A/N I should be translating Memories of Wonder and writing the next chapters of Coffee and Dancing Ring and probably writing the little date based on my ending in Turn Back Time. I should be doing that, I reeeeeally should be doing that.

But today I'm feeling adventurous and as we have received that (in)famous scripttease between Emma and Regina and I have already written the third part on The things we don't say… here is another little one shot based on that particular moment.

Disclaimer: The characters I portray here aren't mine and neither is it the world in which I set those characters.

Let me tell you

The sun was rising slowly at the other side of the town, far away from where Emma was standing. The blonde was looking at the woods in where the Author has disappeared and even if her stance was stiffer than Regina had ever seen her the woman's tired eyes and dozens of mud stains and little wounds that covered her bare hands were probably the thorns of the various plants of the woods had left their bite told another different story.

"Emma" She whispered as she approached the blonde woman. She knew that she didn't look any better than the younger woman did but she was also too tired to even try to cover her teary-stained face with magic.

Emma didn't answer her and merely nodded, her eyes still searching something between the mud and leaves that covered the path she had probably taken minutes before to exit the woods. Regina didn't know what Emma was searching for and she doubted the blonde herself knew what she was doing consciously.

Sighing, Regina raised her left hand and looked at it for a second before touching Emma's shoulder, her fingers grapping the soft fabric of Emma's jacket for a moment before letting it go.

"Emma" She said once again and this time the green-eyed woman turned, her lips parting briefly before turning into attempt of a smile. The once lifeless eyes gleamed slightly before darkening with what Regina recognized as remorse.

"You are fine" Emma muttered and although she hadn't ask her Regina nodded once as she tried to forget the insidious smile Gold had gave her once she had left her vault.

"Yes, I'm fine" Regina replied softly as she looked back at the woods, the rays of the sun were now hitting the few grass that grew circling the first line of trees and the glimpses of emerald green made Regina think of those same green eyes that had been hiding something from here seconds before. "And you?"

"I got the author" Emma answered promptly, but with and edge that made Regina look at her worriedly; Emma had tired lines circling her mouth and the darkness in her eyes hadn't disappear but turn colder. "But the moment I freed him he run away and I haven't been able of finding him. At this hour he can be approaching Boston for all we know"

The blonde exhaled once before looking downwards, her boots were covered in dozens of mud stains and as Regina also looked at where the other woman was she could distinguish a few tears in the skin-tight jeans of the younger woman.

"You did everything you could have done" Regina finally said, her eyes not looking back at Emma even if the other woman's stance changed, signaling the blonde was finally looking at her.

She could have replied telling Emma that she suspected Gold had the author or at least knew where he was. But she was too tired of explanations and she decided to tell Emma later, maybe after a cup of coffee and a few hours of sleep. Or maybe she was just afraid.

She had been afraid since Rumplestiskin had made her decide between Robin and the woman beside her, afraid of her own response of how her brain had jump in anticipation even before Rumplestiskin finished the question. And so, maybe, a cup of coffee and some hours of blissed silence help her feel like her once again.

Maybe not.

"Did I?" The blonde woman said more to herself than to Regina and the brunette saw how Emma's hands twitched against her thighs, turning into tight-closed fists.

"Yes, you have been doing more than everything this past days, ever since the monster arrived" Regina kept saying, her voice so deep and broken that for a moment she even had doubts she had been the one saying that. But it was true; Emma could have walked away from the monster when it had first arrived at Storybrooke. Or could have decided not to help Regina with the Three Queens of Darkness, of could have decided not to trust her and, instead, she had been there every single time. For her. Maybe that was what had made her reply what he had done back with Rumple.

"I did what it needed to be done. I've got your back, remember?" Emma replied and this time Regina raised her eyes and looked at the blonde's green ones, smiling unconsciously alongside with the blonde as the sun finally settled at their backs.

"Yes, you have, thank you for that" The brunette's reply was lost in her smile as Emma shook her head and for a moment Regina saw the normal cheerfulness on Emma's features before that strange remorse appeared again.

