Some would argue it might be a bad idea that Emma take part in this raid. They'd be wrong. It was without a doubt a bad idea. It was a bad idea even without bringing along her new rookie partner. But Detective Emma Swan seldom did what others might think was a good idea.
When they had arrived, the action was nearly over. Most of the low level thugs had been cuffed or backed into a corner.
"Lucas, we're checking the back office for the Queen. Cover me." She said slowly advancing through the now almost silent warehouse.
The only sounds were a few mumbling vice agents taking their piece of the pie into the cars. Corrupt assholes. The other detectives were putting the arrested foot soldiers into the squad cars. These busts were little more than a smoke show. The price of doing business for a smuggling ring like this.
"This was a simple hand over you really think she'll be here?"
"She can't help it. She feels like they don't do it right without her. Plus she has a pension for drama." The last sentence was whispered as they were now approaching the door that said 'office'.
When Emma rams into it with her shoulder Ruby follows suit. Before Emma can even scan the room there is a loud boom and smoke all over, they're coughing and Emma hears a second door open and slam shut.
"Fuck!"
She makes her way to the other side of the office a fast as she can, which is not very fast considering she's crouched down and functionally blind at the moment. Ruby is panting right behind her. They bust through the second door into a stairwell, thankfully smoke free and Emma catches a flash of gray before the door at the top closes.
Before she can debate the merits of maybe doing this by herself, Ruby is already half ways up the stairs; her legs are much longer than Emma's
"Lucas, wait!" Emma sprints after the woman catching her right as the door opens. They practically tumble through the door together and immediately have to duck behind a man sized crate at the sounds of shots fired.
"You shouldn't have come here." Says a cool voice after the shooting stops.
"Come on baby!" Emma pleads poking her head out from behind the box. She can't see her but she would bet her lucky holster Regina's not alone. Which is promptly confirmed by Regina's angry hiss.
"Don't call me that! Kill her, Graham." Shots are fired again, Emma counts 8 while she ducks back behind the crate, but she's sure Graham has extra rounds. Graham is always prepared to serve Regina. Emma hates Graham. Stupid puppy dog.
"Regina! Really?!" Emma shouts after the shots have stops. She's trying to ignore Ruby's outraged face expression.
"You knew what you were getting into when you came Detective." Regina seems to have caught herself because her voice is much calmer now.
"Unlike you, I don't have a choice. This my job!" She shouts, and as soon as she hears Graham reload she runs to the next crate with Ruby closely following her. This one is longer but a only half the height.
"Listen, Ruby,I appreciate your help but this is kinda personal matter." She whispers to her partner. She wishes she hadn't dragged her into this but it's really too late now, and Ruby was relentless.
"Regina, baby, I'm sorry okay?!" Tentatively, Emma raises her hands with the gun on the floor next to her. Ruby is furiously shaking her head 'no'.
"Sorry? Your mother murdered my mother Ms. Swan" Emma winced at the title. They had moved pass that awhile ago, but obviously Regina was pretty mad.
Ruby was signaling her that she'd cover her and since no shots had pierced her hands, she decided to try it.
"I don't think a police captain shooting a mob boss holding someone hostage counts as murder."
Emma said slowly getting up from the floor.
"Do not lecture me about semantics." The voice wasn't exactly joking, but definitely indicating the rage level had gone down. It was a month ago after all. Emma craned her neck and she could now see Regina standing on something that looked like a steal lookout on the top of another staircase. How she got up there at all in those heels was anyone's guess. Not exactly getaway friendly footwear.
"I told you not to take that shipment!" That was a cheap shot and Emma knew as much, which is why she was prepared to squeeze herself behind a big cement pillar conveniently located in the middle of the second floor. She had told Regina that that particular ship, carrying a weapons shipment, would be highly secured. Her partner hadn't carried it back to her mother, honoring their agreement.
Regina was technically only a lawyer, a mob lawyer, but still a lawyer, and such her mother, the mob boss, benefited from client attorney privilege. When they had begun seeing each other they established a similar contract. What was said in the bedroom stayed there. Partner privilege.
