Once Upon a Time 1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is the Prologue to a mult-chaptered Archie/Regina fic that I've started. The first chapter should be posted not too long after this one and I'm hoping that the updates will be at least once a week, if not more often.**

* * *

It figured that the one time Regina was not responsible for a crime, was the time that everyone else thought she was guilty. But after her not so happy reunion with her mother, it was not at all surprising that Emma and the Two Idiots were fooled; Cora was a master manipulator and very determined when there was something she wanted. But in spite of her mother's efforts, her name had been cleared and Archie was home safe.

That damn Cricket. The whole experience had been eye-opening for Regina to say the least. She had not expected to feel so heartbroken over the "death" of Archibald Hopper, former Conscience and Cricket. If she was being perfectly honest with herself, she had grown quite fond of the man who had so willingly offered his services to her. What had upset her the most about him telling Emma about their sessions, was not so much that he had violated the Doctor/Patient confidentiality (really, his qualifications were received from a curse), but that she thought of him as a… well, as a friend. But they had spoken not too long after his escape, and had both apologized for the things said in their last conversation. She had made it clear to him that he was not her doctor and she was not his patient; the word "friend" had not been said explicitly, but the way that he had grinned at her in that reassuring way (that was somehow both infuriating and attractive) told her that she was understood. It was comforting to know that she could count on him and depend on him to be there for her.

What was it that Daniel had said to her? To love again? The idea of truly loving another man after Daniel had seemed unthinkable to her previously, but now she was not so sure. Archie was an unforeseen, but not unpleasant, addition to her life and she found herself asking "what if" questions about their relationship.

_Cause I can't make you love me if you don't__  
You can't make your heart feel something it won't_

He was genuine, sweet, and intelligent. She used to confuse his compassionate and understanding personality nature as a weakness, but she was quickly realizing that there was a quiet strength in him that she hadn't seen and appreciated in someone since Daniel. And the fact that he got along so well with Henry was an added bonus; she was actually thinking about giving Henry some riding lessons over at the stables, and inviting Archie along-

But thinking about all this was not helpful and was coming at the worst possible time. Cora was still at large and she had no idea what that woman had planned. And there was still the whole issue of her relationship with Henry and the struggles with having to share with him with Emma and the Two Idiots. Most importantly, there was no way he would actually consider being any closer than friends with her.

_Here in the dark, in these final hours__  
I will lay down my heart and I'll feel the power_

His genuine concern for her well-being was only platonic; no matter how much he smiled at her, encouraged her and believed in her, there's no way his conscience would allow him to be romantically attached to the former Evil Queen. Dwelling on what if's was no way for her to continue on the path to redeeming herself; distractions weren't an option at this point.

She heaved a sigh as she looked in the mirror and fixed her hair. She was meeting Archie at Granny's in ten minutes and it would not do to meet him in the emotional state she was in right now. He was her friend and he cared. For now, that was enough.

_But you won't, no you won't__  
'Cause I can't make you love me, if you don't_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: *Majestic trumpet sounds* Here's chapter 1! Enjoy :) Reviews are always welcome and appreciated.**

The smell of coffee floated through his apartment as Archie got himself ready for the day. It was a Saturday, and that meant no clients. Normally he was a tea drinker (either Peppermint or Earl Grey), but ever since his abduction and escape he had found he needed a little more to wake up in the morning. He made his way over to the cupboard and got out his favourite mug, a gift from Marco, and poured a big cup of black coffee.

The closing cupboard made a louder sound than he intended, making Pongo whimper slightly. He was still a little jumpy from time to time, and got visibly anxious when he left him alone for too long. It was an adjustment for both of them, but they were moving on from the recent trauma and life was getting back to normal. Mostly. There was of course still the issue of Cora; whatever she had in store for her daughter, it did not bode well for anyone in the town. If he had learned one thing from this whole experience, it was that Cora would stop at nothing to reunite with Regina. He had spoken with Regina a couple times since his escape, and both conversations had consisted of him trying to find out more about Cora and her trying to avoid the issue. She was definitely very good at changing the topic when it suited her.

The shrill ring of his phone made him jump, and he chuckled at his own nervousness. A smile spread across his face when he recognized the name on his caller ID.

"Hey Henry, what's up," he said cheerfully, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Nothin' much. Are you busy today?"

Archie grinned at the kids' brightness, even at 9:00 am in the morning. He'd been through quite a bit of emotional turmoil for an 11 year old boy, but he still kept his optimistic attitude. Mary Margaret and David had told him how effected Henry had been by his "death", and he wanted to make up for that as much as possible.

"Nope, my schedule's wide open. Wanna meet over at Granny's?"

"That sounds great Archie! I'll meet you there in 15 minutes!"

"Ok, but make sure you let Emma and Mary Margaret know before you-"

All he heard in reply was the click of a phone being hung up. He gave an amused sigh as he took a last swallow of his coffee, and grabbed his jacket from the closet. Henry was a good kid, but far too often he was prone to bending the rules. He'd have to remember to talk to Regina about that… she had made her mistakes as a mother, but she knew how to set boundaries and rules for Henry.

He paused at the door, grabbing his umbrella from its stand. There wasn't a whole lot he could do to help Regina when it came to Cora, but spending some time with Henry could help ease Regina's mind on how he was coping with everything.

"Come on Pongo, we're going out for a bit."

