Disclaimer: Characters are not mine, as always! I make no profit or any personal gain from borrowing them. Only my own entertainment.

A/N: Part 1 in a series of 5 stories, which I'll be posting as chapters. Each one is inspired by a song because I'm a hopeless music addict! As always, any feedback is more than appreciated!

SOMETHING IN THE WAY

YOU MOVE

Emma stood in the dark cemetery staring at the doors of Regina's family vault. It wasn't anything new. She'd been inside more times than she cared to count. She'd been inside just a couple hours earlier, if she wanted to get technical. But something about the mausoleum never ceased to feel intimidating, if not a bit creepy. But it was more than just a resting place for Regina's father. And now her mother. The eerie building had clearly become what Emma could only describe as some sort of sanctuary for the brunette she knew was still hiding in its depths. Emma knew the reason Regina had given her for burying herself among her mother's spell books and whatever other things both women had brought with them from their world. Emma had heard Regina's reasons. But her lie detector didn't believe it for one second. Emma knew Regina. Whether the other woman would ever admit it or not, they were connected in more ways than either of them realized. But Emma was beginning to see.

Elsa's words from after Regina had disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke kept running through her mind. If someone's important to you, you don't give up on them. Even if they say hurtful things. And it wasn't the first time in less than a handful of hours that Elsa had given her, what Emma was quickly realizing, a pep talk. Conveniently, both times it had been about her relationship with Regina. Emma huffed at herself then. The word relationship did not belong in the same sentence as the names Emma Swan and Regina Mills. Did they?

Emma shook her head. Regina was still lost in her own self-pity, mourning the loss of a man who, quite frankly, she had only just met. And no matter how many times Regina looked her in the eyes and said she was looking for a way to help Marian, Emma knew her intentions were true. It's who Regina was slowly becoming. The why, however, was a lie. Emma knew Regina. They were more alike than either woman was ever going to admit. To anyone or their selves. Emma shivered in the dark, absently kicking the loose dirt beneath her boots. Emma knew Regina was trying to do the right thing. To help a person in need. It didn't matter who that person was.

Personally, Emma didn't want to think about the situation at all. Did she feel guilty about saving a life? No. Did she feel guilty about changing the future? No.

Until that sickening moment in the diner when Regina had turned on Emma, with pain and anger in her eyes, Emma hadn't given Robin Hood or his budding new relationship with the Mayor. Regina was always on Emma's radar. She was Henry's mother after all. But until that moment when Emma had realized she'd not only changed the course of one life, but multiple lives, did it register with her that someone was going to get hurt. She'd had no way of knowing that person would be the other mother of her son. Hadn't they just been slipping into a comfortable place? Hadn't they finally started to get along? Emma found herself wondering just how in the hell it had slipped under her radar that Regina might actually care for the man she'd been carrying on with. Because up until that moment in the diner, Emma had just assumed that Regina was simply going along with what she had been told was her destiny. Latching onto a man who she'd been told was her True Love.

"True Love." Emma scoffed at the words, talking to herself in the dark. Who in the hell did Tink think she was? Emma knew that True Love was a thing. She'd saved Henry with it. Regina had given Henry his memories back with it. But who gave Tink the right to tell someone who their True Love was supposed to be? If Emma had a say so, no one would ever be told who their True Love was supposed to be. Wasn't that altering the future? How was that any different than a self-fulfilling prophecy? You tell someone something is going to happen and by default they manage to make it happen without ever having a chance to see how things might have turned out had they never been told. Emma kicked the ground hard then, mumbling to herself. "Such bullshit."

Shoving her hands into her back pockets, Emma couldn't help but wonder what in the hell she was doing. How long was she going to stand outside the vault and mull over the possibilities of all the ways this 'talk' could go wrong? Did it really matter? If Regina kicked her out, she'd just keep trying. Like it or not, she cared about Henry's other mother. The woman who had raised him and molded him into the amazing young man he was quickly turning into.

"Fuck it." Emma took one step and then another. "If she tells me to piss off, then I'll just find another way. And now I'm talking to myself. That's just great."

Emma pulled the door open as gently as possible. She had no doubts that Regina knew she was coming. Regina always knew when she was around. And still. Luckily the stone coffin had remained pushed aside as further proof that the other woman was hiding out below. Emma took the stairs slowly, mentally preparing herself for the multitude of possibilities for what was about to happen. When she took the last step and turned in the direction of where she knew Regina had been spending her time, Emma saw her from the back, staring blankly into the mirror.

"What do I have to do to get you to leave me alone Swan? Go. Away." Regina huffed as if she were exhausted and turned to face the approaching blonde.

"I'm an idiot." Emma blurted out without even thinking.

Regina looked taken aback but didn't miss a beat. "Finally. Something we can agree on."

