This is a modified re-telling of the Greek myth of Adonis, Aphrodite, and Persephone, in which Regina will play the stunningly beautiful mortal, Adonis, Emma will play the goddess of beauty, Aphrodite, and Ruby will play the powerful goddess of the underworld, Persephone, who is forcefully married to the god of the underworld, Hades (who will be played by… himself). Belle will play Zeus, the peacemaker in this story. In this version, Persephone's (Ruby's) power as a goddess will be – you guessed it! – shape-shifting into a wolf! Aphrodite's (Emma's) will be… drumroll, please… magic! The villain of this piece will be played by Gold, as the Dark One. Side note: In this story, Regina is younger than Emma and has no magic.
To recap this myth for anyone interested, Aphrodite falls in love with Adonis because of his endless beauty. In an effort to protect him, she entrusts him to Persephone's care. Persephone falls in love with Adonis and refuses to return him to Aphrodite. In the myth, Zeus settles the conflict by deciding that Adonis will spend one-third of the year with Persephone, one-third with Aphrodite, and one-third with whomever he chooses. Adonis, of course, chooses to spend two-thirds of the year with Aphrodite.
Given that this is based on an age-old Greek myth, the people in this story will be pretty out of character. Again, to recap:
Adonis – Regina
Aphrodite – Emma
Persephone – Ruby
Hades – Himself
Zeus – Belle
An Adonis. That was what they called her. It fit her, really. Regina Mills was as beautiful as a goddess, except that she was mortal. It was not strange that both mortals and gods alike were drawn to her. Her loveliness was renowned and doubted by none. No mortal compared to her radiance. But, that being said, there was one goddess whose beauty paralleled that of Regina's.
Emma Swan was both the Savior and the goddess of beauty and love (though these were not her only exceptional traits). It was no surprise that the two would eventually find each other, but like half of all love stories, their romance began to blossom at exactly the most unfortunate moment possible.
A war had begun, between the goddesses and the Dark One, and its destruction was colossal. The man was no god, but few rivaled his power and magic. Only the Savior had the confidence of the rest of the gods (and the humans on their side). They, unlike Emma, were sure that she would defeat the Dark One and return from his land victorious. She was not so sure, but, at the very least, she knew she had to try. Her parents were especially certain that good would triumph over Evil. After all, everyone (except the Dark One) was on their side, including Hades, the god of the underworld, who usually provided more problems than assistance.
But let us rewind for a moment and look back on the moment that the spark of love shot through the beautiful Adonis and her goddess, which was, coincidently, the moment they met.
It began simply enough. In the darkness and the rain. Even through these visual impairments, what Emma saw was unmistakable. The woman's beauty shot through the night like lightning, and it hit Emma just as quickly, just as hard. Even Regina's profile was enough to send an arrow through her heart. At first, she was frozen, but when she realized exactly what she was seeing, the green-eyed goddess' trance was shaken. The other woman was frantically jiggling the door handle of the only mansion in town, soaked from head to toe.
She was wearing nothing but a pair of exceptionally short red silk shorts and a tightly fitting black tank top. Then, the blonde quickly noticed that she also wasn't wearing shoes.
Seeing this, Emma stepped cautiously closer and asked, "Are you alright?" When the pouring rain drowned out the sound of her voice, she stepped even closer and repeated, "Are you okay, Miss?"
Clearly startled, the brunette spun around and stared at Emma, mouth agape. The gaze was filled with what Emma was sure was fear.
"It's alright. I'm not going to hurt you," she assured the young woman. Then, assuming from the woman's behavior that she lived in the enormous house, she said, "I just want to help. Did you lock yourself out?"
"I… I heard… I heard something outside, and I… I came out to check… It sounded like howling. It was… It was piercing. But the door shut behind me and it was locked and now I…" Regina blurted, her speech pressured.
She was clearly embarrassed, so Emma took another step closer and nodded her head in understanding, then said, "I think I can help."
"What?"
"Watch."
Emma put her right hand on the doorknob, and as bright white smoke surrounded it, Regina heard the click of the lock. She turned the handle and pushed the door open, then retracted her hand and looked at the brunette, wearing a bright, confident smile.
God, she's beautiful, her thoughts taunted her. So beautiful.
"How… How did you do that?" Regina stammered, staring in awe as hard, freezing rain continued to pour over her body and soak her clothes.
"Just a little magic," the goddess told her with a wink.
Play it cool, Emma told herself. She's already impressed. Regardless of her own attractiveness and her numerous… well… powers… she was still less than confident in her ability to allure others. Little did she know, she'd already done what was necessary to ensnare the beautiful woman. More than enough. In fact, even as Emma continued to speak, Regina found herself staring rather than listening to her words.
