just easier to do all the paperwork myself. I didn't have much else to do back then.."

Emma nodded her understanding and before she had a chance to respond Regina questioned, "how was your therapy session?"

"Painful," Emma winced.

"I thought it was supposed to help you not hurt you?" Regina asked with a frown.

"Apparently no pain no gain," Emma shrugged lightly, "it's okay, I'm getting there."

"Maybe I should revisit the injury," Regina offered.

"No, no way," Emma put her hands up, "I don't want you to hurt yourself like that again, I'm absolutely fine, I'll go through a few weeks of miserable PT and then I'll be fine."

Regina nodded, "if it doesn't get better in eight weeks then we'll revisit this conversation."

Emma had no intention of allowing Regina to harm herself any further on her behalf but she also had no intention of arguing with Regina either so she nodded an agreement.

"I told my parents that I am staying here," Emma said and watched Regina's expression with interest.

"I see, should I expect Charming to crash through the window with his sword soon?" Regina raised an eyebrow.

"No, they seemed.. strangely fine, even happy, about it," Emma replied.

"Maybe your mother's pregnancy hormones haven't allowed her to accurately process it yet," Regina pointed out.

"Possibly," Emma said, "by the way, do you know John Battle?"

Regina nodded, "I do."

"His son was the boy," Emma told her.

"The one who left you?" Regina clenched her fist on the desk and Emma nodded, "John Battle was one of my finest soldiers."

Emma looked at Regina and realised that those words coming from the woman in front of her seemed so strange and out of context. The woman in front of her wore a soft lilac sweater, had gently flowing locks of hair pushed behind her ears and wore glasses as she worked on paperwork by a dim desk lamp and was bathed in the flickering glow of the flames from the fireplace. To think she had commanded an army seemed preposterous.

"I didn't know he had a son," Regina whispered softly, "but then I didn't care much for anyone then."

"He works at the cannery, I haven't spoken to him yet, I'm going to do some more digging and see what I can find," Emma told her, "plenty of kids claim their parents harm them but it doesn't mean it's true."

"Some children claim their mother is the Evil Queen," Regina looked at Emma with a knowing look before standing up, "it's late, I should be getting to bed."

Emma stood up and watched as Regina used magic to extinguish the flames in the fireplace, "I'm sorry if Grace kept you awake last night," Regina said as they started to turn lights off in the hallway.

"I was already awake, I didn't sleep too well," Emma admitted as the climbed the stairs, "in fact," she hesitated and then shook her head, "no, never mind."

"What is it?" Regina asked her softly.

They stopped at the top of the stairs and Emma folded her arms and looked down at her feet as she muttered, "you know.. when.. you drugged me?"

Regina smirked, "I used magic to make you sleep, yes?"

"When.." Emma paused and took a deep breath, "when you did that, I slept better than I had in ages.. I.. well.."

"You'd like me to magic you to sleep again?" Regina looked surprised.

"Could you do that?" Emma asked quietly.

"Yes, of course, if you trust me to?" Regina said.

"Yes," Emma nodded, "I do trust you, I just want some sleep, some uninterrupted sleep with no nightmares.."

Regina nodded, "I understand, how long do you need to prepare for bed?"

"Ten minutes?" Emma shrugged.

"Go and get ready and I'll come in in ten minutes," Regina promised.

"You don't mind?" Emma asked, "this won't hurt you will it?"

Regina pushed her up the corridor gently, "I don't mind and it won't hurt, myself or you, now go and get ready."