* * *

Henry thanked Ruby as she handed him his hot chocolate (with cinnamon of course) and went back to glancing at the door, waiting for Archie. Before he brought Emma to Storybrooke, Archie had been one of the only people that he felt he could really trust. It had hurt so much when he thought he was dead, and it made it worse thinking that it was his mom who killed him. But everything was going to be ok now; Archie was back and his mom was completely innocent.

The bell above the door to Granny's clanged, signaling that there was a new customer. Henry smiled excitedly as Archie made his way to the table he was seated at.

"I see you already ordered your usual," he joked as he took a seat in the chair opposite of Henry.

"Yup. And I got you a peppermint tea, I know how much you like those," Archie laughed as he shrugged off his coat. Even with the not-so-great stuff he'd been through recently, Archie always managed to be so optimistic. It was the thing Henry admired most about him.

"Sooo. There's kinda something I wanted to talk to you about…" he paused as Ruby set down Archie's tea, giving them both a smile and walked off.

Archie raised his eyes and smiled reassuringly at him. "Sure. What's on your mind Henry?"

"Well, things have been really crazy for a bit and I just feel like I need to spend some time with my mom… the mom I grew up with I mean."

"Wow, that's- that's great Henry! I think it's a good idea for you guys to hang out more often. I have to ask though… what's your motivation in all this?"

Henry looked up, surprised. He hadn't expected a question like that…

"She's my mom," he shrugged, looking down at his hot chocolate. "And I feel bad for thinking… you know… that she killed you."

Archie got that piercing look on his face that he remembered so well from their sessions. Uh oh.

"Henry, I'm glad that you want to spend more time with your mom. It's a good thing. But you shouldn't do it just because you feel guilty, I'm afraid that's never a good reason for doing something."

"It's not just that. Well maybe it's a little of that, but it's mostly because I miss her. I love staying with Emma and Grandma and Gramps, but it's not the same when I don't see my mom every day."

He took a sip of his chocolate and peeked at Archie's face. It was still unreadable, but at least the look had changed from piercing to more thoughtful.

"Ok," Archie agreed suddenly, giving him a small smile. "How about you give her a call? I hear that she has quite a way with horses, and I know that you're interested in learning. Could be a good way for you guys to get to know each other again."

His mom could ride horses? He just kept finding out more and more cool things about his family.

"Thanks Archie, that's a really good idea."

Archie settled back in his chair, giving him an encouraging smile and taking another sip of his tea. Henry remembered that smile well; it always happened when they had a good session.

"So I noticed you've been spending a lot time with my mom… anything you wanna tell me?"

The smile instantly vanished from the older man's face, and he went straight into a coughing fit. He had to clear his throat more than once before he was finally able to give a coherent reply.

"Why- why would think I needed to tell you something? Regina… your mother and I are just friends. She's been going through a difficult time and I've been helping her a bit."

"I was just curious, that's all," he replied innocently, fighting to keep the smile off his face. Archie had reacted exactly like he'd expected him too. Of course he'd never tell Henry what was actually going on between him and his mom, adults were funny like that.

But "just friends" was a good enough description for now.


	3. Chapter 3

If there was a world record for how many times a house could be cleaned in a single week, Regina was positive that she'd win. It seemed that every time she sat down for more than ten minutes, another area that "needed to be cleaned" popped into her head. Of course, it was all about distracting herself; at this point cleaning was the one thing that kept her from losing her mind with worry. Well… cleaning and baking. And there was no way her fridge could hold yet another tray of chocolate chip cookies, so cleaning it was.

Damn that woman. She had been starting to piece her life back together, and really work at being a better person and her mother had almost robbed her of everything she cared about and all the progress she had made. Really, she shouldn't be surprised; Cora had always had a gift for sensing when things might start going her way, and then proceeding to ruin it all for her. And she claimed that it was done for love… Regina scoffed at that thought, and then sobered when she remembered she had almost put her son in the exact same position she had been in as a young girl. Thankfully, she had been able to put a stop to that harmful pattern and start trying to change for the better. Unknowingly, Cora had almost succeeded in breaking her, by taking away the one person in town she trusted. Fortunately her mother had no idea that she cared for Archie in anyway; if she had realized, who knows what she would have done to him. It seemed that her thoughts recently always seemed to wander back to the man she had previously seen as infuriatingly noble and good. Now she couldn't imagine her life without her, and frankly the realization of that fact scared her. She needed something to take her mind off these thoughts…

The upstairs linen closet! Surely that needed organizing or sorting or _something_. She stopped short when a knock at her door surprised her. To the best of her knowledge, she wasn't expecting anyone and certainly not around dinner time… the last time someone had come to pay her a visit, things had escalated rather quickly. Better to get it over quick, there was no point in standing rooted to her spot in the hall. She quickly unlocked the door and opened it to find her son standing there, smiling up at her.

"Hey mom," Henry exclaimed, and enveloped her in a tight embrace.

"Henry, this is a surprise! I wasn't expecting to see you until our lunch tomorrow. Come in sweetheart," keeping an arm around his shoulder and walking back with him into the house. He closed the door behind them, and then made a beeline for the fridge. How a boy his size could eat as much as he did and still be hungry was beyond her, but she made sure to always keep the fridge well stocked.

He'd found the chocolate chip cookies, at least they'd be eaten up before too long.

"I mfhguphm urphm mrhph," he managed between mouthfuls of cookies.

