"Sometimes ignorance rings true
But hope is not in what I know
It's not in me
It's in you
It's in you."
(For the best reading experience: listen to this while reading. .com/watch?v=EDadO8xKBEQ&feature=related)
ALSO: I'm trying something new. You get to PICK YOUR ENDING!
When prompted, either scroll to Ending A or Ending B. If you like romance, go with A. If you like something more fiery, go with Ending B.
Regina took a cold, hard look in the mirror. She traced her face and sighed deeply. It was nearly 8 am. Henry had already caught the bus and Emma was sure to be at Mary Margaret's alone. It was almost time to go bother her with some empty threat to try and chase her out of town.
Regina touched up her lipstick, smacked her lips twice, and checked her eyeliner. Unfortunately, she caught her own eyes in the mirror. She recognized the sadness and the desperation. While she always carefully groomed herself before she walked outside, she had been grooming even more methodically ever since a Miss Swan came to town.
At first, she did it out of intimidation. She didn't want Graham to find Emma more attractive due to her own laziness of upkeep. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized it was only about Emma, never about Graham.
It had been 28 years since the curse first took place and 10 years since Henry was brought into her world. Having Henry filled the void for a little while, but she craved more. Somehow, Emma fills that craving. The arguments, the looks, and the preoccupation with Emma's every move…fills that void.
"I hope to lose myself for good
I hope to find it in the end
But not in me, me
In you
In you."
Regina knows it's fucked up. She knows it is negative attention. But she can't help but think about the fleeting feelings she gets when they are in the middle of a heated argument. Emma rolls her eyes. Regina grins wickedly. Emma's breathing becomes erratic. Regina loses her cool.
That's probably the most important part. When Regina is with Emma, she loses control of her emotions. In the past 28 years, that has never happened. Regina was as cold as ice for 28 years. Emma is like fire; Regina is starting to feel again, the numbness of the curse was earing off.
Regina pressed her hand to her chest and felt the thumping of her heart. Blood was rushing through her heart, passing through lungs to provide her body with luscious oxygen. Regina closed her eyes and took in another breath before leaving her house hurriedly. She had an hour to get her fix before her meetings.
Regina knocked on Mary Margaret's door. Emma opened the door in a tank top and a pair of boy shorts. She was clutching a mug tightly. Emma had an expression of confusion and annoyance.
"Running late for work Sheriff Swan?" asked Regina.
"What do you want Madame Mayor?" asked Emma.
"You need to run that stranger's plates through the system. I want results on my desk in two hours," said Regina sternly.
"Fine, anything else?" asked Emma. Regina glanced down at Emma's shapely legs. Her eyes raked over Emma's athletic build and smooth shoulders. They stopped when she noticed Emma was aware of her wandering eyes.
"What are you doing?" asked Emma, putting her cup down and crossing her arms.
"N-nothing," stammered Regina, for the first time in 28 years.
Emma wasn't sure she heard correctly. "Did Madame Mayor stammer?"
"Did Emma Swan end up alone in the world?" asked Regina.
"What does that have to do with anything?" asked Emma.
"I thought we were naming off the obvious," replied Regina.
"Strange, because I have a roommate. I won the election. I have a biological son. Seems the only one alone in this world is you," said Emma, who regretted it the moment it left her mouth. Good doesn't hurt people intentionally.
ENDING A:
And with that she walked away from Emma's door and down the hallway. She slid against the wall and felt overcome with emotion. Tears threatened to spill over her eyelids. She glanced upwards, wishing that gravity would prevent her tears from falling. But it didn't work.
Emma turned the corner and found the mayor in a most vulnerable state. "I'm sorry Regina. I didn't mean it." Emma tried to soothe the mayor by placing a hand on her shoulder.
Regina hit her hand. "But you're right."
"You have me. Kind of," said Emma, kicking something invisible on the ground.
Regina glanced at Emma through dark lashes with a look of sad confusion. "Tell me why."
"It's fucked up. But in a way, we have each other. It's a very thin line between love and hate. My whole life I've been searching for someone or something to cling to. In a sense, I have that now. Even if it's completely negative, you're one of them," murmured Emma. "My whole life I've been stone cold. I had to be. And Henry brought me back. He's making me feel things again. So are you. Feelings I thought I had long forgotten."
Regina wiped her cheek. "You're right. We kind of have each other."
Emma smiled a crooked, charming smile. She caught Regina's eyes and something clicked. Something deep inside both women urged them to move forward. Their heart quickened. Emma leaned in, her lips almost touching Regina's. Regina glanced in Emma's eyes momentarily before closing them and subsequently closing the distance. The kiss was chaste, but they chose to press their foreheads together and bask in the moment a while longer. Things certainly were changing in Storybrooke.
ENDING B:
Regina felt something snap inside her. She lunged towards Emma, pushing her against the nearest wall. She tried to throw a couple punches, but Emma had certainly been trained in some sort of combat. Emma quickly had Regina pinned against the wall, arms stretched above her head and her feet locked into place.
"What is wrong with you?" asked Emma breathlessly.
Regina practically snarled. "You. You're what's wrong with me." She fidgeted, trying to break free with no avail. "Let me go!"
"Only if you promise you won't attack me," said Emma.
"Never," said Regina as she freed one hand and punched Emma, splitting her lip.
Emma grabbed Regina's jacket and threw her to the floor. Regina grabbed Emma's tank top on the way down, bringing the blonde down with her and ripping the white fabric. The two women struggled for power and control. In seconds, both women were face-to-face, hands intertwined, pushing and pulling. Regina pulled her hands over her head and Emma fell directly on top of Regina.
Emma's eyes raked over Regina's face. Her jawline, her eyes, her lips. Emma saw the desperate look in Regina's eyes; it mirrored her own desperation. Both women had lived a majority of their lives stone cold and emotionless, neither one of them able to find someone to free them. Now they were both on fire with rage, sadness, desperation, yearning, and ultimately passion. It was fucked up, but neither one of them could stop their lips from crashing.
"There's always something in the way
There's always something getting through
But its not me, me
It's you
It's you."