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lamiaward · 8 years

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She literally holds your heart in her hand (shit)

I don't own OUAT

Summary: season 6 au: Emma is missing ,and her family is unaware that the queen is in town. Emma is the only one who knows- but the queen turned her into a swan so she can't tell anyone. And now the queen also controls Regina's heart... without Emma's family being any the wiser.

(part 9 of this story, but you can read this one without reading the other parts :)

She would never associate that particular emotion with Regina, so that is probably why it takes her several minutes to see it there. But whenever Henry glances away- Regina's smile withers. Whenever Snow lets go of Regina's arm to wipe food off Charming's cheeks, or look at her grandson- Regina's eyes change.

Whenever Emma catches that look, her head aches and she starts to taste iron - her magic automatically sputters to live, and her entire body starts to tingle and burn at the same time. Emma finds it difficult to describe Regina's eyes - apart from no, terrible, she deserves better, no- but it reminds her of an animal with its foot in a trap and a hunting dog barking as it runs towards them.

And Regina is brave- brave enough that she uses herself as bait from sort of demon thing, brave enough that she would go undercover and risk the anger of some of the darkest people alive, brave enought that she would follow Emma to the Underworld. It is so wrong to see that look there.

Emma finally can't take anymore ( and she can't do anything else, she is useless) and leaves her own chair to walk towards Regina. She gently sort of taps Regina's leg with her mouth. Who starts to smile before her entire face concorts-

What the-

The laughter and her father's voice stop abruptly as Regina's chair is shoved back, the woman in question standing up. Someone's plate falls, and shatters, but everyone ignores it as they stare at Regina.

Emma can hear her family ask Regina if she is all right, and Regina's own cool reply - so very cool, almost like it had been but worse because now she is insul- shit. Regina still uses sarcasm like her first form of communication, and she will never stop calling certain people things like 'idiot, but it is all gentle now. Teasing. It is something they all roll their eyes at, and smile about. It is a family thing.

But Regina isn't like that at all. She is using her wit to injure- not as badly as she would have as mayor but still. And as Emma's skin drops, and she feels tiny shivers erupt all along her spine, she knows she isn't wrong.

She doesn't need the confirmation of Regina's too-rough hands squeezing her, nor the voice whispering " hello again Emma" to know it is the queen controlling her. The hands pulling at her feathers are the queen, and the soft chuckle is the queen but when Emma glances up-

The desperation and terror in brown eyes is all Regina.

" Mom!" she hears, before she is relieved from the slight pain as Henry takes her in his arms. "You are hurting her".

" I told you, I did not wish her at the table. And you did not listen".

He frowns. " But you gave me permission after I asked".

" After you kept needling, yes".

" Mom, I- " Henry takes a tiny step back, and Emma doesn't need to see his face to know his expression is a combination of hurt and confusion.

Emma stares at Regina's hand, which starts trembling as soon as she tries to reach for Henry. He doesn't see it, because he is studying her expression. Regina's eyes are cool now, and she arches an eyebrow at Henry's scrutiny

" You're being weird" he says.

" You are being disobedient. Now, place her in the kitchen and return to the table".

"But mom- ".

" Henry Daniel Mills, I do not need that creature at my table".

It is so clearly the evil queen that Henry freezes , having only taken one step back towards the table. Snow and Charming slowly stand as well . " Regina, why are you being this - "

" Yes Snow, thank you for your completely unwelcome opinion"

Snow freezes, then walks towards Regina while David just stares at Regina with the same expression Emma would have if she is trying to Rubik's cube. Regina yanks her arm away as soon as Snow tries to squeeze it. Snow does notice how fake her smile is. Everyone does. Emma thinks she is the only one who notices Regina's expression

Which is the exact opposite of the fake smile, and the fakely sacharine tone as she tells Snow " I am perfectly fine. I just do wish a wild animal to sit at my table".

Snow cocks her head. "You were fine with it yesterday".

" I was not 'fine' with anything. I was merely not adding to my son's hurt".

" But today you want to- " Henry questions. It isn't like when he was ten- it would have been angry, and an accusion- now it is just uncertain and hurt. She can see the second where it shows how much it hurt Regina, before she is forced to fake smile again. Henry scrutinizes her as she touches his chin gently.

" I would never want to add to your hurt Henry, but we still do not know who this swan is. She may be very dangerous".

"But she hasn't done anything bad- ".

"That doesn't mean she won't".