Emma held up a hand in hopes of stopping her from saying anything else. After all, she'd come to talk and arguing was simply not on her agenda. "I'm an idiot because I've been down this road before."

"Irritating me? Yes you have."

Regina just couldn't seem to help herself. But Emma recognized it for what it was. A defense mechanism. So she refused to rise to the bait. And if she thought about it, rising to the bait hadn't even been on her radar. She was sick of verbally sparring with Regina and there was something weighing heavily in her chest, begging her to make things right.

"No. When I was a kid. Someone came into my life for a while and I thought we were gonna be…best friends. But this girl lied to me and I pushed her away because of that lie and she asked me to forgive her. But I never did. It took some time but I realized that was a mistake and I regretted the decision but by then it was too late. The damage was already done. I don't want to make the same mistake again Regina. Living in Storybrooke I've got my son. And my parents. And I love them…but they can't always understand me. They don't know what it feels like to be rejected and misunderstood. Not the way I do. Not the way you do. Somehow that makes us…I don't know…unique. Or maybe even special. I wasn't looking for you to assuage my guilt. I was just…looking for you to be my- friend."

In that miniscule moment before Regina responded, Emma witnessed a barrage of emotions sweeping across Regina's face. If forced to put a name to all of them, Emma knew she'd fail. But was she did know, was that somehow, some way, she might have just gotten through to Regina Mills.

"You thought we were friends?"

Regina seemed to be trying to swallow a lump in her throat. But ever the stoic human being that she was, showing any emotion other than anger was likely to kill her. But Emma had seen it. Emma always sees it. Especially when Regina thinks no one is looking, Emma always sees her and a tiny bubble of hope was quickly working its way to the surface. Emma wanted to hide her emotions, but she'd never been all that good at it.

"Crazy. Right?" She gave the brunette a half smile. "But I thought it could be that it was possible. I'm not gonna stop trying. Even if you still want to kill me."

Emma turned then, always knowing when to drop the mic and walk away. She was good with exits. If you walk away at just the right time, your exit can say a million things that you weren't able to.

"Emma. Wait."

Emma turned a little faster than she would have, had she actually had any control over her body. But just hearing those two words escaping Regina's mouth was enough to make her head spin. Emma's heart was racing as she watched Regina's features warring over what she was about to say.

"I don't…want to kill you." Regina rolled her eyes, but the impact of the words was enough to make Emma jump up and down on the inside.

"See. That's a start." The smile that lit up Emma's face then would have lit the entire vault if the candles had miraculously disappeared. And the hopefulness in her tone was enough to make Regina smile just a little as well. Emma knew she was trying to hide it though.

Emma had just been ready to walk away. She knew that if she said much more she'd run the risk of ruining the whole foundation that they'd slowly begun to build again. But she just couldn't seem to help herself. Emma found herself stepping back towards the timid brunette standing just a few feet away from her. She knew that to risk approaching Regina was just that. A risk. But something in her gut was telling her the moment would be worth it. Suddenly the room seemed small and Emma felt herself breaking out into a sweat. Emma watched as Regina shifted uncomfortably, staring at the floor but keeping Emma in her sights. If forced to put it into words, Emma would have described her as a cornered animal and cornered animals were capable of anything.

"Emma." Regina warned her gently. "What are you-"

"I'm just…getting closer, Regina." Emma gave her another half-smile. A mild attempt at reassurance. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Emma knew Regina wasn't upset about losing Robin. That would have been way too easy. But easy is what she knew Regina was letting everyone think that's why she was angry. But no. No. Regina's hurt was coming from somewhere far different. What she didn't understand was why she was the only one who could see the truth. All her life, Regina had been told what to do. Where to go. How to act. Who to be seen with. The man she loved, taken away senselessly. Forced to marry a man more than twice her age. Forced to help raise a child who wasn't much younger than she had been. And even after she'd enacted the curse, her life had been one predisposed moment after the next. Forced to relive the same day over and over again and never finding the satisfaction she'd been seeking since the day Daniel had been taken from her.

But not anymore. Emma would see to that. Never again would Regina have to live a life that someone else expected her to live. Never again would she be forced to live with a destiny that wasn't her choosing.

"You shouldn't." Regina warned her. But the fight in her tone was long gone. "I know what you're thinking and you just- you shouldn't come any closer, Emma."

Regina stood stock still as Emma grew closer anyway. How could Emma possibly know what she was feeling? How after all their arguments and fights could Emma Swan possibly want to be her friend? Or more than friends? Regina arched her eyebrow at that last thought. Neither of them had said anything about more than friends. They barely even liked each other. Right? Regina had no idea how she was feeling except for the knot in the pit of her stomach that for some reason refused to go away. Something in the way Emma moved toward her left Regina feeling almost as if she were prey. But she didn't move. A mere few inches between them, Emma stopped, reaching out slowly for Regina's hands. Hands that were tucked tightly around her own waist in a protective stance. Reluctantly Regina freed her hands from the tight confines she'd been holding them in. Her defensive position slowly dissipating.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Emma whispered. Her voice cracking on each word. Her mouth, dry and her tongue feeling heavy. Suddenly, what she was doing didn't seem quite so easy.

