The car was eerily quiet, the weight of unspoken words weighing on Lily, Regina and Emma like a heavy fog. There were so many things that all three wanted to say.
Lily: I lied to Emma. I lied about so much. I've thought about her more than I care to admit. This Robin guy sucks.
I think soul mates are stupid.
And Regina: I can't believe Robin didn't trust me. I'm not sure if I want him back…I'm not even sure if I love him.
I think soul mates are stupid.
Finally, Emma: Robin was an ass. We came all that way to have him belittle Regina. What Zelena did was inexcusable.
I think soul mates are stupid.
Regina would never know what Emma thought and Emma would never know what Lily thought. Their words gathered into piles in their minds, dying to be spoken. Instead, Emma turned on the radio, flipping to a top forty station that Lily despised. Regina cried quietly, letting the tears wash away the day's makeup.
The sun was setting, casting a lazy shadow over the landscape.
Suddenly, there was a loud pop and Emma's eyes widened as she quickly steered the bug off the road. "Crap," she murmured.
"What is it?" asked Regina.
"We've got a flat. We've got to stop for the night. Everything's closed by now. I'll have to get a new tire in the morning."
"You don't carry a spare?" Lily asked from the back seat. It looked like she was trying to hold back a smile. Emma burst out laughing and the pair cackled at what was an obvious inside joke. Regina suddenly felt very alone. She had no idea what they were talking about, resigning to silence.
The group managed to find a hotel close by and checked in. Regina had opted for a single room. Emma had given her a look but Regina had responded with an expression that said, "I just need to be alone."
Emma would have much preferred a single as well, but instead she found herself rooming with Lily to make sure she didn't bail.
"Just like old times," Lily remarked. They laughed again, and Regina slipped away to her room, the weight of unspoken words still piled upon her chest.
-ooo-
The hot water nearly scalded Lily's skin. Raking her fingers through her dark hair, she let the warmth flow over her skin, washing away the pain of the last few days. Maybe if she stood there long enough, she could wash away the face of Emma Swan.
Speak of the devil, she thought as Emma banged on the bathroom door, telling her to hurry up.
Regina's shower was icy. Her skin was covered in goose bumps, and she could feel her lips going blue. She didn't care. The icy stab of the water was better than the dull ache of her pain.
Emma realized Lily had used up all of the hot water. Her shower held faint memories of warmth, but she just ended up shivering.
Clean and exhausted, the blonde crawled into bed, pulling her covers over her head. She listened to Lily move about the room before the brunette got into bed, and everything was quiet.
Meanwhile, Regina couldn't sleep. She stared dissociatively at the wall, trying to quiet her thoughts. The day's events swirled into one giant mess in her mind and no matter how hard she tried, she lay wide awake until finally, she swung her legs out of bed and padded down the hallway to Emma's room. She just needed someone to talk to.
She was just about to knock when she heard a muffled voice from behind the thin pine door.
"Emma…you awake?" Lily whispered.
"Yeah." On the other side of the door, Emma rolled over and switched on the lamp, flooding the room with light.
"Sorry. Were you asleep?"
"No. I was thinking about-"
Lily cut her off. "Me too. You know, I lied about never thinking about you."
Emma scoffed. "I'm pretty sure the pin board with my entire family and I on it outed you on that one."
The other woman laughed nervously. "No, I mean I thought about…I thought about us."
Regina caught her breath, leaning closer.
"I thought about it too," Emma replied. Regina's heart was hammering in her chest and she felt an inexplicable flare of jealousy.
"I couldn't forget that one night. Where were we?"
"Oregon, I think." The blonde laughed. "I had just gotten my driver's licence and we got a flat…I didn't bring a spare." The pair laughed and Regina finally understood the joke.
Lily continued, "So we stopped at that motel, and they only had one room left so we…" Her voice tapered out, and there was silence. Regina couldn't see what was going on but she had a pretty good idea. After a while, she heard Lily stammer, "S-sorry. I didn't mean-"
"No, it's okay. I've missed you Lily."
"I've missed you too."
It was then that Regina realized she was crying. Furiously, she wiped the tears from her cheeks and knocked on Emma's door. The blonde answered, cheeks pink and lips slightly swollen. Regina felt more tears coming, but she just pulled Emma into the hallway, hugged her fiercely and went back to her room.
-ooo-
"Regina! Regina open up!" Regina's eyes fluttered open to the sound of Lily banging on her hotel room door. She groaned, rolling out of bed. The clock read 5:00AM.
Answering the door, she said, "You better have a damn good reason for waking me up at this ungodly hour."
Lily's face was frantic; her hair was mussed and she was wearing an old t-shirt over a pair of pyjama shorts. "It's Emma," she said. "I think she's sick."
Regina followed the younger woman to their room.
"Where is she?" she asked, and Lily nodded towards the bathroom.
Emma was sitting in front of the toilet; her skin was ghostly pale and she was shaking violently. Immediately, the brunette sprung into action.
"Lily, get me a warm towel and a glass of water. And grab Emma's bag. She might have brought something with her."
"What's wrong with her?" Lily asked as she moved around the room, collecting the requested items.
"She gets like this when she's exhausted. She was up all night yesterday. Did she sleep last night?"
Lily's cheeks flamed bright red in response. "Well…"
Again, Regina felt jealousy wash over her, but she shook it off when Emma leaned over and heaved into the toilet.
"Did you get her bag?" Regina demanded impatiently, resisting the urge to snap her fingers in the other woman's face.
She nodded, embarrassed, before handing Regina the bag. Regina kneeled next to Emma, took the towel and wiped the blonde's clammy forehead.
"Emma," she cooed softly, rubbing the sheriff's back comfortingly. Emma melted into her touch, leaning against Regina. "Emma can you drink some water for me?" She accepted the drink, visibly trying to keep the fluid down. She did not succeed, and instead turned and vomited. Regina rubbed her back again before rifling through the blonde's bag for what she knew was tucked at the bottom of her luggage. After a minute of searching she pulled out Emma's woollen baby blanket. It had been kept immaculately clean with some diligent washing and not the smallest bit of magic. Placing it on Emma's lap, she saw the woman instantly calm at its touch.
Turning to Lily, she said, "We're going to have wait until tomorrow for that spare tire. Emma will be incapacitated until she gets a proper sleep. Perhaps you could run and get us some breakfast. I believe there's a diner across the street. I'll stay with her."
She felt a smug sense of satisfaction as Lily left the room. It was her who knew why Emma was sick, not Lily. She knew what Emma needed, not Lily. And somehow that felt really good.