"Darling I know they're good, but please swallow before you try and speak," she said with an amused laugh, taking out the milk from the fridge and pouring a glass for him.

"Sorry," he replied sheepishly, and took a sip of the milk. "I said that I really missed your cookies… I miss this."

Regina felt tears spring to her eyes as her son looked up at her, giving her a soft smile. She'd missed these moments with him too; their time together before Emma hadn't been perfect by any means and she'd made mistakes, but there were good times too. Hopefully they were on track to mending their relationship.

"So did you just come over for a cookie fix," she joked and snagged a cookie from the now half empty plate.

"Now that you mention it… I have a favour to ask you," he replied slowly, getting a serious look on his face.

"Of course, you can ask me anything. Is everything ok?"

"No, everything's fine… it's just- I was wondering if you could give me some horse riding lessons. I know you used to ride a lot in your land and I really wanna learn," he finished off with a hopeful tone to his voice.

"Oh! I'd love to! That would be- wait, how did you know that I used to ride horses," she wondered. They had spoken about bits and pieces of her life back then, but she couldn't remember telling him about that…

"I dunno, can't remember where I heard it now," he shrugged and took another long chug of his milk. He looked innocent enough, but that little smirk on his face didn't go unnoticed by Regina. Who could have possibly… Archie. She'd bet money on Archie being the culprit behind her sons new found knowledge. Not that she minded really, she'd actually been trying to think of something they could do together and this would be perfect.

"That sounds perfect Henry, how about we figure out everything tomorrow when we have lunch? But for now," she gave a quick glance at the clock, "You'd better be heading back to Emma's before they bang down my door looking for you."

He gave a laugh at that and began walking to the front door. Opening the door, he turned around and exclaimed, "Oh I almost forgot! You should invite Archie, he'd probably like hanging out with you- us I mean. Ok bye!"

And he was out the door, leaving Regina a sputtering mess. She'd caught his little slip up and now was wondering if he didn't have some kind of ulterior motive in all this. He was sincere in wanting to spend time with her, that she could tell. And it was no secret that he had formed a special connection with Archie, but there was something about his little hints and comments that almost seemed too innocent.

Shaking her head, she made to go and lock the door, when an all too familiar voice sounded from behind her.

"Hello darling. It's been a long time."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry this update took a little longer, I've had interviews this week for a new job (I got it, yay!) and so I've had other things to do. But now I'm a little ahead of my schedule, so the next chapter should be up mid next week. Reviews are always lovely, let me know what you liked and what you didn't :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Longer chapter this time, hope you all enjoy it! As always, reviews are much appreciated :)**

There were very few things that could stop Regina in her tracks. She was not at all fond of spiders, and even the thought of Henry in danger left her breathless. But those paled in comparison to her mother's voice; the words were more often than not sweet and seemingly kind, but there was always that hidden malice and underlying threat to them.

She had thought that her mother's hold on her would weaken when she pushed her through the looking glass, or as she got older. But here she was, still cringing at her mother like she was a little girl again. It took a few deep breaths to calm and steel herself before facing the woman who had caused so much of the pain and heartache she had experienced in her life.

"Mother," she breathed, turning around slowly. As always Cora wore that same self assured look on her face, and it only grew more pronounced when she saw the effect she was having on her daughter.

"Regina, sweetheart…" she began, opening her arms and holding them out in a posture of supplication.

"Don't. Just- don't start. I know the game you're playing and it won't work," Regina accused and advanced slowly to stand directly in front of Cora. "You're going do the whole innocent act, and pretend that everything was 'for my own good'. I know you too well Mother."

Cora's smile faltered and flickered slightly for a split second, but the mask was quickly replaced; the woman was resilient if nothing else. She never gave in, and part of Regina knew that things were not even close to being truly resolved.

"Goodness, always so dramatic darling. Don't tell me you actually cared for the Cricket," Cora smirked and swept past her daughter across the floor, slowing down to peer at the framed pictures in the hallway.

Regina bit back an angry retort; the woman was baiting her and falling for it would only make this little confrontation worse. She silently thanked God that her mother was not aware of her connection with Archie when she kidnapped him. There was no doubt in her mind that Cora would have exploited the situation as much as possible.

"We're not having this conversation Mother. You're going to leave this house and never come back," she threatened, moving to stand once more in Cora's path.

The only reaction she got was a head tilt and that same arrogant smile.

"Don't worry; I haven't come for admissions or apologies. I've accepted that you think you no longer need my help. If you must know… I've come to warn you sweetheart. You didn't really think that rejecting me would be without consequences," she replied calmly, her smile growing wider.

Suddenly it felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room; she should have known her mother wouldn't release her grip on her life that easily. What fresh hell could the woman possibly unleash that would make her life worse than it had been?

"You have no allies in this town, _Cora_." The visible wince on Cora's when she heard her first name being used by her daughter did not go unnoticed. "Everyone knows that you're responsible for killing an innocent person and making it seem like I killed Arch- Dr. Hopper. And your good friend Hook is… out of commission for the time being. You have no cards to play anymore."

How she wished she could believe her own words. At least she managed to keep her voice from quivering when she spoke.

"You always were so unbelievably small minded Regina. Always looking at the minor details instead of the big picture. I tried so hard to get you to broaden your thinking, but you always were like your father. So unremarkably… average in your ways."

