It started when a witch decided to make her presence known in Storybrooke.
It wasn't as if they hadn't dealt with plenty of powerful adversaries before. Emma was almost bored with it by now, except for course she wasn't. The witch who wandered in couldn't be identified with the book. She appeared nameless. Not even Henry could find an identity to match her.
"Probably not important enough," noted Regina. "Did you see that trick she did outside the library? I'm not surprised."
Emma frowned. A little kid had almost gotten hurt when the witch sent part of the tower crashing into the street. The dwarves had it fixed within a few hours, but still. They shouldn't be flippant about it. And Emma said so, much to Regina's disapproval.
"It's not as if she's any real danger," Regina said.
Regina's statement was put to the test not ten hours later, when the sheriff's office received a call from a worried citizen, informing them that the witch was back and going on an escapade of destruction through the town. Emma put down the phone with a cocked eyebrow cast Regina's way. Regina shrugged and said, "She isn't going to be a problem. Come on."
They drove to the location in Emma's yellow car, parking when they were close enough to see the last of the people fleeing away from the witch. Red and gold sparks flew through the air like pieces above a fire.
Emma got out of the car and slammed the door. Regina did as well.
When they rounded the corner, they saw the witch parading down the street. Lamps flickered and went out above her, making the heavy darkness of night seem even heavier. Her black dress trailed along the road behind her. A corset strangled her waist and boots rose up to her knees, visible by a slit in the gown. Emma was starting to wonder if all the evil magicians shopped in the same store, because her outfit reminded her an awful lot of what Regina used to wear.
And apparently Regina saw it too, because she scoffed and said, "If she's trying to garner fear by emulating the old me, she's going to have to try a little harder."
The witch saw them and slowed down, tilting her chin up and grinning.
Regina called, "Next time, pick something a bit more suited for a fight." And then she sent an orb of glowing fire that lit up the night air hurling at the witch.
Emma thought that would be the end of it, but the witch reached out and stopped the fire in midair. Still grinning, she threw it back their way.
Emma tackled Regina to the ground. Asphalt scraped against her arms, catching on the sleeves of her jacket. She felt the fire scorch the air above them as it flew past.
"No real danger?" Emma pointed out.
Regina shoved her off and stood back up. She summoned another orb of fire and let it hover in the air above her hand. "Oh, she's real danger," Regina said. "But not for me."
And she tossed the fire in the witch's direction. The witch danced lithely out of the way, her black dress spinning around her like a midnight tornado. She sent a jagged bolt of electricity at Regina, which she deflected with almost startling ease. Emma could smell the burn in the air, the air-raising crackle of the last of the electricity evaporating around them.
Regina walked closer to the witch, throwing everything in her inventory at her. Fire, electricity, waves of force that didn't have a form but caused the air to ripple. For a few moments, it seemed like Regina was going to easily win the battle. The witch was forced a few steps back, her arms swinging as she threw up shields to stop the attacks or motioned away to redirect them. Shop windows burst into bright rains of shattered glass; a heavy dent formed in the side of a faded blue truck; a wheel on another car popped and the air screamed as it was released.
Tirelessly, Regina plowed on. It was impressive, Emma noted, the way she moved, blocking the few spells the witch cast her way in return with ease, throwing them back with more strength and power than the witch had. The witch began to struggle to keep up.
Regina simply waved her hand and the witch backed up. She closed the distance between them, her hand on her hip, smirked down at her, and opened her mouth to talk. Emma heard the first word leave her lips before the rest was cut off.
She saw Regina fly back, hitting the pavement a meter back and rolling up to her feet. Dirt from the road stained her clothes. She didn't bother to brush it off, turning around to face the witch.
But it was too late. The witch hovered a foot off the ground, surrounded in a green glow, and sent a fiery tornado out from her hand in Regina's direction. Regina threw up a shield and deterred the magic. The moment it went away, Regina stumbled back, her face seeming to turn grayer as the seconds passed.
Emma took out her gun and fired two shots. The third one left her gun at the same moment the witch vanished into thin air.
She walked over to Regina and straightened her. Regina pulled away, tugging at her collar and brushing the dust and dirt off her sleeves and shoulders. She started to move away, but Emma held her back. "Let me go," Regina ordered. "I'm going after her."
