Latch
Picks up immediately after Season 3 finale. Emma chases after and attempts to apologize to Regina. Emotions are high and secrets are revealed. Eventual SQ.
Rating: T
Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.
A/N: The outline for this story popped into my head as I was listening to the acoustic version of Sam Smith's "Latch". Not sure if this fic is a complete "mirror" of the song but this is what happened to flow out of my brain. If you haven't heard the acoustic version of this song, I HIGHLY recommend giving it a listen at some point. It gives the song a whole other level of meaning/emotion (at least it does for me…).
"You… you did this?.."
"I just wanted to save her life…"
For the first time in ages, Emma felt extraordinarily terrible. The conversation echoed like an incessantly broken record inside of her head. The image of the brunette valiantly fighting against impending tears had been permanently seared into her memory.
She had royally screwed up this time…
Sighing, the Savior continued on her path. The heat of her breath caused miniature droplets to form in the night air in front of her. Her lanky arms wrapped around her midsection - a futile attempt to protect her body from the chill that seeped through her trademark leather jacket. Boots clacked a steady rhythm as the blonde hurriedly paced down Main Street in search of the person she knew was rapidly approaching self-destruct mode.
Minutes earlier, shortly after berating Emma for being a "carelessly destructive idiot", Regina had bolted out the diner door. After being momentarily stunned by her biting words the sheriff made haste in the same direction abandoning the celebration that continued oblivious to what had just occurred. Once outside the warmth of the diner, Emma found remnants of purple smoke lingering just before the threshold to the sidewalk.
Sometimes she hated the fact that Regina had the ability to poof herself away on a whim…
Emma shook her head, her gut wrenching over mistakes she didn't know she was going to make. It had been a long and arduous journey. Once mortal enemies fighting over a son, the pair was now a team. Two women who unexpectedly shared an undefined kinship that seemed to lusciously bloom since their time spent in Neverland. As much as it pained Emma to admit, she cared… maybe a little too much.
Her legs moved quickly, leading her to the one place she knew Regina would retreat. Within minutes she found herself striding down Mifflin Street towards the largest home in Storybrook. Her pace slowed, suddenly ridden with anxiety over what she would encounter the second she arrived at the mansion.
Even the most docile of animals can turn viscous once wounded. The former Evil Queen was anything but.
Emma strode towards the pathway leading to the building, noticing there wasn't a single source of illumination inside of the spacious home. Frowning she glanced around, hoping to find any indication that the Regina would be somewhere nearby. Following her instincts, the savior made her way around to the backside of the home.
That's where she saw her… a trembling body lightly illuminated by the glow of the full moon. Regina appeared so small and vulnerable, heels kicked off and shoulders slumped forward. Her black leather jacket seemed to swallow her petite body whole.
She was leaning forward against her cherished apple tree, as if it was the only thing in the world that could keep her from crumbling to the ground. Her hands gripped tightly to the bark on the trunk - the only lifeline preventing her from slipping away into the impending darkness. She seemed so lost and fragile, so unaware of anything else in the universe around her.
The blonde inhaled a shaky breath, knowing she had only two choices: face her fear and talk to Regina or be an absolute coward and run. Saviors DO NOT run…
Almost under their own will, Emma's feet pulled her body forward closer and closer to the woman who was now visibly sobbing only feet away. She wanted nothing more than to take Regina's hands in her own and tell her just how terrible she feels about the mistake she had made. She wanted nothing more than to stop the river of tears flowing from the darker woman's chocolate eyes.
"Regina…" Emma's voice came out as nothing but a hesitant whisper.
Upon hearing the blonde's voice Regina pinched her eyes shut, willing her trembling body into some semblance of a state of placidity. She inhaled deeply, noting how a hint of Emma's scent was starting to mix with the humid night air surrounding her.
The former Evil Queen lightly shook her head. She instinctively knew the blonde was going to follow her. She had been able to sense her presence the instant the Savior turned onto Mifflin Street. Ever since the incident with Jefferson's magic hat, Regina had been able to feel (and feel is an understatement) Emma whenever she was in the vicinity. Their connection only proved to get stronger every instance they had practiced magic together.
Tonight, despite the fight or flight instinct, she couldn't allow her body to do either. Somehow over the last 3 years Emma Swan had become the exception to the rule.
"Go away." The brunette exhaled, her words unexpectedly missing their patented bite.
The pair stood in silence, neither willing to acquiesce to the others wishes. It was a stalemate; a moment in the heat of the battle when opposing sides realized there was no way either was going to win this war.
Regina refused to move from where she stood. Unable and unwilling to show the blonde woman just how deeply her actions, no matter how unintentional, had affected the brunette. She couldn't allow Emma to see her weakness, the chinks in her armor. It was too painful to allow yet another person to see the soft underbelly of the hardened woman she had become.
Defiant to Regina's wishes, Emma stood steadfast; feet firmly planted only an arm's distance away from the grieving woman. The younger woman refused to let another day pass until whatever issues they had with each other were at least pointed towards the path of resolution.
"Leave me be, Miss Swan." Regina scowled under her breath, refusing to turn to face the woman invading her space.
"You can be angry…" The sheriff edged closer towards the smaller woman, her confidence starting to kick in. "Scream at me. Punch me… fireball me if you have to. I'm not going anywhere."
The brunette stood unwavering. Silence filled the night air as a gentle breeze caused the leaves above her to rustle in her beloved apple tree.
"You HAVE to know that I had no idea…" Emma frowned, inching further into Regina's personal space. It was as she feared – It would take more than just a few choice words to rectify this situation.
"That's just it," The darker woman spat into the night air. Her gaze still focused on an undefined point in the distance. "You NEVER have any idea. You never have any idea how your actions affect people other than yourself. Act first, think later… must be a Charming genetic trait."