The accusation stung no matter how much she despised her mother; even after all the lengths she had gone to get what she wanted, it still was never enough. But she wouldn't trade the progress she had made in the past couple of months for all the power and pride her mother could offer.

"I'm going to give you ten seconds to get the hell out of my house. And then I will make you get out," Regina warned, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Fine. I'll leave… for now. But remember what I said darling; consequences."

And then with a swirl of her cape and a puff of smoke, she was gone. Regina let go of the breath she didn't even realize she was holding in, and slumped against the wall. She didn't think she'd be to survive yet another encounter with her mother, but here she was. Somehow, that didn't make her feel any better.

What she needed was fresh air and a walk, it felt stifling in her house and her mother's final warning had shaken her to her core. That frustrating (and often time's right) little voice in her head told her that what she really needed was to talk to Archie. With a resigned nod, she straightened up, grabbed her purse and made her way out of the house.

* * *

Archie was startled out of his thoughts by a sharp rap at his apartment door. Ever since his breakfast with Henry he'd been conflicted to say the least. He genuinely enjoyed and appreciated the relationship that he and Regina had been developing since his return from the dead. She was learning to trust him more, and he was getting better at trying to balance the scales and not just have it be a one-sided relationship. But Henry's implications had left him a little rattled… Regina was his friend and he didn't want to do anything to compromise that, but at the same time he couldn't deny that there was _something_ between them that was more than friendship.

Sighing to himself, he rose from chair, hurrying when the knock sounded louder and more frantic than before. Opening it revealed an obviously upset Regina who looked just about ready to throw something.

"The woman is absolutely unbelievable," she raged as she surged past him into his apartment. Archie made a mental note to be very careful with what he said in this conversation.

"Regina, please come in," he teased as he shut the door and turned to face her. The smile instantly left his face when he saw that she was most definitely not in the mood for any kind of joke attempt.

"Sorry I uh- I was trying to be funny and maybe help you calm down but that was clearly a bad idea and now I'm just rambling…" he trailed off lamely, adjusting his glasses nervously. "Is everything alright? Who's the 'she' you're talking about?"

"Do you really have to ask," she demanded, and just for a moment the old Evil Queen fire blazed in her eyes. "My mother! She just never stops; she'll never stop until I'm completely and utterly miserable."

Apparently she heard herself and realized just how loud she had been talking, because her face softened as soon as the words left her mouth. And Archie was positive that he had something of a 'deer caught in headlights' look on his face.

"I'm sorry," she sighed and took a seat on the couch. Pongo perked up as she approached and nosed her hand, hoping for some attention from her. That seemed to cheer her up a bit, because a soft smile appeared on her face as she scratched him behind his ears. "I'm not mad at you obviously, and I shouldn't have barged in here ranting without explaining what was wrong," she said softly and looked at him apologetically.

"It's fine Regina, really. I can only imagine how stressful it is knowing that she's here and has full use of her magic," Archie acknowledged and came to sit on the couch with her. "She came to see you again I take it?"

"Oh yes," Regina laughed dryly, and leaned back against the couch. "And she gave me a particularly delightful promise to expect more trouble from her in the near future."

Damn that woman, Archie thought to himself. It was bad enough that Cora had ruined Regina's childhood with her abuse, but now she was trying to torment her even as an adult. It infuriated him feeling so helpless, but all he could offer Regina right now was advice and comfort; two things he knew for sure he could do well enough.

"What more could she possibly do to you that she hasn't done," he exclaimed with an incredulous look on his face.

"I have absolutely no idea and quite frankly, that terrifies me."

Archie hated seeing her so troubled and wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms… but that would of course be inappropriate, considering his earlier musings about her. He needed to remember what his role in all this was; he was her sometimes therapist/acquaintance/confidant. And he was pretty sure she would be appalled at the idea of the two of them being anything more than their already complicated relationship.

But she _was_ clearly upset and it was completely acceptable and expected to comfort someone on the verge of tears, right?

"I know these past few weeks have been trying for you," Archie said, taking her hand in his. "And I know it seems like you're fighting against your mother all by yourself. But I promise you that I'm in your corner."

Regina's face was still uneasy, but the small smile that broke across her face momentarily made all the difference. Archie couldn't promise her that everything would be alright, and he was certainly not able to go up against Cora. Being there for Regina was definitely in his power, and it would have to be enough for now.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Here's the next chapter, hope you all enjoy! Reviews are always nice :)**

* * *

Cora smirked as she made her way back to the docks. Her "meeting" with Regina had gone even better than she had expected; her daughter was clearly shaken and vulnerable right now. And this Dr. Hopper… if only she'd known before that her daughter actually cared for the man. The realization that her daughter was firm in her belief that she no longer needed her mother was a little disconcerting, but Cora had always been good at overcoming unforeseen circumstances.

Now that her message was delivered, she could really get started on her plan and the real reason she had come to Storybrooke in the first place. She'd been hoping to include Regina in all of it, but there was no point in dwelling on that. Her first move right now was to contact the "acquaintance" she'd been hoping to find in town. Regina would regret severing ties with her. With a satisfied sigh, she stepped onto the ship and disappeared.