" But mom- I don't understand. You never said anything about it before".

" Henry, when I visited my vault there were some clues- ".

He steps back, and hugs Emma to his chest. " What, no!".

" I am afraid so. I did not tell you earlier, because I knew you have gotten attached to her".

"Are you saying that she is a villain?".

" I am not certain, but she may be"

You fucking jerk. She only has to see Regina's eyes to know how much that lie just hurt Henry. That, and she is slowly let go. " Mom- are you" Snow and Charming are both preoccupied by Henry, so that's probably why they don't catch Regina flinching badly as she tries to reach for him, the moment his voice breaks awfully.

" Mom- she can't, she hasn't tried to hurt anyone".

"Perhaps she is just biding her time. But before I am certain - I cannot risk you getting hurt Henry".

" W-what are you saying?".

"That for now, I am seperating the two of- ".

" NO!" Emma is kind of grateful for it, but she doesn't understand it when Henry sinks on his knees and throws his arms around her. She can hear him sniffing. Kid - it is okay. You still have your family, okay? And I - I am going to do everything to get back to you.

" Henry, let go of that germ-riddled- " .

" MOM" Emma tries to get her head away from Henry when he pretty much shrieks that one word, then lays it on his shoulder as she realizes he is crying. Kid, hey it's okay.

" Henry, it is just- ".

" No, it isn't! She isn't just anything. I don't mom- I don't know, but she isn't bad. I know that".

" Henry, I cannot trust her with you. I would never expose you to a ris- ".

" But she isn't bad, I know she isn't"

Henry had his head buried into her feathers just seconds ago, but now it snaps up. Emma isn't surprised : Regina would never laugh so cruelly around Henry, especially not when he is in pain. " And how would you know this? ".

She expects pretty much anything from 'I am the author' to 'I just do'. She doesn't expect to be let go and stagger back when there is a furious roar. She clumsily runs after Henry, but he is so incredibly fast.

She doesn't know whether the surprise is Regina's or the queen's.

Henry's hand are clutched at the lapels of his mother's pantsuit, and he is shaking her nearly as wildly as he is trembling himself. " WHAT DID YOU DO? WHERE IS SHE" he shrieks,

and Emma's heart falls, stops, and possibly breaks at the look that is undoubtly Regina's. Kid, you can't possibly mean you think-

" What did you do to my mom?" the expression is pure Regina - although she certainly wouldn't have expected Henry to have an ugly scowl like this.

She doesn't think Regina would've either; she tries to stumble back and her wide eyes are brimming with tears. She sounds awful, but she still tries to speak. " H-henry" she croaks, then sobs once when he shrugs away from her.

" Nice try" he spits, and feel like she is choking on a knife at how that sounds, and how Regina stiffens and looks- " But my mom would never be mean to me. So the tears are fake. You are fake".

And now he is crying too, and for some reason Emma thinks of a younger Henry - except Henry had been brave to the point of foolishness. She doesn't think she has seen him look like this, back then. " Y-you are not my mom. Y-you're an imposter" .

Regina's smiles- her hand on his cheek . " Principito int- " Emma hears the breath leaving Regina's lungs, the same way it might if someone pushed you in your stomach. Henry just narrows his eyes, and steps back( Emma doesn't miss his hand, that he clenches into a fist and presses against his thigh after it automatically reaches for Regina)

She nods, once. " Is that any way to speak to your mother?". The queen is back. Shit. I thought she was beating it.

" No. But you're not her"

He turns to Snow, who is pressing her hand to her mouth and looking from Regina to Henry, and Charming- who is standing in between Snow and Regina with a expression that looks too much like - Don't pity Henry, dad, I think he reacts pretty badly to that.

" Well, what are you waiting for? " he snaps. He is holding his head high, with his hand pressed against his body (like that would ever hide they're trembling) and blinking furiously.

Snow takes a few steps forward, David automatically taking her hand as soon as she leans into him and lays it on his shoulder. "Henry, we are all upset by Emma's disappearance, but- ".

" She hasn't disappeared, she has been taken" he snaps, then wirls around for a moment to gesture wildly in the direction of Regina. " By her".

" Stop this behaviour this i-insant, Henry Daniel Mills. I do not tolerate- " it's awful. The words are harsh, and the tone is too- but Regina's voice is breaking and trembling. Henry takes it for theatrics. Emma thinks it is just Regina's heart shattering.