Emma snorted. "You're not going anywhere," she objected. "That witch got you, okay? Besides, she's gone for now."
Regina let Emma take her arm, no longer putting up any resistance. It surprised Emma how easily Regina could relax under her touch. Under any touch. Under hers.
Emma couldn't help it. "No real danger, huh?" she asked again.
Regina scowled.
That evening, Emma got another call. She hurried to the phone, picking it up and hoping to hear something about the witch, but that would've been too easy for them. Of course it wasn't about her. Someone was causing trouble down at one of the establishments. Emma put down the phone and turned away from the desk.
Regina looked up from where she was scowling at the floor, no doubt reliving the fight earlier. Emma had seen the calculating look in her eyes. "Where are you off too?" she asked.
"Problem a couple streets away," Emma said. She paused to grab her coat, studying Regina's hanging next to it for a long moment. "Want to come along?" she inquired.
Regina looked a bit surprised, but rose out of the chair and stepped over to Emma. Emma picked up her coat off the hook, feeling the familiar texture of the fabric under her fingers, and handed it to Regina. They pulled them on and walked into the biting dusk air outside.
Emma led them to the bar on foot. Regina easily kept up with her, heels and dress and all. She looked nice today, Emma noted. Everything about her that had been messed up during the fight had, at some point during the day, been corrected. She stood beside a pristine, put-together Regina, with her nice posture and perfect, dark hair and the crooked twist to her mouth that made it look like she was about to break into a smirk. Emma liked that expression on her.
What was she doing? She had to concentrate. Someone was causing a problem. Now was not the time to be thinking about Regina.
Emma opened the door for Regina, who stepped in first. Regina paused almost immediately. Emma pushed past her, throwing her a curious look, before surveying the scene herself and stopping.
All the lights were off. There was no one behind the counter; there was nobody sitting at any of the tables around the room. No music played. The televisions planted on the wall were shut off. It looked abandoned, shut-down. But the phone was out, set on the edge of the table.
Regina cursed.
Suddenly Emma felt her back hit the wall. She saw Regina's face hovering in front of hers. Her mind flashed back to all the movies she watched, took in their position, but before her brain could catch up, Regina pulled back and summoned fire to her hand, throwing it behind the counter.
For a moment, the bar lit up in light again, which extinguished the moment it hit the boundary of the counter. In response, a hiss started and then a breeze strong enough to tip some of the chairs swept through the room.
"She's behind there," Regina said, taking a step closer. "She's put a protection spell around it. Plenty of defenses." More fire appeared above her hand. Her smirk danced across her face, lit by the glowing amber of the flame hovering above her palm. "Not enough." And she threw the fire at the counter, but not only that. It released a wave of flames behind it, hot enough to burn through the whole room and make Emma feel hot inside her coat. The red slammed against the invisible wall surrounding the counter. With subtle gestures, Regina directed it around.
Then, suddenly, it extinguished, fading into the air and leaving the room in darkness yet again.
A black shape, wrapped in a cloak, huddled in the corner of the room, peering out at them from under a hood.
Regina dragged her forward with a wave of her hand, summoning a breeze that pulled a couple of chairs along with her. Regina used them, throwing the witch down in one.
Regina didn't bother restraining her. She put a hand on her hip and stared her down, burning pale eyes meeting flashing dark ones. "Now–" Regina began.
She never got to finish. The witch raised her hand. Regina instantly moved to copy her motion, throwing up a shield in time to stop a bolt of magic from striking her in the chest. The witch stood up, tossing two more out with both her hands. Regina easily deflected both. She started to summon something else, but then froze when a loud crack echoed through the building.
Emma stood two paces behind her, her gun held in her hand and pointed at where the witch was.
She vanished the moment the gun went off.
Emma frowned, lowering her weapon. "Well," she said, "that didn't go as I planned."
Regina frowned deeper than she did. "I had her," she mentioned. "Did you see? She was no match against me. If she would stop running, we could have this over quickly."
The witch reappeared within a day, stumbling into the hospital and taking one of the doctors hostage. According to the witnesses she let go, her abdomen showed bad signs of bleeding. So Emma took it she got in at least one shot before the witch could flee.
"Slow," commented Regina. There was still a scrape on her elbow from her contact with the road the day before.