* * *

Sunlight was the first thing that Regina was aware of when she woke. It blazed against her eyelids, making it much too uncomfortable to keep them closed. But the room she saw was unknown, and yet familiar feeling at the same time. Lifting her head, she saw that she was covered by a green and silver comforter with some kind of snake stitched into the corner. She'd seen it somewhere but she just couldn't place where

The room was a decent size and clearly belonged to man; there was a beautiful painting of a forest on the wall to her left and little trinkets on top of the dresser. The only thing that really seemed to be missing in the room was any personal photos. There were absolutely no indications of who the room actually belonged to, it was completely devoid of any real personality.

The sound of silverware clinking made her bolt out of the bed, but her body was moving much faster than her brain this morning, because she stubbed her toe on the dresser. Apparently it was the jolt she needed to fully wake up; the night before came flooding back to her.

* * *

_Archie had stayed up with her for most of the night. Even when she had started to cry, he had stayed right beside her and even held her. It was the most loved she'd felt in a long time and thinking about that only made her cry even more._

_The last thing Regina remembered was being led to the bed and being tucked in._ _Her sleep was mostly dreamless, but she could have sworn she remembered lips being softly pressed to her forehead._

* * *

"Damn it," she mumbled to herself, taking a quick look in the mirror to make sure she was presentable. She hadn't meant to be so vulnerable last night, but Archie had this way of bringing out the softer side of her; the side that hadn't felt safe enough to show itself since Daniel's death. But history had taught her that feelings like this were always dangerous, so it was best to suppress them for the time being.

Again she heard sounds from the kitchen; plates being taken down, and a pan being placed on the stove. The smell of coffee was wafting its way into the room, there was no way she could resist a cup of fresh coffee in the morning. It was pointless hiding out here when the man knew she was inside. And it would be much more awkward if he had to come in and see if she were awake.

Passing her hand through her hair quickly and straightening her top, she quietly opened the bedroom door and stepped into the living room. Pongo was lying on the rug by the couch and lifted his head slightly when he heard her footsteps. Archie was standing at the sink washing some strawberries, with his back towards her.

She hadn't really had a chance to really look around his apartment last night, taking a quick look around Regina saw that it was so wonderfully _him. _There was a wide bookshelf in one corner of the living room, containing books on everything from Greek Mythology to _Pride and Prejudice._ Unlike the bedroom, there was more of a personal touch added to the room. There was a framed picture of Archie and Marco (and Pongo) hanging on the wall next to the window. And she was please to see a photo of Archie and Henry on the coffee table that she had somehow missed last night. It was so sweet and comforting to know her son had someone like Archie to depend on; they got along so well and Henry only ever said good things about him. He was exactly the man she could see being a father-figure to Henry…

"Regina?"

It was the second time that morning she was startled from her thoughts, this issue with Cora was putting her more on edge than she'd ever been. She turned quickly to see Archie smiling at her and holding out a mug of coffee.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," he said sheepishly, with a small smile on his face and took a step towards her.

"No, no it's alright, I was off in my own thoughts," she assured him and accepted the proffered cup. "So the comforter in your room has a snake on it… care to explain," she joked and hid the growing smile on her face behind the cup.

Archie's face turned beet red and he quickly looked down. "I uh- that's um… that would be the symbol for the Slytherin house," he stammered.

"The Slythe-what house," she exclaimed with amusement flashing in her eyes.

"The Slytherin house. It's one of the four houses at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, from the Harry Potter series. It's my favourite house so I got the blanket… now I'm just rambling, I'll stop…" he trailed off awkwardly and turned to grab the bread from the toaster.

Regina gazed after him fondly; the man was definitely nerdy, but he was an adorable one. She followed him into the kitchen and grabbed a strawberry out of the bowl.

"I can't remember the last time someone made me breakfast," she began as she leaned against the counter. "And… I wanted to thank you. For everything. I couldn't have gotten through last night without you."

"Oh it was no trouble Regina, I didn't mind at all," he insisted as he set down the toast in front of them. "And to be honest, it's kinda nice cooking for someone else for a change. Want some jam with your toast?"

"Please," she replied and took another sip of her coffee. He grabbed a jar of raspberry jam from his fridge and handed her a knife.

"I know that trust is an issue with you, and I know that I haven't helped that much," he admitted, despite her protests. "I never should have told Emma about your sessions with me, you were right. But I want you to know that I'll never make that mistake again and you can come to me any time you need to talk."

"Archie," she responded slowly, "It was never really about you telling Emma, although I wasn't crazy about that part."

The surprise on his face was evident; frankly the realization had been shocking to her. She could have put aside her frustration with Miss Swan being made aware about her efforts to change. What had really hurt was that Archie clearly only saw her as a patient, just another person he offered his advice to. And it didn't help that she was becoming aware of her feelings for him. But there was no way she could tell him all that.

"What was it about then? I don't-"

She broke in before he could say anymore, "It's just that… I never thought of myself as your patient," she said, playing with the crumbs on the plate in front of her. "At first you were just someone willing to listen to me. But then I realized I actually enjoyed spending time with you and was starting to think of you as… a friend. But then-"

"But then I made it all professional instead of acknowledging the way our relationship has changed in the past couple of months," he finished off, looking down and sighing. Regina looked away before they could hold eye contact for too long.

Just before she could turn and walk away, he grabbed her hand suddenly.

"I'm sorry, I truly am Regina. It was never my intention, and I really do think of you as a friend. A very good friend," he insisted and held her gaze with those piercing blue eyes of his. Suddenly it felt like her breath had caught in her throat; their faces were moving closer and closer together until finally-

The shrill ringing of Archie's phone rudely interrupted them, causing both to jump up and away from each other.