"I'm sorry…" The blonde sighed, her gaze tilting downward towards her boot clad feet. A faint hue of red appearing on chilled cheeks as feelings of shame coursed through her veins.
"As if saying those words would change anything." Regina bit back, knowing she had hit a nerve with the woman she had started to consider a… friend?
"It could… if you let them." Emma inhaled, taking one last miniscule step towards the trembling woman. Biting her lower lip, she reached her palm to touch the brunette on the back of her shoulder. "Regina, please look at me."
"Don't touch me."
Emma continued her grasp, unaffected by Regina's bitter tone. "Regina…"
"DO NOT TOUCH ME" Regina unexpectedly spun around and slapped the blonde woman square on the cheek, the sound resonating through the otherwise empty yard. "It's YOUR fault I'm like this. I was supposed to be happy."
The strike was powerful enough to make the blonde's ears ring. Stunned, Emma stood wide-eyed in silence. This was honestly the last response she expected to get from the grieving woman. Flinging a fireball from a distance? Yes. Delivering a point blank jarring slap to the face? No.
The sudden motion had opened the floodgates to all the pent up emotions Regina had been holding inside. Seemingly out of control, her fists began to wildly thrash blows against Emma's upper torso.
Against her instincts to retaliate, all Emma could do was stand there and accept the beating. It was EMMA who rescued a woman who was supposed to be dead. Regina's current emotional state was undoubtedly a direct result of EMMA's thoughtless actions.
"My heart was finally opening up again and I was supposed to have MY happy ending." Regina's fists continued to deliver blow after blow, knuckles striking cloth and leather and unprotected porcelain skin. "And now there's someone else. That person loves SOMEONE ELSE. It's all your fault…"
After delivering a final weakened blow, an emotionally spent Regina collapsed into the other woman's arms, anger dissipating almost as quickly as it had appeared. Emma's strong arms latched onto the smaller woman as wobbling legs gave way causing the brunette to fall forward into the Saviors chest. Rivers of silent tears flowed unimpeded from emerald and chocolate orbs.
Olive fingers grasped at creases of fabric and strands of golden waves, attempting to hold on to something tangible - anything that could ground Regina to this time and place. Her face buried deep into Emma's jacket, the familiar scent of worn leather overwhelming her senses.
Regina's body shuddered as one final sob left her lungs, her legs finally solidifying beneath her. With newfound strength the brunette stood tall still latched firmly in Emma's embrace. Tilting her head she reached forward and captured thin pink lips with her own.
"YOU were supposed to be my happy ending…" The older woman whispered her revelation while gently resting her forehead on Emma's, their noses touching. Their lips paused merely millimeters apart, a complete juxtaposition to the violent scene that had played itself out moments before.
Emma staggered back, finally letting go of the woman she held so closely in her embrace. Her heart raced, her mind replaying every significant (and not so significant) moment the two had shared over the few years they had known each other. Sepia and jade eyes met, glances locked in an impenetrable gaze. Tiny goose bumps spread uncontrollably over flawless porcelain skin.
"What about Robin?" Emma's vocal chords produced nothing but a barely heard whisper. She lightly cleared her throat willing her voice to return to full strength, her eyes searching for some sense of calm within this torrential emotional hurricane. "Isn't he supposed to be your 'soul mate' or some pixie dust predetermined thing?"
Regina pursed her lips, realizing how confusing the last few moments have been for both of them. Her heart pounded a staccato rhythm in her chest, anxiety brewing over finally taking that leap over the proverbial cliff.
"He isn't you…" She solemnly admitted, her body finally releasing a breath she didn't realize she had been holding in.
The blonde stared completely dazed in disbelief. Of course she had entertained romantic notions about the woman who stood indescribably close. But over the years she had dismissed the thoughts as an unattainable fantasy. There was no way possible that someone so beautiful, strong, and fiercely loving (sometimes to a fault) as Regina would ever have feelings for a neglected child of the system.
The pair stood almost frozen in time – the deafening silence screaming operatic choruses in their wake. Eyes boring deeply into each other's souls, searching desperately for answers that neither woman realized they held.
Inhaling, the blonde took a tentative step forward; her fingertips reaching to wipe an errant tear slowly trickling down Regina's cheek. The older woman leaned into Emma's touch, the intimacy of her actions breaking the brunette out of her stationary gaze.
Sensing the walls beginning to crumble, Emma's arms moved downwards to encircle Regina around the waist, locking her into an affectionate embrace.
"You have to know that if we start this," Emma whispered into Regina's ear, her face burrowing deeply into raven locks. "I'm never letting you go."
Reveling in the rush of warmth that suddenly flowed just beneath her skin, Regina buried her face in the crook of the blonde's neck. Her senses thoroughly enjoyed being inundated by all things Emma.
"Villains don't get happy endings…" The darker woman frowned. Still slightly unsure of what she had inadvertently started.
Emma slightly pulled back caressing Regina's face and cupping her chin, lifting it so the former Evil Queen was forced to connect eyes with the Savior.
"You're not a villain, Regina…" Emma smiled, eyes instantly lighting up. Her heart pounding so hard she could swear the smaller woman could feel it leaping out of her chest. "Let me be your happy ending."
Regina smiled in turn, feeling their hearts beat in tandem as they stood bathing in the pale moonlight. Surrendering to the moment the pair leaned in, sharing a chaste kiss before collapsing into each other's embrace.
Their arms latched onto each other as if they were each other's life preserver in the middle of a vast ocean. A faint hue of blue and purple swirled around the couple as magic seeped through their skin and intermingled where they stood.
It was a sudden yet welcome commencement to the mending of two broken hearts - a promise of a new beginning.
-FIN
A/N: Well.. there it is! Hope you enjoyed my random musings. Thanks for the read!