you betrayed me, im fed up wiff dis world. {snow}

[Regina Mills]

This post-curse Storybrooke was really, really beginning to get old. People were either still stumbling around trying to readjust to having all of their memories back, settling in and trying to find their happy endings (which, for the last time, didn't exist in this world), or spending their free time trying to string her up from her own apple tree or something of that nature.

Those who preferred that last option were particularly irritating. Especially today. She was not in the mood.

Regina had returned to the mayor's office, early enough in the morning that not too many people were out and about, to gather a couple of important files she'd left behind. The place was in quite a state - it had initially been trashed by one of the first of many rioting mobs when the curse had first lifted, but now it just seemed to have been...abandoned. Of course, Regina was certain that someone at least must be keeping a close eye on it should she happen to return, which was why she hadn't been stupid enough to simply walk in the front door. ...Or any door, for that matter. Teleporting in had seemed like an ideal option; all she needed to do was pop in, grab the files, and take off again.

She hadn't expected to see one of the seven dwarves (she was presuming this was Sleepy since he was...asleep in her chair) occupying the desk. Or Doc searching through the books that lined her shelves. Or the growl of "bout time you showed up." from behind her as Grumpy came lunging at her with a pickaxe! Whipping around, Regina only barely managed to duck to avoid the heavy blow, throwing out a hand to send Grumpy flying away from her and crashing backwards into the (very expensive) mahogany desk. She grit her teeth, practically seething. These seven little nightmares had already given her more trouble than everyone else in town combined since the curse had broken - and now they'd what, set some sort of trap for her? An extremely moronic move on their parts, since they were now putting themselves between her and something she wanted...and she was the one who had magic.

And she was more than willing to use it to teach them a much-needed lesson, too - what with Grumpy having the nerve to try and kill her after she'd saved his miserable life from Naga's rage several weeks ago.

But any plans of using magic against the dwarves were suddenly cut short when two of them - she couldn't see which two - suddenly grabbed her from behind. The thing about dwarves was that they really were stronger than they looked (perhaps it had something to do with spending their entire lives working in diamond mines), and Regina hadn't been quite prepared for the force with which her arms were suddenly forced behind her back. What were they...? They were tying her hands together! A snarl rose from the former queen's throat. "Release me at once, or I'll -"

"Or what? Ya - ACHOO" ...Ugh, he'd sneezed on her... "Ya need your hands to use your magic, your majesty." That was it. They were dead. They were all...dead. Just as soon as she managed to break free of these restraints...

[snow]

The breaking of the curse had been an enormous change for Snow White and the rest of Storybrooke. Snow had tried to avoid the many street riots against Regina, but it was quite hard to avoid the riots when the rioters were gathering around you to go and stop Regina. Snow really didn't want to hurt Regina, though. The dwarves really wanted to hurt her, but they didn't know. They had no idea what Snow had done to Regina. She couldn't just tell them, though. Not only would they probably not believe her, but it wasn't Snow's story to tell. If Regina wanted them to know, she would tell them.

Snow was taking a walk around Storybrooke. The riots had all calmed down and, though the damage to the town was great, everything was pretty much fine. There was some talk of a new mayor, though everything was still in a state of disarray. Most people wanted her to lead the town, but Snow wasn't really sure. Emma might have been the better choice.

As Snow passed the old mayor's office, she spotted something in the window. It looked like one of the dwarves flying through the air! Snow stared for a moment, completely unsure what was going down. She ran into the building and rushed up a flight of stairs or two until she reached the office. When she pulled the door open she saw... the dwarves surrounding Regina with her hands tied. They were apparently threatening her. "Stop!" Snow shouted, a bit horrified the the dwarves were trying to murder Regina again. The dwarves stepped away from Regina as Snow approached and started untying Regina's hands.

{YOU ARE LYING I NEVER HIT YOU}

[Regina Mills]

Regina froze upon hearing an all too familiar voice sounding from the doorway. Tensely, she sent a rather accusatory glare Snow's way. Snow's friendship with the dwarves was well-known, so why it hadn't occurred to her sooner that her stepdaughter had been behind all of this, she couldn't say. Of course Snow wasn't above setting traps for her, and what was more getting the dwarves to do the dirty work for her, the treacherous, traitorous little...

Her angry thoughts were interrupted, however, when the dwarves abruptly backed away from her. She blinked, both confused and suspicious at this sudden turn of events, and then entirely stiffened when Snow approached her and began to...untie her hands. ...Was she insane?! Surely the younger woman knew all too well what she was capable of, surely this had to be some sort of trick...just one that Regina hadn't quite...figured out yet. Whatever it was, Regina was in no mood to put up with it. Snow had her happy ending. The curse had broken. She'd been reunited with both her true love and her daughter. She'd won. Would she not be satisfied until her stepmother had been finished off, once and for all?