"I should- I should go, I'm so sorry," Regina stammered and rushed to grab her coat and purse.

"Regina wait, please…"

"No I really should go, I have some… painting to do today anyway," she insisted without looking at him, and the next moment she was out the door. She immediately let out the breath she'd been holding as she leaned against the wall outside Archie's door.

"Damn it," she whispered, closing her eyes.

The first (and only) real friendship she had managed to build in this damn town, and she'd ruined it before the 5 month mark. She had to get the hell out of there before the tears welling up in her eyes started falling.

"Damn it."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: This is coming a little later than I would have liked it to be, but life shenanigans man. Anyway, enjoy :) And reviews are always much appreciated.**

It had been Emma, _of course_ it had been Emma on the phone. She was calling to see how he was doing and also to ask whether or not he remembered more about his time with Cora and Hook. He gave her a quick recap and promised to give her a full one tomorrow sometime. By the time he got off the phone with her, ten minutes had gone by; Regina had to be home by now.

He banged his fist on the kitchen counter in frustration; that was not at all how he had intended that conversation to end. When Regina had fallen asleep he had convinced himself to make it clear to her that they had to keep things professional from now on. He'd made this commitment before, but what could he do when she came over almost in tears? Vulnerability was not something that Regina often showed and there was no way he could discourage it when she did show it. Tears were something he never quite knew how to deal with and he was slowly discovering that tears from Regina were becoming his kryptonite.

But nothing could ever happen between them, he reminded himself as he cleaned up their half-eaten breakfast. Not that she'd ever be truly interested in him romantically anyway. He was far from her type, he knew that for sure. Transference was the only explanation for Regina's actions this morning; they had indeed gotten close in the past few months and it was only natural that she would begin transferring feelings that she had for Daniel onto the one who was helping her emotionally right now. That was the reason she seemed to be open to the idea of kissing him… wasn't it?

Sighing to himself, he quickly ran a comb through his ginger coloured hair and then grabbed Pongo's leash; the dog immediately jumped up from his little bed and bounded towards the door. At least someone was happy this morning.

* * *

As soon as she slammed the door behind her, Regina let out slew of profanities and made her way to the living room. She knew that it was treading on dangerous ground to spend so much time with Archie, and she knew that her feelings were growing and not fading. The man was her… what was he to her anyway? He had described their relationship as friends, good friends in fact, but somehow that didn't seem right to her.

She puffed out a breath as she poured herself a drink of her famous apple cider. Gods knew she needed it right now. Archie was really the one to blame for all this; damn him for being so understanding and for looking so handsome with his morning hair. He made her feel safe and comfortable enough to share her feelings; it was no coincidence that he was the first person she thought of going to see after the disaster with Daniel at the stables. And now she'd thrown all that away by nearly jumping his bones earlier. Who knows what would have happened if that phone hadn't have rung. Knowing her luck, it was either Miss Swan or one of the two idiots.

Regina sat down on the love seat and put her feet up, nursing her drink as she thought. Not only did she have her mother's parting words fresh in her mind, but now she had to seriously consider her feelings for Archie. On one hand, she knew that her feelings for him were real and were only getting stronger. And she could see a life with him working out. But on the other hand, the therapy has been good for her. She'd finally gotten to the place of moving on from her past hurts and learning to work with the two- Snow and Charming. After all, they had a common interest now; Henry. The only one who would really suffer from their on-going feud was her son, and there was no way she would do anything to put the re-building of their relationship in jeopardy. Actually now that she thought about it, Henry would probably be very pleased if something were to happen between his mother and one of his best friends.

Coming clean about her not so platonic feelings for him would put a screeching halt to their sessions, and she wasn't sure if that would be the right move for her. What she needed now was some good advice… and of course the one person she'd usually go to for advice was the person she needed the advice about.

Maybe she needed to do a little more baking… Henry had managed to polish off most of the cookies last time he was over; anything to distract her from her current predicaments.

* * *

Archie found himself in front of Marco's workshop; as much as his deal with the Blue Fairy had been to help and counsel Geppetto, the man had been a comfort and encouragement to Archie as well. If there was anyone he could go to for advice on Regina, it was Marco. Pongo's tail started wagging excitedly and he started barking happily as he neared the familiar open garage. Marco must have heard the noise because he came out wiping his hand on a cloth and smiling.

"Archie, how are you," he said warmly as he walked over and gave his friend a hug. "I wasn't expecting you to come by today."

"Yeah I know, I was just on a walk with Pongo and decided to stop by and say hi," Archie responded unconvincingly; he knew that his friend would see right through his flimsy excuse, but that didn't mean he couldn't try at least. Sure enough, Marco gave him a knowing and searching look as he walked back into the garage, beckoning Archie to follow him.

"My friend, I know you too well for that. What's really on your mind," he inquired and then got a mischievous smirk on his face, "This wouldn't have anything to do with the former mayor would it?"

Archie gaped at him; just how many people in this town were beginning to wonder about his relationship with Regina? He quickly closed his mouth and avoided looking directly at his old friend; the man was dead on but there was no way Archie was going to give in that easily.

"What makes you think that," he countered, cringing at how childish he sounded.

