Earlier that morning, Regina had spent close to an hour waiting for the blonde to meet her at the diner. She half wished she had opted for a bath instead of a shower but she didn’t want to rush the Sheriff as seeing Henry die was a lot to process. She decided to use the time to think of a plan to get her mother’s spell book from the Dark One.

She knew that going straight to Gold was not an option. He had made it really clear that he wanted her to suffer this curse. It would have been easier if she had the location of the book then maybe she could try to get it while the old man was away.

Just as she was sipping her black coffee, she overheard Grandmother Lucas and her granddaughter, Ruby, arguing over Belle. The mayor eavesdropped on their conversation.

“Do you even know where she’s from?” the old woman asked curtly.

“It doesn’t matter! It’s not like she is a serial killer or anything!” the waitress exclaimed. Half the diner turned at the word ‘serial killer’.

“That girl is clearly running away from something and from my experience that never turn out well.” Ruby’s grandmother replied as she threw up her hands in exasperation and exited into the kitchen.

The lanky waitress grumbled and grabbed the two plates of food sitting on the counter.

Belle has left Rumple! Regina thought to herself. She can use this to her advantage. She waited patiently for Emma to come from the hospital.

Emma finally appeared, looking sullen and pale as death. The blonde’s eyes swept across the diner, spotting the mayor sitting at a corner table near the glass window.

The sheriff dragged her tired frame over to where Regina sat and dropped herself onto the seat across from the brunette. She was exhausted. The weight of seeing the cold kiss of death on her son’s face weighed heavily upon her shoulders.

“Emma, why don’t you order? You’ll feel a little better once you’ve eaten.” Regina gently suggested to the miserable blonde.

Emma nodded in agreement and the mayor waved to Ruby, who sashayed over, a notepad and a pencil in hand.

“The usual, Emma?” Ruby asked even before the blonde opened her mouth.

“Yeah… extra cream and extra cinnamon on the cocoa.” The sheriff smiled weakly.

“Sure thing, Em! Anything else for you Madame Mayor?” Ruby turned to Regina sweetness dripping out of her smile.

“No, I’m fine, thanks.” The mayor replied dismissively.

The waitress shrugged and left the table, leaving Regina to her coffee and Emma to her thoughts.

The two women sat in silence as they waited for Emma’s order to arrive. Minutes later, the bubbly waitress returned with a plate of steaming hot grilled cheese sandwiches, a cup of black coffee and a cup of hot cocoa with extra whipped cream and extra cinnamon.

Ruby laid out the plate of food and the cocoa in front of Emma, and placed the black coffee in front of the mayor. Regina raised an eyebrow at the extra cup of coffee.

“The one you’re nursing looks cold.” Ruby said with a smile. She seemed extra cheery than usual despite the argument that morning with her grandmother. The older woman nodded her thanks and the waitress left the table.

Emma absentmindedly stirred her drink in silence. Regina let the grieving mother mourn her son’s death. She leaned back and looked out the window, hoping the quiet provided the blonde the space she needed.

After the sheriff had adequately processed her feelings over her son’s death and drank half of her cocoa, she looked up at the brunette before her and took a deep breath.

“So… you said you have a plan to bring him back?” Emma asked.

Regina looked up into the blonde’s deep green eyes. They were hardened with pain. The brunette nodded and slowly but meticulously began to explain her plan to get the magic book while the blonde took a bite out of her now cold grilled cheese sandwich.

“You want me to do what?!” Emma nearly choked on her sandwich.

“Emma please… I know Gold has the book and this may be the only way to get it.” The mayor pleaded. “We’ll wait for Belle to come to the diner and have her meal. She has never met you before so it’ll be perfect.” Regina continued in a hushed whisper as she noticed Ruby glance over to their table in curiosity.

“So you want me to get her to the bathroom?” the sheriff asked incredulously.

“Yes. Spill her drink or something. Be creative!” the mayor rolled her eyes. “I’ll be waiting there to talk to her.”

Emma didn’t like the way Regina said the word ‘talk’.

“Which one is she then?”

The two women looked around.

“I’m guessing she hasn’t come down from her room yet.” The brunette concluded.

They decided to wait for the redhead to make an appearance.

                                                          *****

“This is weird.” Emma said after finishing her breakfast.

It had been an hour since the sheriff came in to sit with Regina, and she was starting to feel nervous being in the brunette’s company so casually.

“What is it, dear? I thought this was what you do for a living as a bail bondsperson.” Regina retorted, raising a perfectly arched eyebrow.

