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I was clicking through my WIP folder, as one does, and this little thing caught my eye. So I had @oparu look it over to make sure I wasn’t manufacturing it into something it wasn’t and decided to post it tonight.
Once Upon a Time, Snow Queen Friendship, 600 words. Mentions of infertility and abuse–but overall it’s fairly light.
****
It wasn’t something you asked people, but that had never stopped Snow White before.
“What?” Regina said, a little taken aback and a little giving Snow the opportunity to realize she’d overstepped and withdraw the question.
Snow, however, was distracted by baby Neal grabbing her earring–Regina had warned her not to wear them for the next few weeks–and had her eyes scrunched closed in pain. “Ow! Those are mine, and I asked you if you looked into your fertility before deciding to adopt.”
Regina didn’t often feel the need these days to rip out Snow’s heart and stomp on it, but she wasn’t sure it would be unjustified today. She took a breath and counted to five, watching Snow bat away Neal’s hands a couple more times, reminding herself that if she killed Snow, she’d have to see the whole rest of the Charming clan look at her with big, hurt eyes (before they tried to kill her, probably), and she didn’t think she could bear it.
She settled for saying, “Not that it’s any of your business, but I drank a potion to make myself infertile so my mother couldn’t manipulate and abuse my child the way she manipulated and abused me.”
Snow’s eyes snapped up and went wide. Then wider. Then Snow said, “Oh. Oh my gosh. I– Regina, I’m so sorry, I should never have asked, I just wasn’t thinking.”
Regina saw Neal’s hand reaching for Snow’s earring and said, grudgingly, “He’s after it again,” because even if Snow deserved it, baby hands pulling on earrings hurt, damn it.
Snow batted the hand away and then sighed. “I should have listened to you in the first place,” she said, reaching up for one earring, then the next. “I just wanted to look nice for a change, you know?”
Regina did know. She’d fallen prey to the same impulse when Henry had been about the same age Neal was now. Unlike a full face of makeup and perfect hair, earrings had seemed doable–at least until Henry had gotten his hands on one.
“You’re really good with kids,” Snow said.
Regina wasn’t sure how to take that until she saw the gleam in Snow’s eye that meant Snow knew she was already forgiven. She rolled her eyes. “I am not babysitting for you.”
“What? I wouldn’t ask you to babysit–only Emma’s busy this Saturday, and Granny says she doesn’t do kids once they start crawling until they’re old enough to sit at a table and color.”
“Why on earth would you start a request for a babysitter with a question like that?” Regina said, but she didn’t say no, and Snow grinned triumphantly.
“I didn’t! I just… got curious.” Snow added, “I really am so sorry,” in that infuriating way she had that let you know she really was sorry. Not that it meant she wouldn’t overstep the next time, because Snow… well, she didn’t think. She thought you should do something? She told you. She got curious? She asked.
“Yes, well,” Regina said, “now you know.”
“Now I know,” Snow said, looking at her with suspiciously misty eyes.
Regina glared.
Snow reached out the hand that wasn’t supporting Neal and laid it on her arm, squeezing gently.
Regina glared harder, but it did nothing to deter Snow. Not that she should have expected it to; Snow had seen her at her murderous worst and had still defied her, so she knew exactly how ineffectual Regina’s glare was now. Also, she had a soft spot for Neal, and Snow knew it. She gave up and said, “What time Saturday?”
Once Upon a Time, Snow Queen Friendship, 600 words. Mentions of infertility and abuse–but overall it’s fairly light.
****
It wasn’t something you asked people, but that had never stopped Snow White before.
“What?” Regina said, a little taken aback and a little giving Snow the opportunity to realize she’d overstepped and withdraw the question.
Snow, however, was distracted by baby Neal grabbing her earring–Regina had warned her not to wear them for the next few weeks–and had her eyes scrunched closed in pain. “Ow! Those are mine, and I asked you if you looked into your fertility before deciding to adopt.”
Regina didn’t often feel the need these days to rip out Snow’s heart and stomp on it, but she wasn’t sure it would be unjustified today. She took a breath and counted to five, watching Snow bat away Neal’s hands a couple more times, reminding herself that if she killed Snow, she’d have to see the whole rest of the Charming clan look at her with big, hurt eyes (before they tried to kill her, probably), and she didn’t think she could bear it.
She settled for saying, “Not that it’s any of your business, but I drank a potion to make myself infertile so my mother couldn’t manipulate and abuse my child the way she manipulated and abused me.”
Snow’s eyes snapped up and went wide. Then wider. Then Snow said, “Oh. Oh my gosh. I– Regina, I’m so sorry, I should never have asked, I just wasn’t thinking.”
Regina saw Neal’s hand reaching for Snow’s earring and said, grudgingly, “He’s after it again,” because even if Snow deserved it, baby hands pulling on earrings hurt, damn it.
Snow batted the hand away and then sighed. “I should have listened to you in the first place,” she said, reaching up for one earring, then the next. “I just wanted to look nice for a change, you know?”
Regina did know. She’d fallen prey to the same impulse when Henry had been about the same age Neal was now. Unlike a full face of makeup and perfect hair, earrings had seemed doable–at least until Henry had gotten his hands on one.
“You’re really good with kids,” Snow said.
Regina wasn’t sure how to take that until she saw the gleam in Snow’s eye that meant Snow knew she was already forgiven. She rolled her eyes. “I am not babysitting for you.”
“What? I wouldn’t ask you to babysit–only Emma’s busy this Saturday, and Granny says she doesn’t do kids once they start crawling until they’re old enough to sit at a table and color.”
“Why on earth would you start a request for a babysitter with a question like that?” Regina said, but she didn’t say no, and Snow grinned triumphantly.
“I didn’t! I just… got curious.” Snow added, “I really am so sorry,” in that infuriating way she had that let you know she really was sorry. Not that it meant she wouldn’t overstep the next time, because Snow… well, she didn’t think. She thought you should do something? She told you. She got curious? She asked.
“Yes, well,” Regina said, “now you know.”
“Now I know,” Snow said, looking at her with suspiciously misty eyes.
Regina glared.
Snow reached out the hand that wasn’t supporting Neal and laid it on her arm, squeezing gently.
Regina glared harder, but it did nothing to deter Snow. Not that she should have expected it to; Snow had seen her at her murderous worst and had still defied her, so she knew exactly how ineffectual Regina’s glare was now. Also, she had a soft spot for Neal, and Snow knew it. She gave up and said, “What time Saturday?”