She accompanied Emma to the hospital without a word. David was already there, waiting at the doors. Mary Margaret stood by their car, no less than three meters away and with a thoughtful expression on her face, scrutinizing the situation.
"Let me by," said Emma, sweeping past David and headed for the doors.
David caught her elbow, holding her back. "Wait," he said. "We have some more guys on the way. She's dangerous. You'll need reinforcements."
"She's fine," Regina said, stepping up to stand beside her. She swatted David's hand away from Emma. "She has me."
"Not to sound rude," David said, "but you didn't exactly handle the witch well the other day."
"She surprised me," Regina retorted. "I'll admit. But I'm ready now. And really, really craving some revenge."
Emma said, "We'll be fine. I know what I'm doing. And I saw them yesterday. The witch got lucky. She doesn't really have anything on Regina."
She could feel Regina's eyes on her, staring. Almost captivated. Emma felt a warm glow rising into her cheeks, but she continued nonetheless: "There's a doctor in there. And we know the witch is wounded. There's no better time to go after her than now. Let's say somehow she gets me. She'll still have to deal with Regina, and that's after I've dealt with her. She won't be getting away."
David didn't look convinced. "I should go with you," he said.
"No." It was Mary Margaret. "Someone has to keep a look out in case she escapes," Mary Margaret pointed out. "And keep people like them away." She nodded to a group of sightseers gathered near the other side of David's car. They took a few steps back at Mary Margaret's look but didn't make a move to leave, grouping together and watching the door.
David sighed. "Fine," he said. "Fine. Go." He took Emma's arm again. "But be careful. Please."
Regina answered before Emma could. "She'll be fine," she said. "I'll look after her."
Reluctantly, David released Emma's arm. She stepped back and moved over to Regina. Shoulder-to-shoulder, they headed for the glass doors leading into the Storybrooke Hospital.
Emma gripped the door. "Ready?" she asked.
Regina was already pulling her side open and sweeping inside. "Catch up, Swan!" she called behind her.
Despite the situation, a grin crossed Emma's face at the nickname. And Regina's easy confidence, returned again after her sulking mood all morning and evening from that disastrous fight. She followed after her, letting the door fall shut behind them.
The lobby was dark. A couple of the blue waiting chairs had been tipped over during the rush for the citizens inside to escape. Nobody sat at the desk at the end of the room. A single hallway light was on. Regina took to it without surveying the others. Emma fell into step alongside her, close enough for their shoulders to brush with each step. She told herself it was because of the narrow hallway, but the hallway really wasn't that narrow.
"Scared, Swan?" Regina asked quietly.
Emma chuckled. "Of course not," she said. She looked at Regina. "Are you? I mean, you didn't exactly sending her running scared yesterday."
"Today's another day," Regina said darkly. She swept down another hall, following the flickering lights above. It was almost as if the witch wanted to lead anyone who entered there, Emma mused.
After a third hallway they found lit when every other one remained dark, Emma became suspicious. She slowed down, and almost subconsciously, Regina did as well. "Do you notice that?" Emma said, pointing at the lights.
Regina frowned.
Emma heard a loud crackling sound and acted instinctively. She grabbed Regina's shoulders and pushed her to the ground, laying on top of her. A sharp prickle brushed her neck, like she had climbed through a thorn bush.
Regina shoved her off and pushed herself back up to her feet. Emma stayed on the ground, feeling dizzy. Her vision blurred, but she saw a dark figure at the end of the hall. The witch.
"Come on!" Regina called, summoning fire into the air above her hand. The orb floated there for a second, and when the witch didn't respond, Regina flicked her hand and sent it soaring at the witch at an incredible speed. The witch ducked, but too late. She let out a cry as the fire brushed her shoulder. Emma blinked her eyes and saw pieces of the fabric falling to the floor.
"So fire does burn her," Regina murmured, and Emma realized she was talking to herself.
Smirking, Regina waved her hand and a large ring of fire danced in front of her. Emma could feel the heat from it. With just another flick of her wrist – so easily – Regina sent it to the witch. She almost hit the wall in her jump to avoid it. Emma saw the witch raise her hand, ready to fight back, but Regina acted faster. Part of the wall shuddered, but before it could break off and fly at the witch, the witch placed her hand against it and calmed it.