“No… us… we spent the last few months fighting over Henry and now we are…” Emma wasn’t sure how to word what they were doing together.

“Well… at the moment you are not at the top of my enemy list. I reserve that spot for the jerk who cast this curse.”

“Truce?” the sheriff offered.

Regina indicated her reply with a warm smile.

“Can I ask you something?” Emma wasn’t sure if this would be too heavy of a topic for small talk.

“Sure.”

“What happened the first time around? When I woke Henry up?”

The brunette’s brown eyes turned into dark orbs, recalling the moment her dark curse was broken.

“Everybody woke up. They remembered who they were… who I was.” She paused, her face stoic. “I had to go into hiding. I knew that sooner or later the whole town would be after me.”

Emma nodded her understanding.

The mayor may never admit to it but she preferred being a mayor to the quaint town than being the Evil Queen. The townspeople may fear her but she felt important. Almost like the queen she wanted to be.

“And… Henry?” concern was evident in the blonde’s voice.

“He wouldn’t want to be the son of the Evil Queen.” Emma could sense the heartbreak from the woman before her.

“Did he say that you?”

“He didn’t need to.”

“But you’re his mother.”

Regina’s snapped her head up, surprised that her rival was on her side. She wasn’t expecting Henry’s other mother, whom she had tried to ruin time and time again, to be kind to her.

The two of them shared a look. This was the first time the mayor felt cared for since… Daniel. In a way, the blonde did remind her of her first love, Daniel, the stable boy.

“Well, I’d still take that future, as long as Henry is alive and well again, even if it means that he hates me.” Regina replied, tearing her eyes away from the blonde to gaze out the window again.

Emma’s brows furrowed. For the first time she felt that the cold, intimidating woman that she had once so hated, might actually, be growing on her. Did this ice queen before her, actually have a heart.

Emma smirked to herself and picked up her cup of cocoa and decided to change the subject.

They sat there for a couple of hours drinking hot cocoa and coffee as they shoot the breeze, waiting for Rumplestiltskin’s girlfriend to show up.

                                                            *****

Regina waited for the redhead in a corridor that connected the diner to the inn. Her plan was finally underway as the redhead had finally made an appearance at Granny’s. The brunette had snuck out of the diner stealthily when she saw Belle come into the main dining area. She peered around the corner, giving Emma the signal to proceed.

The brunette saw the sheriff approach the target’s table. Regina got back into position behind the wall and pressed her back against it. She could hear the commotion. She got herself ready, anticipating the redhead to fall into her trap.

As Belle walked into the corridor where the brunette was, heading towards the bathroom, Regina reached out her hand and pierced through the redhead’s back. She wrapped her fingers around beating heart and pulled it out. She was pleased that despite not being able to perform magic, she was still able to rip hearts out.

Belle gasped as she felt a tightening in her chest. She turned around to see Regina holding a heart in her hands… her heart! Before the redhead could say anything, the brunette placed a finger to her own lips and hushed her. Belle could not use her voice.

“Go in the bathroom.” Regina whispered into the heart.

The redhead felt herself involuntarily walk into the bathroom. Regina followed her in and locked the door behind them. Belle tried desperately to protest but the more she struggled, the tighter the grip was on her larynx.

The brunette closed the gap between them. The two women were now standing face to face.

“I’m sorry I have to do this, Belle, but I don’t have any other option.” Regina said as she loosened her grip on the heart, releasing the pain from the young woman’s chest.

Belle struggled to talk. The mayor mentally chided herself for temporarily forgetting how her magic worked and commanded the redhead to speak.

“What do you want from me?!” Belle asked exasperatedly, relieved to be able to talk again but fearing for her life all the same.

“I need something of mine from that ‘boyfriend’ of yours… I need some leverage… you.” Regina replied, looking rather pleased with herself. It was quite a thrill to have that sort of power again.

“He is not my boyfriend! He…”

“However you label your relationship does not concern me.” The brunette cut her off. “I need my mother’s spell book so that I can use my magic to break the curse.”

“I have a better idea.” Belle replied, her mind racing fast as she thought of a way to get herself out of this new ensnarement that she had found herself in.

The mayor raised an eyebrow.

“Yes?”

“Rumple tried to leave town last night to go find his son.”

Belle divulged quickly, she needed to show Regina she was much more useful alive than dead.

The brunette whipped her head up to look at Belle, the lines in her brow deepening with confusion.

“This new curse built a wall along the town line. Nobody is able to leave this town. Not even Rumple!” Belle explained, biting her lip in hopes that this information was enough to save her life.

Serves him right! Regina smiled to herself.