That this particular aspect of their relationship had lead to Regina's mother's death was the reason they hadn't seen each other in about a month and unfortunate to say the least. Cora Mills had decided to partake in a robbery that just happened to be the one Emma's mother was going to make an example of, the organized crime in her precinct was rampant.
Emma chanced another look.
There were new shots and this time Ruby fired back and Emma dove behind another crate for a moment. She could hear a very quiet almost whispered "Fool! Give me that." and the metallic click of a new clip being inserted into the gun.
She couldn't really blame Regina. Graham was fast and loyal but almost rose to storm trooper levels of marksmanship.
" ' I told you not to take that shipment! '" she mocked, "You're always drawing lines in the sand and you end up just falling over yourself to cross them, dear. Remember the pegging debate?"
"She's kidding." Emma mouthed to Ruby whose eyebrows she could see rise behind crate number two.
"Regina, come on we can talk about this!" She yelled without moving from behind the pillar. Regina was much more irrational than Graham but a better shot, and not to be trusted with a gun. Actually Emma knew nobody more dangerous in the world than her partner.
"We can talk about how you ruined my favorite blouse!" She screamed and emptied the clip making Emma worry that maybe the pillar wasn't the safest place after all. In a moment of silence she scanned the room. There were several euro pallets of old looking wood, a couple of barrels,, and three rows of metal shelves reaching to the ceiling filled with white packages. Since Emma had no idea what was in the last two she figured the euro pallets were her best bet and as she fell to her knees and crawled over she could help but blurt out:
"Jesus Christ, Gina not the damn shirt again!" They had had this discussion so many times.
"It. Was. Silk!" Each word was punctuated by an earsplitting racket that Emma could easily identify as a machine gun. Regina had emptied the round and Ruby was still stuck behind the second crate, afraid that Graham might actually hit her.
Emma knew she had a bit of time, because reloading the machine gun took somewhat longer. She stood up behind the Euro pallet to plead with Regina.
"Baby, please don't do this."
She was now much closer to the metal staircase and looked up to her parent who was trying to figure how to securely load a new magazine into the gun mumbling angrily.
"...with your stupid hot chocolate and the whip cream, always eating..."
She was clearly having trouble.
"Babe, I have to tell you something! Ruby earmuffs" She shouted to her partner, who complied, but glared at her. Emma ran to the stairs as fast as she could and saw it was now only Regina standing above. The puppy had gone.
"I'm pregnant." She wheezed holding herself up on the railing.
"You're lying" Pointing the gun straight at her. Looking suspicious.
"You know I'm not" Emma said. Her voice was almost begging.
"You did this without me?" Regina asked, her face turned from suspicion to anger quickly
"No baby! We can do this together. I used our sample two months ago." Regina lowed the gun.
"I wanted to wait to be sure to tell you."Emma took a few careful steps up the stairs.
"You are an Idiot." Regina said coming down the rest. The relief must have been clearly written on Emma's face, because Regina hugged her tight.
"You know I wouldn't have have let him kill you." She said now focusing her attention on Emma's bulletproof vest.
"Where is he by the way?"
"He walked out the front door a few minutes ago." Regina chuckled, dropping the gun next to her with a loud clang.
Ruby shot up behind the crate pointing her gun straight at them both.
"Stand down, officer." Emma said as she watched Regina fall to her knees slowly.
"Your other Mother needs to tell the silly rookie that nobody arrests Mommy." She cooed at Emma's stomach. She wasn't showing yet, but she had no intention of explaining that to Regina. This was Regina's baby too, and she'd speak to it however she felt like it.
"Lucas, go get into the squad car. I'll take care of this. The first floor should be empty by now."
She knew it was as soon as the first shots were fired. Nothing chased away corrupt cops faster than real life danger. Not to mention that the only idiot to go after the Queen in a raid, was in fact the Queen's idiot. Ruby almost growled. She'd learn the ropes soon enough.
