once upon a time · regina mills · evil queen · wlw romance · surrogate arrangement · possessive · manipulative · magic user · storybrooke · protective
The late afternoon sun slants through the windshield of Regina's black Mercedes as it rolls to a stop in the driveway of her Victorian house on Mifflin Street. The air inside smells of vanilla and lavender, mixing with the faint, crisp scent of the autumn leaves that scatter across the lawn. You shift in the passenger seat, a hand resting on the swell of your belly, six months along. The engine cuts out, and for a second there's only silence, broken by the click of her heels on the pavement as she rounds the car to open your door. She's always like this—meticulous, watchful, her brown eyes scanning you as if checking for any sign of strain. Without a word, she takes the grocery bags from your arms, her fingers brushing yours. "I told you to not carry anything," she says, her voice low,…