She spun to face Regina again, making a complicated gesture with her hands. The tiles began to shudder, shaking under Emma, and then everything became oddly motionless. Emma looked up and saw the witch on the floor, sliding from where she hit the wall. She looked back to Regina and saw her raise her hand, not taking her dark gaze away from where the witch was struggling to her feet at the other end of the hall. Emma felt the air chill and then heard the sound of strong wind flying down the hallway. It smacked into the witch and sent her to the ground.
"Almost too easy," Regina noted.
Instead of walking over to the witch, Regina knelt down beside Emma, who had forgotten to push herself off the floor. Not that she had much of an opportunity, considering how short the fight lasted. With gentle fingers, Regina touched Emma's jaw and moved it, inspecting her neck. She brushed her blonde hair over her shoulder, her fingers just about caressing Emma's neck as she did, and Emma felt her breath hitch.
Regina almost smiled. "No problem," she said. "It might sting for a bit, but it missed you. A couple sparks landed on your neck is all."
Regina looked at Emma, waiting. Emma couldn't talk. What to say? What to say? Did it require a response?
Regina sat so close. Emma could smell the scent of her perfume, see each individual strand of her eyelashes, feel the ghost of her breathing brush against her cheek, as gentle as her hand. Her hand, which still touched Emma's neck despite her coming to a diagnosis. It was like Emma couldn't think. But she could count Regina's eyelashes. She could identify the familiar smell of her perfume. Like her. Regina.
"You did save me," Regina mentioned, moving down fully to her knees beside Emma. Emma stayed propped up on her arms, not moving a muscle, barely breathing. It was like she forgot how. "Yesterday too. I suppose I should thank you."
And somehow, Emma spoke back. "You saved me too," she pointed out. "The witch would have gotten me."
Regina grinned then. "I never would have had a chance to fight her if you hadn't pushed me down."
"Let's not make me tackling you to the ground a habit."
And Regina cocked an eyebrow. "Why not?"
Whatever brain function Emma still had left her the moment the words left Regina's mouth and the second she registered the smirk pulling at her lips and the twinkle in her dark eyes. Eyes so close that Emma could see the different shades slashing through them.
Emma leaned in and kissed her, a bit clumsily, a bit roughly, spurred on by the moment. Regina didn't even seem surprised, like she planned this as well, kissing her back. Their lips combined together like a key in a lock it was built for.
On the floor, in a hospital, with a witch passed out in the corner and the florescent lights flickering above them, ready to burst out at any moment.
And it was perfect.
Emma curled a leg up to keep herself balanced, taking a hand off the floor and wrapping it around Regina's neck. Her hair was soft. She felt Regina's hand come to rest against her waist. Gently. Almost timidly, at first, but then Emma pressed their lips together harder and Regina's touch became a grip on her hips. Emma grinned into the kiss, feeling something like giddiness rise in her stomach. Something about it felt right. Happy.
She could have kissed Regina forever. Right there. It didn't matter that they were on the floor and it was cold and Emma's neck hurt. She just deepened the kiss, felt the first touch of their tongues colliding, the electricity – or maybe magic – that ran down her spine at the contact.
Somewhere in the background, her mind registered the sound of something crackling. Burning. Growing louder quickly.
Regina pulled back suddenly. Emma swayed, no longer leaning into her as she jumped to her feet. Dizzily, Emma turned and saw bright light flare down at the end of the hallway, and then raced toward them. Regina easily deflected it and sent it hurtling, faster and brighter, back at the witch. It struck her in the chest and she fell down again, crumpling to the floor.
For a long moment, the only sound in the hallway was Emma's and Regina's breathless panting. Emma's heart was racing in her chest. Maybe from the kiss. Maybe from nearly getting killed by a nameless witch twice in the past ten minutes. Probably both.
Regina held out a hand and Emma took it. She pulled Emma up to her feet, but didn't let go of her arm when they stood, facing each other. Emma remembered herself doing the same thing yesterday, after the battle on the street. She wished she hadn't brought the jacket, to feel Regina's touch against her skin.
"I swear, Swan, you're going to be the death of me," Regina muttered. Teasing.
Emma couldn't help but grin at her, throwing her eyes over to where the witch lay, breathing quietly. "No real danger, right?"
Regina just pulled her into another kiss.