"I still lost him, even after I offered my help" Emma continued "And I'm sorry for that"

Regina didn't reply verbally this time, moving her left arm she touched the back of Emma's closed fists and caressed as softly as possible the blonde's pale skin until Emma relaxed her stance, a tired sigh escaping the brunette's lungs as she focused her eyes somewhere in the woods in front of them where a few birds chirped.

"Thanks" Emma muttered and Regina nodded, a quiet understanding crossing both of them as they kept the silence a few more minutes while their shadows grew.

"I talked with my parents" Emma finally said and Regina relived she hadn't move her hand when the younger woman covered it with her left one, her skin was warm and the slight calloused fingers made her tremble for a second. It was the first time they touched like that and the magic tingle she felt stole her breath for a second, a second in where her body sensed absolutely everything around her, like a magnifying glass growing inside her body before disappearing inside of her the moment Emma moved her hand away, a soft blush covering her cheeks. "They told me the truth about your mission"

Even if the woman's voice wasn't harsh Regina could sense the underlying anger behind those words and she hide her eyes behind her eyelids for a second before turning her body fully towards Emma's.

"I'm sorry, they asked for secrecy and I didn't know how much I truly knew, I only wanted to help them"

"You didn't need to prove anything, not to me and certainly not to them" Emma's reply was swift but Regina could still hear the pain behind and so she hummed, not quite knowing what to reply next.

As minutes passed by and Emma hadn't say anything else she grew nervous, her hands touching repeatedly the hem of her blouse as she glanced at Emma, who had turned and was now looking at the city with a frown on her face.

"Are you angry?" Regina finally asked and she cursed herself for being so dependent of Emma's feelings about what had happened but deep down she knew she needed to know if everything was right. At least for now because Rumplestiskin's threat was still hanging on the top of her head and she doubted she could steal more minutes that the ones the man had planned.

Emma looked at her and blinked; the sharp edges in her eyes disappearing, replaced by confusion.

"What?"

Regina took a big intake of air before asking the question that was nagging her for a second time, this one, however, her voice didn't sound as doubtful as the first time and she smiled inwardly for that. Even if she and Emma where in a strange step in her ever evolving relationship she was still as proud as ever and she didn't like feeling as weak as she first had been. "You're not angry at me for keeping your parent's secret?"

Emma shook her head and smiled softly at her, her eyes darkening momentarily before shining once again.

"No, it's between me and them. You were only trying to help."

Regina blushed and lowered her eyes for a second before raising them again and nodding gratefully towards the younger woman who was now looking at her with narrowed eyes.

"What happened to you?"

Emma's voice was soft, but unlike the first time she had asked that question it wasn't laced with anger, only with worry and even if Regina had the desire to lie and keep pretending that her election hadn't happened it had so as the younger woman looked at her with worry and something that Regina recognized as care she told her the truth.

"Rumple discovered that I wasn't as… evil as I claimed to be so he made Maleficent put me into sleep, I woke up in my vault with magical chains. I still don't understand where they find them but I was defenseless"

Her voice broke, the fear she had been suppressing until then finally breaking her walls making her tremble, recalling when she had seen the man she had once seen as a tutor looking at her with something close to pity mixed with pure evilness. A look that the Dark One had directed to hundreds back in the Enchanted Forest before offering them a deal they couldn't refuse.

And that had been what had happened to her, she though bitterly as she kept speaking, her body leaning on Emma's arm that was now touching her back in a strange hug.

"He made me call Robin and when he picked up the phone it was… Zelena at the other side"

"Zelena?" Emma asked and Regina lift her lips in a grimace as she nodded briefly.

"Apparently she is alive, I don't know how though but it looks like magic even if I don't know where it came from"

Emma nodded and hummed, her arm moving away from Regina as the she blushed once again, avoiding the brunette's eyes as she encouraged the woman to keep talking.