She stands somewhere in between Henry, and Regina. She wants to squeeze Regina's arm, remind her she is not alone in this, but she also wants to hug Henry and remind him she would never leave him. She will never give him up again.

" Don't you see it? She has my mom! She may even have both of them! And they could be hurt and t-they could be really badly hurt and they could even be- they could even be, they c-could- " he breaks off, then turns to Regina again.

He is crying, but the expression he has is so furious. " Where are they?".

" Henry, I will not- ".

" Where. Are. THEY" Emma can see her parents flinching in her eye corners, but Regina is standing still and she is only moving forward. She thinks she is the only one who recognizes the impossibility Henry is about to do-

there is a flash of something and then her heart is stopping at the same moment her body is rushing forward-

(Regina realized it, too)

and she manages to catch Henry's leg, seconds before he tries to hold the bloody shard to Regina's neck.

" Henry!" it's Snow, but it's David who pulls him away. It is David who hugs him first, and places his hand on Henry's head as he cries ' I can't hurt her. She looks like mom ". And there aren't any words for a while, just soft sobs and David says " Of course you wouldn't, you would never hurt anyone" and Snow hugs him as well and talks about how good he is, and how they all know he wouldn't.

It is only when Regina collapses ( she had been fighting furiously with what Emma knows to be the queen, to take that one precious step closer to Henry) and falls to her knees with a desperate little sob that Henry pulls back from his grandparents' embrace.

He slowly walks towards her, then kneels down next to her. She slowly looks up, this really horrid contrast in her expression. He focuses on her eyes. "Mom? " he ventures. She nods. " I am sorry. I thought- "

Regina is hugging him before he has finished the sentence. "Te quiero, cielo". He lays his head on her shoulder, whispers it back. They stay like that until Regina pulls back with that megawatt Henry-smile. That rapidly dies as her gaze falls on his hands, and she gently takes them.

"Henry! Your hands, they're - " .

" Oh. I must've cut them when I had that shard in my hand".

Regina gently takes his hand. Emma's head hurts, trying to figure out whether that's the queen or Regina or both of them. " Do I have your permission to use magic?".

He stares at her, then slowly nods. " Okay ".

Regina waves her hand, and they watch the skin heal together. It is Henry that stands first, before Regina stiffly follows him. She only starts to smile again when he briefly squeezes her hand. "Thank you" he mutters.

Henry walks over to her, and picks her up. " Henry- " That is the queen, I think.

Henry turns around, Emma in his arms. " Can she really not stay with us?". Emma nearly wants to fight when Regina gently takes her from Regina's arms- Henry sounds so sad, and he keeps one hand on her head. Don't you worry Henry , it is not forever.

" It is not safe, Henry ".

Emma tries to turn in Regina's arms when Henry retracts his hand, and utters a really quiet "Okay". You don't sound okay at all.

Apparently Regina is thinking the same thing she is, because she can feel Regina's hands around her tremble. Emma really had thought the queen would've fucked off by now, but apparently she hasn't. Because Regina wouldn't sound all mayoral (okay unless she feels vulnerable or is trying to hide how much she is hurting, but that isn't the case now) like that with their family looking at her with sadness, and worry, and confusion.

" I will place her somewhere she is unable to hurt you, Henry".

But she is so strong - because Emma is pretty sure that as soon as someone has your heart, you can't really fight against that but Regina manages to briefly touch Henry's chin, and hold it as she smiles at him. " No one will take you from me, Henry". Snow's eyes are shining, like they are whenever Regina is loving, but Emma knows it's more sinister than that. Because if it is the queen speaking- then what is she planning to do with their son?

Regina is ripped away from their son- what Emma sees in her eyes makes her believe she has never hated Snow as much as she does the queen at this moment- and walks past Snow and David. She inclines her head, probably gives them a fake smile as she says " Snow. David".

" Regina, are you- " Snow immediately steps forward, and Regina is still carrying Emma on one arm so she uses her free hand to stop Snow. David immediately stops as well, staring at Regina with that scrunched up expression he has when Emma and he are working on a case together. " I am fine. If you would just- take care of the mess. Do you think you are capable of that, or should I be concerned about you hurting yourself worse than my son if I allow you to touch my cutlery?".

" Well, I - Regina, are you certain you are okay? You seem- " Snow glances at Regina's hand, which has just quite forcefully pushed her hand away. " Different".