Once her hands were free, Regina stepped away and turned around to face the other woman, her eyes narrowed. She didn't like that expression of...it had almost looked like concern, on her stepdaughter's face. It gave off the illusion that Snow particularly cared about anyone but herself. "Is this supposed to be some sort of joke? What exactly is the point of ordering yet another attempt on my life, only to suddenly call it off?" Regina demanded sharply, suspiciously studying Snow's expression for any sign of trickery. Despite her unease, she forced a mocking edge onto her next words. "Don't tell me you've gotten cold feet?" Really, Regina was almost hoping to provoke her into allowing the dwarves to attack after all - she was tired of constantly having to fight off these sorts of attacks, and in a way she'd almost felt...relieved at what had just almost happened. Her resolve to fight had been dulled somewhat by...well, everything. The curse breaking. Losing Henry. Losing to Snow, again.

And frankly, Regina couldn't see how there was anything left to fight for.


((I TOLD PEOPLE THAT TO MAKE IT INTERESTING.))

[snow]

Snow turned to the Seven Dwarves and sighed. Her life had been completely turned around after the curse was broken and the stress of remembering everything that happened and having to deal with all the street riots was just awful, especially since the street riots were usually in her name despite the fact that she didn't want them all going around and wrecking Storybrooke. She especially didn't want them killing anyone, even if it was Regina. Maybe she'd want them to kill Regina before, but things were different now. Snow knew what she had done and she knew that there was no way she would ever get forgiveness for it. The least she could do was stop everyone from trying to kill Regina.

"I don't want to see any of you trying to kill her again." Snow said, still turned to the dwarves. "I don't want to see anyone in Storybrooke trying to kill her. Tell everyone that." With that, the dwarves nodded and said they would do what she said (though they were very reluctant to do so). Once the dwarves left, Snow turned back to Regina. "I didn't order any attempts on your life, Regina." Snow may have been guilty over what she knew she did, but that didn't mean she was going to tolerate Regina accusing her of sending people to kill her. It wasn't her fault that Storybrooke was completely out of control and very murderous towards Regina.

{I DID NAHT HEET HER IT'S NAHT TRUU EZ BOOLSHET I DID NAAAHT

o hai grumpy}

[Regina Mills]

All she'd wanted were a few files. She hadn't banked on this day being so chaotic and confusing and overall antagonizing, and now...now she had to watch the target of her hatred for all these years tell these dwarves that no one in town was permitted to make any further attempts on Regina's life. She stood in rigid, muted shock as she watched all seven of the men slink out of the room, looking none to happy about what they'd been asked to do. But this...this didn't make sense. Why didn't Snow want her dead? What more did she have to do?

Turning a glare on her stepdaughter once again, Regina considered for a moment. It would have been so easy to take her revenge, right now. It had always been so much easier than Regina had always made it; all it would have taken was a bit of magic of the especially lethal variety...so what was holding her back? Her own magic was far more simple than hiring huntsmen or poisoned apples or Rumpelstiltskin's curses, and with the dwarves gone she could have used it then and there and no one would have been able to stop her.

But then Snow had to keep go and doing things like saving her life. And every time she was prompted with the thought of using magic, along came the haunting memory of her interactions with her own mother. Of being thrown through the air, bound in magical chains, choked by Cora's own hand. What would Cora think if she witnessed Regina doing the same to her stepdaughter? ...In all honesty, she would have probably been proud - and the very thought of stooping that low made her feel sick.

Which it shouldn't have. Snow was no longer her family; she needed to shake these silly thoughts from her mind. Conjuring up her anger once again, Regina spat, "Why are you doing this?" Her words were frustrated, and her eyes narrowed. "I entrapped you and everyone you love in a curse for twenty-eight years; I ripped your family apart, I've done nothing but try to ruin your happiness time and time again." 'The same way you ruined mine' were words left unspoken, but Regina didn't think she needed to spell that part out. "What is it going to take to get you to end all of this?" Because if she couldn't win, if she couldn't have her happy ending, then Regina just wanted it to end. One way or another. Perhaps Snow knew that. Perhaps that was why she meant to keep Regina alive, out of sheer spite. Bristling with anger, she stared the brunette down for a moment longer.

((Grumpy, two izz great but three izz uh crowd.))