Clearing her throat Regina continued. "For what I understood she has been impersonating Marian since she was back, another magic I don't understand how she put to use in a world with not magic but it was then when I understood that Rumplestiskin knew about that impersonation"

"And he wanted something from you" Emma finished and Regina nodded, nervously walking until she was in front of Emma instead at her side, her eyes focusing on the blonde's features as she talked, her eyes moving quickly while she tried to speak what had happened next as quick as she could.

"Yes, the price for that… information was an election. One I needed to take in that moment"

The words got stuck on her throat as Emma kept looking at her and for a second she found herself unable to speech then, as torrent, the words came jumbled, her lips refusing to move correctly as she said what she had been thinking since those same words had escaped her mouth the first time Rumple asked to make the decision.

"I chose you, between you and Robin. I chose you"

Emma took a step towards her before stilling, her eyes never leaving Regina's as the older woman narrowed hers and exhaled. Her heart was pounding inside her chest and she licked her lips trying to explain as best as she could the moment in which she had finally understand everything.

"He told me that the price for being with Robin was you and your goodness. They want to tint your heart with darkness although he didn't explain me how. I needed to make the election of staying here, at your side or going with Robin"

"And you chose me" Emma's voice cut the rest of Regina's explanation and the older woman found herself nodding quietly, her eyes quickly glancing at the younger woman's pale lips who were now parting in an incredulous smile before sobering. Emma's eyes were still smiling shyly though and Regina found herself feeling that same shyness as Emma took another step towards her, her eyes narrowing because of the sun that was now considerably higher at Regina's back.

"Yes" The word was muttered, Regina's lips barley opening as the woman found herself too nervous to even move them. Her mouth was dry and as she moved her tongue trying to moist her lips in the process she felt a rush of heat as Emma's pupils quickly gazed to her mouth before quickly looking back to her.

"Why?"

The word was said gently, as if Emma was nervous of what could happen if Regina heard her and truth was the brunette was also fearful of the response that particular question was going to bring.

"I'm not going to be the one who loses you" Regina finally said, her nails were leaving mid-crescents shapes on the palms of her hands at this point and her whole body was buzzing with the same magic feelings she had felt minutes before when Emma had touch her.

But it didn't care because Emma suddenly smiled before looking away, the shimmer of hope shining on her eyes as she blushed quickly and Regina wanted to laugh because they were being like teenager at that point but it had ever been like that with them; slow, strange and even if she was still processing how quickly she had answered, how easy had been to say Emma instead of Robin, how Rumple had look at her momentarily taken aback before returning to his normal eerie look… She knew she had chosen right.

Emma glanced at her feet before returning her eyes to Regina's face, the sun was still molesting their eyes but the older woman could see two slits of emerald green looking at her before quickly moving at her slightly open mouth that the brunette woman still felt dry.

The tight hug was unexpected but welcomed and due to the quick move Regina's hands found themselves against the taller woman's chest, a soft sound came from the blonde's lips that were close to Regina's ear but the brunette said nothing, too caught up in the moment to even think on anything to say.

"I'm still going to help you with Robin" The blonde said and Regina sighed, knowing that the words were one of Emma's many mechanisms like the ones she had herself.

"I knew you were going to say that" She said with a sigh and as Emma detached herself from the brunette's body Regina smiled. "But that was not the reason I chose you"

And as the day finally settled, Regina looked at Emma for a second before tilting her head and kissing the younger woman's lips, her confusion and fear melting away as she heard the other woman quick intake of breath.

"You are and idiot" Regina muttered and Emma chuckled, her eyes finally free of the remorse she had been feeling since she had impotently watched how the author escaped.

A/N I tend to put both women on this kind of environments, the woods, Regina's house… I think it's because I tend to link them with nature and the two different moments: dawn and dusk… or maybe it's just because those are the moments in which I feel more connected myself and I love to write about them, who knows (lol)

PS: I promise the next update is going to be Dancing Ring, seriously