" I am perfectly fine. Now, if you will excuse me"

Of course, Snow can never let anything go. So she steps in front of Regina, and lowers her voice. " Regina, you are seriously upsetting Henry, and I know that is not like- ".

" I am protecting my son, while you've done nothing but endangered him".

" Regina, we didn't- ".

" I do not care you did not know. You did not support me , did you? You just stood there and allowed everything to happen. What if Henry had hurt me- have you ever thought about how traumatizing hurting his mother would be? "

" Or is it still your hobby to have children murder their mothers?" Surely mom must know now that this isn't Regina. She wouldn't sound like that, not anymore. She wouldn't try to cut so deep.

Snow pales and stumbles back. "Regina, Cora was an accident. You said that- ".

" It was not an accident. It was a deliberate attempt to get rid of my mother, using me" Emma can see her mother's eyes glisten and widen when Regina steps forward, leans in close enough that Emma is pressed against her mother. " Just like your father".

It is Snow who follows her, but it is Emma's dad who pulls her back. " Regina. What is going on? If someone is threatening you- if someone is making you be like this- ".

" I am perfectly fine. I just do not tolerate your behaviour- it is Henry's mother who is missing, but you pretend like you are the only one who is hurting. It is selfish".

Regina? She suddenly almost stumbles, and Emma realizes it means the queen has finally stopped this when Regina immediately steps forward, and squeezes Snow's shoulder. " I understand you are suffering, and that it is your daughter, but Henry needs you to be the strong person he knows you are. You know how he reacts when he knows how much other people are hurting- how he thinks it is his job to make them happy, even when he is unhappy himself".

" I didn't think about that. I just- I just wanted him to know he is not alone. That we all miss Emma, so much".

" I am just concerned of the impact it has on Henry".

" You don't always need to hide so much, Regina" . It is at moments like these that Emma is kind of awed by her mother. Who is slightly judgemental at times, and still sometimes makes the mistake of thinking she is so right, so good- but who also has just been terribly hurt by Regina, and still somehow can smile at her like this.

" I know. I know - it's just- " Regina glances back at Henry, who is kneeling next to his grandpa as they clean together- they're both laughing as David tells some story with a lot of gestures. " I do not wish to burden him with my issues".

"He is only going to get mad if you don't tell him when you're feeling bad, Regina. Henry is a very caring person" she smiles. " Much like his mother, actually".

Regina's hair is shorter now, so her transparent attempt to use it to hide how she is slightly teary-eyed is pretty much wasted. "Well, and I always thought he got the type of bravery that is always tethering between 'courageous' and 'idiotic' from your side of the family".

Snow laughs. " True. He does resemble David, doesn't he?".

" And Emma " it is clear the queen isn't trying to control Regina anymore, or she wouldn't have let Snow hold her hand like this. " And you".

Emma is asleep on Regina's bed (what Regina doesn't know, won't make her hurt Emma) when the door creaks. Her mind registers it, but ultimately decides that possibly being hurt is not a strong incentitive to get away from dream- Regina, who is-

Gods, I hate the sound swans make. Henry bites his lip, and Emma is pretty sure he is holding back a laugh at the sound she just made. "Sorry that I just startled you".

She throws him a look, one that hopefully properly communicates how not okay it is to wake up your mother from a very good dream, especially not to startle her and then nearly laugh in her face. He just shrugs, and smiles at her. " Sorry".

Fine, I accept your apologies but can you at least ask me permission before you pick me up and- uh kid, where are we going? Henry tiptoes through the hallway, glancing left and right at certain intervals. Emma can't hold back a startled squaking sound when he races down the stairs with too much speed. Shit, I wish I had hands right now.

He is panting by the time he snucks into one of the rooms Emma hasn't been to yet, closing the door quickly. She glances around curiously; there are a couple of old-looking chairs, a wooden desk, supplies she thinks may be for painting, an old chess board with only one chair.

" It is one of the hobby rooms. Mom plays chess, and she speaks several languages, and sometimes she paints. She also has some musical instruments here" he explains.

(with a sudden lurch, she remembers how she doodled in a school book ones, and the teacher asked her whether she had ever thought about becoming an artist, and grinning until her 'parent' of those six months had thrown his beer bottle at her head. She wonders whether Regina gets the same calm feeling she remembers having the spare moments she got to draw on anything)

He takes her to the back of the spacious room. She tries to take everything in- she is sure she misses things- and feels like she sees new sides of Regina. She sees the shape beneath a sheet, and envions Regina behind the piano- would she sing as she plays, or was it Henry who played? There is a corner that could be from the Frankenstein Film, and she wonders whether Regina has ever let bread explode because she was curious what mixing chemicals would do(that teacher was furious. But she laughed, afterwards, because 'how did you even do that, girl?') There is a little oven that's so obviously Henry, and she grins brightly as she imagines his eyerolls whenever Regina would help him bake and say " careful, sweetie" she just knows Regina would be nearly terrified around him, but also proud at him.