"Well I've never seen you get so… invested in one of your patients before," Marco began cautiously giving Archie a sidelong glance, "And I've never seen her be so polite and friendly with anyone besides Henry." Archie blushed furiously looked down at his feet; no point in beating around the bush any longer.

"Fine you win Marco," he sighed resignedly, "Do you have time to talk?"

"I always have time for you Archie, come let's have some coffee, huh?" the older man smiled and led the way into the house. Archie shook his head amusedly and led Pongo in after him.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Let's all ignore how ridiculously late this update is lol. There's been a lot going on in my life lately, but hopefully things have simmered and I'll be able to do more regular update. Since people have been so patient and understanding, there will be another chapter posted tomorrow! Enjoy! As always, reviews are very much appreciated :)**

This was it. What she'd been dreaming about and fantasizing about for the past few months was finally coming true. Archie strode across the room towards her with a determined look on his face, not slowing his pace until he was standing right in front of her. He placed his hands on either side of her face, and gazed into her eyes. The next thing she knew, their lips were locked in a searing kiss and his tongue was begging for entrance into her mouth.

She ran her hands through his hair and grabbed a handful of his shirt, pulling him flush against her. He began leading her towards the bedroom, causing her to walk backwards until the back of her legs hit the bed. He peppered kisses all over her face, trailing down her neck and on down to the swell of her breasts…

* * *

Regina jolted up from her vivid dream with a gasp; this wasn't the first dream she'd had of Archie, but it was the first where the subject matter had been not so PG 13. This was getting ridiculous now! The more she tried to ignore her feelings him, the more they made themselves known in her subconscious. Maybe this was a sign that she should just stop fighting how she was beginning to feel for her therapist… even as she thought it, the nagging feeling that telling Archie could end up ruining their current relationship, wouldn't leave her alone. She knew that he would only feel guilty and then try to distance himself from her and there was no way in hell she could let that happen.

Sighing to herself, she got out of bed and began to get ready for the day. She was going to be meeting Henry at Granny's for breakfast and she couldn't wait. They were finally in a much better place with one another and that was the relationship she needed to be focusing on right now. She ran her fingers quickly through her dark hair and made a mental note to get a trim sometime soon. But right now she needed to leave before she ended up being late. Giving herself one final look in the mirror, Regina made her way downstairs and out the door.

"Geppetto, we've been through this already," Archie exclaimed into the phone with an exasperated sigh, "I'm not gonna do anything about my… relationship with Regina."

He paced his living room, absent-mindedly fiddling with the papers on his side table. The talk yesterday with his oldest friend had been good and definitely a relief to get some of what he had felt recently off his chest. The only problem now was Geppetto seemed to think that he and Regina needed to 'clear the air' between them.

Which was ridiculous; he was Regina's therapist, she was his patient. There was nothing more to discuss really, at least in Archie's mind. He tried to ignore the little voice in his head that kept repeating _'You're being an idiot'_.

"Listen, I gotta go Geppetto. We'll talk more later I promise, but I have an appointment I can't be late for."

He hung up and quickly checked his watch. That phone call had unfortunately made him about ten minutes late and the person he was meeting had a tendency to get a little antsy when they were kept waiting for too long.

Grabbing Pongo's leash and chuckling with amusement when his dog bounded to the door with his tail wagging excitedly, he made his way out the door.

It was a nice day, almost warm enough to go without a jacket. He passed by Mr. Gold's shop on his way and glimpsed the man himself inside with Belle; he was glad that the man seemed to be doing better. It was obvious that Belle was a good influence on him.

The little bell on the door to Granny's clanged as he pushed it open, smiling at Ruby as she passed by with someone's order. He was about to make his way to his favourite table but stopped when he noticed that someone was already seated in the booth. It wasn't the person he was meeting, but he could recognize that hair anywhere. Taking a deep breath he made his way over to the figure seated.

"Regina, hi!"

She jumped as she heard her name, then a soft smile crossed her face as she looked up at the man.

"Archie, how are you," she greeted and gestured for him to sit down.

Her nervousness didn't escape his well trained eye, but he chose to ignore that for the time being. They had to move past the… incident from a few nights ago. He slid into the opposite side of the booth and gave her a warm smile in return.

"I'm uh- I'm good thanks. Actually I was supposed to meet Henry here for breakfast, but I was running a little late…," he trailed off as he saw her register first surprise, followed by confusion.

"Wait- you're meeting Henry for breakfast? He called me yesterday and said he wanted to see me this morning."

"Well he called me last night and said that he wanted to meet up for some pancakes at Granny's. I don't under-"

"Hey guys!"

Both Regina and Archie jumped this time as the boy himself hurried up to the table with a big grin on his face. The little sneak.

"Sorry I'm so late, I totally forgot that I promised to go in early to school and help put up decorations for Valentine's Day," the words rushed out, his smile growing all the wider as he went on. "But you guys stay and have some breakfast, I asked Ruby to make up some banana pancakes for you guys."

"Henry...," Regina began slowly and flashed a quick look at Archie, "I don't think this is a good idea-"

"Sorry gotta go, I'll make it up to you guys, I promise!"

And he was gone before either of them could protest or make excuses. Archie sat frozen for a second before mentally shaking himself and giving Regina a small lopsided smile. Apparently they were going to have to talk about things, whether they wanted to or not.

