Author's notes:

The season 6 finale never happened. Never. Ever.

This is a gift

The usual disclaimers

Once upon a time...

It started like most of days like these started: at half past four in the morning, with a baby who decided that now was a good time to get baby flu. The way that little Neal was screaming, Snow knew he'd be a great punk rocker when he grew up. And Snow didn't really feel like getting up. By the way David slept like the dead, he wanted up even less. So Snow White got up, put on her robe, and tried to work mommy magic on little Neal, who she held for a good two hours.

After Neal finally went to sleep, only then did David deem himself to wake up. He went over to kiss his true love good morning. What he got was a reception colder than Ingrid's ice cottage.

"Is there something wrong, darling?"

"Don't you darling me...!" What followed was a series of angry exclamations, accusations, and what not. To be blunt, she accused her loving husband of not holding up his end of the marriage, why he won't take his turns holding and changing Neal, etcetera, etcetera. David fought back noting that in the last few months he's had to deal with a dragon (actually Maleficent's ex), various monsters, and a new spell that was triggered when Rumple's mother Fiona flipped out when not one, not two, but five of her favorite characters from her favorite Sunday night show were killed off in one episode (it was all poor David could do to keep Fiona from going to New York and pixie-dusting ABC headquarters...)

More yelling followed by a baby's whining. "Now see what you did!' Snow went to see about the baby, David said something about going to work, then slammed the door. Snow White did not need one more thing on her plate.

One more thing actually rang the phone. Emma just went five rounds with her wife and another five rounds with her pirate sorta-ex.

"Look..." Snow was now roaring. Even though Emma was her daughter, she had reached The Point. "... every time you get in a hissy fit with someone, you come crying to me about it! Either it's Regina or your father or Hook. Don't you know that sometimes I have issues. You... David... everyone takes me for granted! You know there are times when I..." There was a long pause, punctuated by an occasional sob.

"Mom... what is it...?" Emma's voice was softer. Filled with concern.

"Honey..." Snow sighed, "...I need some time alone today, OK?

There were a couple of beats of silence, then Emma said "Ok...I love you mom" and hung up.

Then again, Snow was not telling the full truth. She didn't want to be alone. But what she also didn't want to feel what she was feeling. And she needed to tell someone. She couldn't tell her husband or her daughter. As she dialed the phone number, she thought maybe she'd talk with Ruby, but as the phone answered she remembered that it was wolf's time and Ruby wasn't around, and Dorothy had a Ingrid pass so she could take Robyn to Boston. That left one person.

"Hello." The Not-So-Wicked-Anymore Witch of the West answered. Zelena would not understand everything that was going on with Snow, but that farm house was empty without the three women she loved. Snow asked Zelena if she would take Neal for the day even though the tyke was under the weather. The redheaded witch didn't hang up before she poofed into Snow's apartment and accepted the offer. Zelena asked why; Snow just said it was just one of those days and she just needed to decompress. Zelena offered to hang around to talk, but Snow simply said "no, thank you." The ginger kissed Snow on the cheek and poofed out with Neal, leaving Snow all by herself in her apartment. Of course, Zelena got back to her farm house instantaneously, put the young toddler in the playard usually set up for Robyn, kissed his cheek, put a couple of blankets over him, and then made a phone call..

Snow and Regina were adversaries but they had surprisingly much in common, though they would probably never admit it. One of them is cooking. Now Snow would never admit that to anyone, let alone Regina. And she wasn't as great of a cook as Regina, but she could make a mean pot of Yankee Chili for her husband, who she hopes would be in a better mood when he comes home that night.

Snow figured she could start with the noodles, boil them down the complete the stuff closer to dinnertime. She put the noodles in the pot, put the water in, and put the pot on the fire. Unfortunately, there was a towel near the burner, the towel was touching the wall. So when fire hit the dry towel...

Snow had flopped on couch, she was totally exasperated. Too much crap had happened this morning...and it was only morning. There could be nothing that could happen that could be worse.

Then the smoke rolled in.

Snow walked in to kitchen with a burning wall. Wall, she got a pot of water, which did little good. By the time she got a second pot of water, she was losing it as smoke filled the apartment and want out in the streets. Snow White was on auto-pilot as she threw another pot of water on the burning wall, not noticing the black smoke was now intermingled with that of a purplish tint. Then suddenly a big gust of wind seem to blow in, put the fire out, and blue all the black smoke out the window. Snow turned around and there was a familiar figure with a familiar flip hairdo and a familiar smirk.

"Stand back!" Snow moved away as Regina shot a wave of magic that repaired the wall.

"You know, Snow, you really need to get an electric stove." Regina Mills was in fine snarky form. Then she explained: "I got a phone call from sis saying that there was something wrong, and I..."

It was then that Snow White broke down crying. Regina went to embrace her, but Snow refused, at least in the beginning. "I'm fine," she lied through sobs. Snow knew that after 500 or so years, the former Evil Queen knew Snow better than she knew herself...

"I said...I'm...I'm..." Snow collapsed in uncontrollable weeping as Regina embraced her. Snow White allowed all of the frustrations of a bad day and maybe more spill onto the chest of the woman who was once her mortal enemy, a woman who gave a long kiss on the top of Snow White's head.

It was going to be a long day for both of them. And right now, at least Regina Mills did not mind at all.

To be continued...

Before I go...

I'd like to thank KarenDani4Ever for this idea. Actually a request. I hope I did her idea well.

I'm working on two Supergirl fics, the Zelena-centric At The End Of The Day, and an OUAT/Mako Mermaids crossover. I hope you check them out both on FF & AO3.

And your comments are welcome.