There's even a table with hammers, nails, pairs of tongs, saws - Emma is half elated and half disappointed ( shit. One more thing she can probably do for herself, and doesn't need me for) . Unless it is just there, and Regina Mills isn't actually capable of fixing her own sink and-

" Oh that. Mom already taught herself some things- she doesn't really like to depend on people you know- but after the curse, uh the first one I mean, broke she had to learn some other things because there wasn't really anyone willing to help anymore and her magic was malfuncioning" Henry says when he catches her staring, missing the remaining items she wanted to stare at because her head is twisted so she can catch another glimpse off the tools.

It looks like a toy for a far younger kid, but they still manage to squeeze into the castle. Henry needs to bend his head, and he can't sit in a comfortable position but they fit. Sort of. He smiles at her. " I haven't been her since I was nine, probably. I decided my other castle was better, further away from- " his smile vanishes. " Anyways, she won't know we are here because even mom wouldn't guess it. And I took you to this place, because I know that isn't really mom"

Sometimes, Emma sees herself in Henry. He does the same shrug-and-smile thing around Violet, as she does around Ho- well actually, no Regina. Anyways, he has some habits, and he likes hot things like she does (even if they both get stomach aches) , and he likes drama classes like she used to. But right now, his expression is Regina's. Regina would have that kind of endearing slight arrogance, that did you really think you could fool me, you dumbass one.

" And I know you're my mom- I know it's you, Emma" he wrinkles his nose at the last word- he almost never calls her Emma now, unless it is something like 'yeah sure I will make my homework, Emma" ( only because she isn't good at finishing paperwork). But she doesn't even care, because you know. Henry, you brilliant little shit.

The little shit is pretty much only because he snorts when she raises her wing. Like, anyone can forget she is a swan, and swans don't give their sons one-armed hugs. Really Henry, stop laughing.

He doesn't stop laughing for another minute.

When he finally does, she forgives him immediately. Actually, she would be really happy if he would start laughing at her again, because now he just looks sad and scared and angry. "Who did this? Who did this to the both of you?".

Emma gives him a look, that has him roll his eyes. " Okay fine, you can't talk. Ehm so I need to use yes and no questions ".

" Was it any of the people from the land of untold stories? ".

She shakes her head. "Was it mister Hyde? I mean, he has caused some trouble these past weeks, but- ".

She shakes her head again. " Was it grandpa?".

Nope. He sags a little, smiles. " Okay. Was it anyone we even know?".

She nods. " Okay. Was it villain?"

Jesus, Henry, how am I even supposed to answer that. Because she sort of is, but she also isn't. And I thought you were done seperating the world into villains and heroes. She finally decides to shake her head, but also nod. "What is that supposed to mean- I know you don't like it when I talk about heroes and villains, and not just people but- "

"HEY! Don't walk away, what are you- "

he is probably crawling after her but she is already running towards the desk she saw at the beginning, then squeezes her eyes and pushes at her magic. She is prepared for the hurt this time, and that taste of iron but she still sways a little when the paper falls on the floor and- well holding that pencil in the air, using it to write- it is all more heavy than the weights she used to press as soon as she had enough money to go to a gym( she had always liked PE because you don't need fancy things to be good at running, and you don't need books that your 'family' doesn't want to buy to be able to do thirty push-ups)

Her 'Q' becomes smudged, unreadable when the magic pushes at her own, and she hangs her head. There are little black spots at the corners of her sight, and she falls down again when she struggles to get up.

Henry is pulling her into his arms before Regina even speaks. " Henry. I see that you did not quite believe me".

" Where is she?" .

" Which 'she' are you talking about, exactly?"

" Did you- " it is only when his voice fades, his breath hitching, and the list of her symptoms is expanded with 'no air, thanks to Henry squeezing me to death' that she realizes what he is thinking. She thinks of the week before the queen captured her- how Henry had either always been around her, or made sure someone else was. She thinks of that one night, of how Regina had been forced to sleep - a mixture of Snow's meddling, and how exhausted she had been because of everything- and Henry's eyes as he had admitted " I know there are still people who hate her".