"Well since we're here, we may as well eat. And my thoughtful son has already ordered us something to eat," she stated taking a sip from the coffee Ruby had brought over earlier.

"Right, I mean it would just be irresponsible to let good food go to waste," Archie joked, receiving a small laugh from Regina.

Little did they know, the two were being watched by not so friendly eyes.

* * *

Hook collapsed his spyglass telescope and turned to the woman standing on the rooftop next to him. As far as he could see, Cora was not succeeding in her plan to punish Regina for rejecting her. Then again, he almost never could pin down the woman's thought process, so it was easier just to accept the information being given to him.

"Not that I don't admire your conviction Cora, but I fail to see how your little chat with your daughter has done anything to shake her," he said carefully, giving her a sidelong look.

"My dear Hook, you are gifted in many ways but you've always lacked the ability to see the bigger picture," she said softly with her tell-tale overly confidant smirk making its appearance.

"You see, my daughter now has not one but two weaknesses for me to exploit. Henry is the obvious one, but now it's clear that she has feelings for the Cricket. She's always been rather predictable, never realizing that love is weakness."

Cora gave a deep sigh of contentment; now that she knew for sure that her daughter was definitely developing feelings for this Dr. Hopper, she could begin putting her plan into action finally.

And the key to that plan was Archie Hopper.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Two updates in two days, go me! Hope you enjoy this chapter, I've loved writing the last two chapters so much. Hope you guys like them too! Reviews and feedback are always lovely :)**

Regina fiddled with her ring nervously as they waited for Ruby to come by with their order. She had no idea how to approach this inevitable conversation with the man in front of her. It was a talk they clearly needed to have, no matter how much they both wanted to ignore the situation. Evidently Archie was just as anxious as she was, judging by the way he was tapping his fingers on the table.

"So ah- how have you been Regina," he inquired slowly, adjusting his glasses.

"I've been good; things with Henry are going well so that's been good…" she trailed off as Ruby approached with their pancakes and a coffee for Archie. With a pleasant smile, Archie thanked her and waited until she left before he replied.

"Yeah I've seen how your relationship has changed, I'm so happy for both of you."

"Things are still kind of tense between The Charmings and me but we're… working on it," Regina confessed with a tiny smirk on her face. It was unlikely that she would ever really get along with Snow, Charming and Emma but she was definitely willing to try for Henry's sake.

"Good, good." There was a pause as they both took bites from their pancakes.

"Listen Reg-"

"Archie I want-"

They both stopped mid sentence and then giggled that they were both so eager to talk first.

Archie grinned at her fondly. "Why don't you go first?"

"I wanted to say- Archie I'm sorry about the… situation from before. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable or anything," she paused to take a deep breath before taking the plunge. "I appreciate you so much and I've enjoyed getting to know you these past few months. But the truth is… I don't think I can see you anymore."

Shock flashed across Archie's face, followed by hurt at Regina's words. _Damn it, that didn't come out right at all_, Regina thought to herself. How the hell did she keep finding ways to screw this situation up even more? She had to think fast before he ended up misinterpreting her words completely, and then she might lose him forever.

"Oh no, no that's not what I meant at all!"

Relief sparked in his eyes as he gave a nervous chuckle. "Ok good, I was a little worried for a bit there."

"I meant to say that I don't want to see you professionally anymore, as your patient."

"Oh! Oh ok I see," he laughed softly and then looked at her quizzically, "No wait… why? Did I do something wrong?"

"Oh no, of course not Archie! You've been wonderfully through this time in my life and I love that Henry trusts you so much."

"I don't get it then, why do you want to discontinue our sessions," he asked, taking a sip from his coffee.

"I um- You see, recently I've become aware of certain… feelings. The sort of feelings that are the opposite of platonic," she stammered and let out the breath she'd been holding. It felt good to finally get it all out, but she hated that Archie was able to make his face so unreadable.

There was silence for longer than Regina would have liked and she was pretty sure that Archie could hear her heart pounding like crazy in her chest.

"You know what? Just forget I said anything, this was such a mistake." And with that, Regina quickly got out of the booth, almost tripping over the strap of her purse on her way, and hurried out of the diner.

"Regina, wait! Wait!" Regina ignored his calls and continued on out the door. She sidestepped Pongo as he struggled against his leash trying to say hello to her.

"Regina," he panted, finally catching up with her. "Damn, how do you manage to move so fast in those heels of yours?"

She turned around slowly, struggling to hold back her tears. The last thing she wanted to do was cry in front of Archie and make more of a scene than she had before. She'd just have to listen to whatever Archie had to say and deal with the fallout.

"Regina listen… I'm sorry I didn't respond right away. I can deal with other people's issues but I'm not so good with my own," he admitted to her, shuffling his feet awkwardly.

"I do feel something for you. And here I was feeling all guilty about my feelings, when you were feeling the same way. The last thing I wanted to do was lose you."

The tears Regina had been holding back began trickling down her face as she lit up at his words. This was exactly what she'd been waiting to hear for months now, she couldn't believe that he actually felt the same way.

"I think we should take things slow though, I really don't want to do anything to mess this up."

"Right, of course! Slow is good, it's responsible…"

And then their lips were crashing together, his hands were in her hair, her hands snaked up his chest and around to the back of his neck.

For a minute Regina completely forgot about the threat of her mother or how complicated things might become now.

For now they could just enjoy this moment.


End file.

Once Upon a Time, Family, Romance