"But you did." Regina looked up then, meeting Emma's searching eyes with her own.

"I may have thrown your world for a loop," Emma swallowed the lump in her throat. "But did I really hurt you?"

Regina looked down again then. Her eyes burning a hole through their joined hands. She said nothing. Regina had no idea what she could say even if she had wanted to. She knew that Emma was right. She knew that it wasn't Robin she was truly upset over. She hadn't truly known the man. What she'd known, was that she'd been told once again who she was supposed to be with and because he'd been nice and if she was honest with herself, easy on the eyes, Regina had just went with it. After all, all she'd ever wanted was to love and be loved. No. Emma hadn't hurt her. Emma had inadvertently shoved her right back to the beginning. Do not pass go. Do not collect two hundred dollars. But if Regina had been given time to think about the entire scenario what Emma had truly done was give her a get out of jail free card.

"I should probably go."

Emma gave Regina's hands a light squeeze when she didn't respond. She tried not to take the silence personal. Emma knew that Regina spent plenty of time in her own head, thinking things through. She knew it was best to give her space sometimes. When Regina still said something, Emma gently released her hands and took a step back. And then another. And another. All the while watching Regina stare at her own hands as if they were something foreign to her. Just as she turned once again, content with the idea that she'd said enough for one night, she heard Regina speak up.

"Don't." Regina's voice cracked and the word barely made it past her lips. Emma turned to face her again. "Everyone- Everyone leaves. Please don't go."

Emma's heart leapt into her throat then. She could tell Regina was doing her best to maintain some semblance of composure. This was not a woman who broke easily. But Emma knew, deep down, both of them were broken just a little. Wasn't she supposed to be the Savior? How could Emma save Regina when she needed saving herself? Or maybe, just maybe, they were meant to save each other.

Three long strides and Emma was once again standing in Regina's personal space. Her chest was heaving with more emotion than she had any clue what to do with. But what she did know was that this woman- this stubborn, gorgeous and maddeningly infuriating woman had just asked her to stay. There wasn't a chance in hell she was going anywhere now. Maybe together they could fill the holes that life had created for them. Maybe together they could find the light. Find a way to feel. To save each other. To make each other happy. Emma reached up then. One hand on Regina's waist and the other slowly making its way up her neck and with one finger under her chin, she urged Regina to look her in the eyes.

"Not everyone leaves, Regina." Emma smiled, searching her caramel brown eyes for something akin to permission. After a moment, she found it. "Sometimes you just have to find the one who stays and is worth staying for."

Emma had no idea which one of them caved first but the next thing she knew she was leaning in and Regina was closing her eyes and without a second thought she was leaning into the soft warm lips of Emma Swan. Sworn nemesis and birth mother of her son. A small whimper escaped her lips and Emma deepened the kiss, using both arms to pull the petite woman closer than either thought possible. Their tongues searching each other's mouths, colliding together like the waves on the beach. Emma could feel her own need building and suddenly it seemed as if she could feel Regina's as well. Both women were breathing impossibly fast, lips crashing, teeth scraping and bodies rolling together. When Regina felt her back hit the wall, suddenly Emma was pulling back, her eyes searching Regina's as if she was waiting for Regina to push her away. Instead, she found Regina's hand on her cheek and a smile on the brunette's face.

"You really are an idiot." Regina smiled at the blonde in her arms.

"Maybe." Emma replied, still out of breath. "But I'm your idiot."

"Stay"

All along it was a fever

A cold sweat hot-headed believer

I threw my hands in the air, said, "Show me something,"

He said, "If you dare, come a little closer."

Round and around and around and around we go

Oh now, tell me now, tell me now, tell me now you know.

Not really sure how to feel about it.

Something in the way you move

Makes me feel like I can't live without you.

It takes me all the way.

I want you to stay

It's not much of a life you're living

It's not just something you take–it's given

Round and around and around and around we go

Oh now, tell me now, tell me now, tell me now you know.

Not really sure how to feel about it.

Something in the way you move

Makes me feel like I can't live without you.

It takes me all the way.

I want you to stay.

Ooh, ooh, ooh, the reason I hold on

Ooh, ooh, ooh, 'cause I need this hole gone

Funny you're the broken one but I'm the only one who needed saving

'Cause when you never see the light it's hard to know which one of us is caving.

Not really sure how to feel about it.

Something in the way you move

Makes me feel like I can't live without you.

It takes me all the way.

I want you to stay, stay.