Henry, do you think someone in this town would ki-

Regina isn't Regina right now, the laugh makes that clear. "mio chico intelligente" Emma is really starting to worry about her ribs - when did Henry even get strong enough to give crushing hugs by the way?- when the queen comes closer and Henry squeezes even more.

Henry's heart is thunkthu-thunk-thu-thunk-thu-thu- as the queen does the chin-touch Regina always does. "She will be safe, as long as you are good".

"I am good. But you took my mom, and you hid my other mom from me".

The queen smiles. Her eyes are happy in a way that has Emma throw away what ever little energy she has in a desperate attempt to use her magic, to take them both away from here. To at least take Henry away- please

" I do not mean 'good' like your insipid grandparents do. If you obey me, then your mother will be- "

Henry takes a small step forward when Regina's face contorts, and her eyes flash with purple. " H-Henry, g-get" - it like watching a video, only for it to get stuck in the middle of a speech. Henry does the exact opposite- and Emma wants to scream at him to get away, but she understands why he won't.

Who could ever just leave Regina Mills when she is terrified, and young, and obviously in immense pain?

She jumps from his arms the moment his grip lessens, and forces her heavy body towards Regina. There's pain, and this is the first time Regina's magic is unpleasant like this; her feathers ruffling and the closer she gets to Regina, the more it feels like getting electrical shocks ( except worse. Was this what that guy standing with a kite in the middle of a storm felt like?) and the more she smells wet hair burning.

They end up on either sides of Regina; Henry in front of her, grabbing her hands as she weakly tries to push him away, and Emma pressed as closely as she can manage without being burned.

Regina can't speak now, and she is sweating like she has a fever and they're in the middle of a heatwave. Henry only presses closer, muttering something that maybe doesn't even makes sense. Emma can't understand it, anyways. Regina finally crumbles, and hugs him.

" Principito " Emma hears, and Regina uses it enough she knows it means " little prince" ( Emma found out one night that she stayed because of a storm outside, and two glasses of Regina's crazy cider. And Emma had remembered New York, and muttering principito to him when she was half asleep after work so she had asked Regina about the happy ending she had given them)

" Mama" Henry whispers back.

Emma automatically jumps in front of him when Regina shoves him away. She tries to take him to the door, but she is too weak and Henry too stubborn and then it's too late. The queen returns with a vicious smirk and the smoothening of her expression.

(Emma is reminded of like, every movie that has dealt with demon possesion ever)

" Henry. Are you willing to obey me? Or should I just - "she makes a gesture, and Emma screams as her feathers start burning. Literally. " NO! STOP " Henry rushes at Regina, and grabs her hand. " Stop it!".

She calmly closes it, and Emma shudders as she no longer feels like she is standing too close to a fire. Henry slowly walks backwards, scowling at the queen, but before he can get to Emma, she is flowing in the air and gently lands in the queen's arms.

"You see , I do not wish to hurt Emma".

" You just did".

" She was merely uncomfortable. I am certain the scream was because she was startled. But you see Henry, I feel less inclined to hold myself back when it comes to hurting your other mother- " her lips curl. " Or your grandparents".

Emma struggles in her arms, despite her pain nearly being at the levels of guy-I-loved-abandoned-me-and-now-I-am-going-to-give- birth-in-jail. The queen tuts, and gods Emma hates how a part of her immediately feels better as that hand strokes her feathers. She wishes she could just write it down to the magic that is healing whatever using her own magic currently does to her.

"What do you want me to do? ".

Emma snaps her eyes open. Henry, no. She struggles again in the queen's arms, but it is all fucking useless; the queen chuckles and takes a step closer to Henry. " Nothing bad, I promise. I want you to visit her vault as soon as your family thinks you have gone to school ".

" Why?".

"I want to meet you there ".

The queen is pouring magic into Emma to keep the enormous amount her anger is fuelling from doing anything like ripping Regina's heart from the queen's hand, and possibly turn her into an animal that won't do awful things like manipulating their son. Henry, please, don't make the same mistake of risking yourself so you can be a hero. Regina and I will take care of it, and we will make goddamn sure you don't need to-

" Will you swear to not hurt anyone in this town in any way if I meet you there tomorrow?".

" That is a lot to ask, Henry ".

" No, it isn't ".

" I will not harm anyone in this town, bar Snow White, for a week".

" No. You will not harm anyone - or it isn't a deal".

" I could hurt your mothers".

Henry swallows, but he lifts his head slightly and says " still no deal" his voice is hardly trembling.

The queen laughs like she knows Henry would never let either Emma or Regina get hurt, but she nods. " Fine. I will not harm anyone".

Emma is still trying to figure out the catch in that when they shake hands and try to work out the specifics. Right when the queen walks Regina out of there, right when she glances back over her shoulder to say " oh and take Emma with you- and make sure she does not alert anyone" it is that Emma's entire body temperature drops like nine degrees.

The queen won't harm anyone-

but that doesn't mean she can't use anyone else to hurt their family.

#swan queen #season 6 au #hyde queen turns Emma in a swan #Regina is being controlled #who else hates titles?

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rebeccahpedersen · 5 years

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The Value of Functionality

TorontoRealtyBlog

You’re all familiar with the term, “on paper,” correct?

When something is “on paper” as opposed to in reality?

There’s an argument to be made that something is either better or worse, on paper, or not. Or that it’s worth more, on paper. Or not…

Like when my stock broker told me not to sell my shares of Nortel Networks in 2001 as they were spiralling toward zero, because to sell them would make the loss real. For now, the loss was merely………wait for it……….on paper.

I have long argued that when it comes to real estate, the “on paper” values that exist, should not.

When I first got into the business, I was working with a builder who taught me a thing or two.

He walked me through one of his projects during the framing stage and showed me what was going to go where. The master bathroom was absolutely gargantuan, compared to the rest of the house. “Why so big?” I asked him, to which he replied, “We need room for the jacuzzi tub.”

I laughed. “Who actually uses those things?” I asked him.

“Nobody,” he said as though the answer was obvious.

“So why are you putting one in?” I replied, and he shot back, “Because it makes the house worth more.”

Wait. What? Nobody uses jacuzzi’s, but they’ll pay more for a house if it has one? Why?

“It just does,” he explained. “A house with a 5-piece master ensuite is worth more than a house with a 4-piece master ensuite, even if we made an awesome steam shower out of the space where the jacuzzi goes, and added extra storage.”

It made no sense to me. Those Jacuzzi’s get very little actual use, and yet their presence increases the value of the home?

Call me naive, but I’ve always thought that function is everything in a house or condo. And yet I see this play out in the exact opposite way in practice, all the time.

The idea of “on paper” value as it pertains to real estate essentially infers that the value is less, in practice.

So would somebody pay more for on-paper value in a house or condo, than actual functional space?

Take a look at this photo:

What do you see here?

I know, this feels like an “MLS Musings” picture, and it almost was.

Because I too felt like that toilet int he back of the photo was a reflection in the mirror.

But it’s not.

Those are two toilets in the same bathroom.

Or, is this two bathrooms?

Really confusing, I know. But take a longer look at this photo and tell me what you see. Is this one bathroom or two? How is this laid out? How does this make any sense? And above all, is this functional?

Let’s take a look at the actual floor plan:

There you can plainly see that there are two bathrooms; one is an ensuite bathroom to the master, and one is a guest bathroom, or “2-piece” in the hall.

This developer got cheeky with this layout for two reasons:

1) He’s used the shower essentially in both bathrooms, so they’re both kinda, sorta, maybe 3-piece baths. 2) This likely saved money from a construction standpoint, since all the plumbing is inclose proximity (as well as in the kitchen behind the wall).

But when you sit down and look at this layout, and the picture, how can you not channel your inner 7-year-old and just say “That’s stupid!”

Because in my opinion, this layout, while trying to be cool, or smart, or save space, is just really, really stupid.

Why would any condo owner want their 2-piece guest bathroom to have a shower separating it from the master ensuite?

Why would any condo owner want this lack of privacy?

Why would any condo owner pay for a “two-bathroom” condo and be satisfied with this?

In my opinion, this “two-bathroom” setup exists as such only on paper, and the actual layout lacks functionality.

And yet I’m sure that there was zero difference in price when this buyer purchased off floor plans. In fact, I’m willing to bet that this was sold as a condo with two “full” bathrooms.

The most interesting example I’ve had in recent memory of “functional” versus “on paper” value had to have come with an east-side listing of mine earlier this year.

By way of introduction, let me ask you this: how many bathrooms do you need in a 700 square foot condo?

Loaded question, perhaps. In days’ past, a 700 square foot condo might have been a 1-bedroom. Today, this could be a 3-bed, 3-bath, based on how condos are shrinking.

My listing was a 700 square foot, 1-bed, den, 1-bath, and it was spectacular. The layout was open, high ceilings, upgraded finishes, floor-to-ceiling glass, and there was a free-standing wall between the living/dining and the bedroom, meaning both the bedroom and the living space faced the window – something that’s becoming more and more rare these days as so many bedrooms are in the middle of the condo, with no window.

There was one unique aspect of this condo, however, and that was the fact that it’s the only version of this particular floor plan in the entire building. You see, this was originally a 1-bed, den, 2-bath unit, but my client purchased the unit in pre-construction (not through myself), and edited the floor plan.

The original floor plan had a 3-piece ensuite bathroom, and a closet that would have been suitable for John Smith, circa 1878, in that it really only fit one pair of pants and one shirt. There was a full 4-piece bathroom off the living space, and my client, upon examining this floor plan, concluded that he didn’t really “need” two full bathrooms in a condo of this size. More importantly, he did need a place to put his clothes!

So he edited the floor plan, and turned the 3-piece bathroom into a walk-in closet, decked it out with custom closet organizers, and basically had the only floor plan like it in the building, with a closet that would suit a couple, or a single clothes-horse.

He lived merrily in the unit for several years, and then we put it on the market.

But low-and-behold, every buyer that expressed interest in the unit turned around and told us that the unit wasn’t worth nearly as much as the comparable sales, because this had only one bathroom.

On paper, I agree. Sort of.

You guys will likely fight me on this one, but that’s exactly my point!

A 700 square foot condo doesn’t “need” two bathrooms, and it sure as hell needs a place to put clothing.

If this was me personally, I would much rather have a massive walk-in closet than a second bathroom, that merely means I can pee to the east, or pee to the west.

This layout has way more functionality for a person actually living in the unit than the original layout with the second bathroom and a shoebox for a closet.

But on paper, it hurt us.

Every agent that chimed in with his or her two cents said, “Yeah….but….you don’t have the second bathroom.”

It doesn’t matter that most of these people didn’t want or need the second bathroom; it matters only that it doesn’t have one.

A unit with two bathrooms is “worth” more than a unit with one, correct?

Okay, so what if this unit had three bathrooms?

Or four?

Am I being silly now? Because if I am, then where do you draw the line?

How is a 700 square foot condo with two bathrooms worth more than a 700 square foot condo with one bathroom, but a 700 square foot condo with three bathrooms makes no sense and is suddenly worth less than the condo with one?

This sale was a frustrating one, and we actually ended up reducing the price, which is rare in this market.

The buyer pool valued something that we did not, and vice versa. And while I know I’m right, I also know I’m wrong.

That is the trouble with “on paper” value in real estate.

Time and time again, we place a higher price on features of a home that might not actually give us more marginal utility. In fact, many of these features actually provide us with less.

And in this context, we almost blur the lines between “price” and “value,” since we may value the feature monetarily, and this might result in us applying a higher price. But when it comes to “value” in a functionality setting, it’s just not the same.

In effect, we really confuse ourselves as to what “value” is.

I suppose we could apply the same logic to real estate on the whole, which is to suggest that none of us truly “value” a 495 square foot junior-one-bedroom at $1,200 per square foot, but that is the price that the market has set, and we accept it as “market value.”

By that logic, my suggesting that a walk-in closet has more intrinsic value to the buyer because it’s far more functional, and provides greater utility than a second bathroom, may also be flawed. By that logic, the on-paper value always wins out.

If you were comparing two floor plans – one 565 square foot, 1-bedroom, 1-bathroom, and one 525 square foot, 1-bedroom, 1-bathroom, but the first floor plan had a massive, long, useless hallway that ate up square footage, and three awkwardly-placed concrete pillars, which unit would you rather have if it were gifted to you?

What if the living space in the 525 square foot unit was 200 square feet, and the living space in the 565 square foot unit was 140 square feet?

What if that 565 square foot unit was one of the worst layouts you had ever seen?

Which unit would you want?

Most of you are tempted to say you’d rather have the functional, well-laid-out, 525 square foot unit. But you’re kidding yourselves if you think you could pull that trigger.

“On paper,” that 565 square foot unit is worth $30,000 – $40,000 more than the 525 square foot unit.

So what really is the true value of functionality?

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