"Sorry, what?" the brunette gaped, shaking her head to snap herself out the mental fog that Emma's radiance had surrounded her with.
"I asked if you were going to stand there staring or if you were going to go inside and offer me a drink," Emma giggled.
"Oh… I… Of course!" the woman gasped. "I apologize! Please, come in for a drink. I actually just made lasagna as well, if you're hungry."
"It's one in the morning…" the blonde pointed out, stepping inside after the young Adonis.
"Oh. Right. I… I couldn't sleep. I, um… have pretty bad insomnia. I tend to eat dinner late."
"Actually… I am pretty hungry."
When the goddess smiled, Regina melted, and when she finally smiled back, Emma did the same. After exchanging names, each sat down at the table in a haze of intense attraction and ate slowly. Emma made a few witty jokes that only served to further draw the woman in as she sipped her wine. When Regina licked the red beverage from her lips, though, that was all it took to completely win the blonde's heart.
"You… shouldn't do that," Emma managed to say, setting her own glass down on the table.
"Do what?"
Rather than respond, Emma lifted her glass to her lips once more, then set it back down and licked her own lips to demonstrate. Regina's heart froze and then dropped to the floor, forced down by the gravity of her desire. Having made the point quite clear, Emma felt no need to speak, and the brunette was too embarrassed to do so. Instead, the woman stood and cleared their plates, then returned and gestured for Emma to join her in the living room.
They both tried not to show the surges of emotion they were feeling, but Emma's body only relaxed when she saw the redness rise to the face of the beautiful Adonis. When she saw this, she was encouraged and felt her own sentiments validated, so she was urged to ease into her usual tendency to flirt. Once the brunette's face was made redder by another glass of wine, the goddess made her move.
"You know," she said slowly as she reached out and tucked a piece of Regina's hair behind her ear, "I'm sure you've been called an Adonis before… that you've been told how beautiful you are."
"I…"
"But has anyone ever showed you?"
"S-Showed me what?"
"How beautiful you are."
Regina thought about this for a while. Thought of all her romantic encounters and how empty they'd been. How her former lovers would call her beautiful but had never really appreciated or respected to her.
After spending some time in of silence, she was forced to answer, "No."
Saddened but encouraged by this, Emma leaned in and slipped her hand around the back of Regina's neck, then pulled her just a little closer.
As her lips hovered in front of the brunette's, she whispered, "Then may I try?"
Though nervous and unsure of herself, the young woman found herself leaning slightly closer and replying, "Yes."
The kiss was slow and searing, as though fueled by a flame, and it lasted until finally, the Adonis gasped for breath. Emma took this chance to rub her thumb gently over Regina's cheek as she stared deeply into the woman's dark eyes.
"Do you feel beautiful?"
"For the first time, yes. I actually feel beautiful," Regina answered honestly. "No one's ever kissed me like that before."
Being told something and believing it were two very different things, and it was clear that Regina had never really believed what she'd been told. There was little confidence there, and Emma could sense it. She didn't want to take advantage of this, but she did want to win her over, so she used it to gain entrance into the woman's guarded heart.
"You deserve to be kissed like that every day."
"Oh, Emma… That's…"
"True. It's true. You're a beautiful woman, Regina. But I see more than that. I see through your beauty, into your heart, and it's pure."
"Oh, I'm hardly pure," Regina laughed, shaking her head sadly. "I'm-"
"I wasn't joking about the magic."
"What?"
"It was magic."
"I thought… I thought it was just a trick…"
"No trick."
"But then… You're… You're Emma Swan!"
"I am."
"Why didn't you-"
"Because it wasn't important. The only reason I'm telling you now is so that you believe me when I say that I can see through you."
"But you're a goddess! You have magic and powers and-"
"And what?"
"And no reason to kiss someone like me!"
"Firstly," Emma said sternly. "I'll kiss who I please, if they're a consenting partner. Secondly, you, my dear, are a glorious, glorious creature that I am blessed to have met."
"But, I-"
"Shh," the blonde whispered, raising her finger to the woman's soft, full lips. "Trust me. I wouldn't lie to you."
When Regina nodded her head, Emma removed her finger and kissed her lips, a little harder, but just as slowly as before, threading her fingers through the woman's dark locks of hair and drawing her closer. The kiss didn't break, even when Regina started to pull away. Emma just leaned in further and kept their lips locked, and the woman protested no further.
Soon, the goddess' hands were wandering and sliding up and down Regina's sides, until the woman finally let out a high-pitched whimper against Emma's lips.
"Ooh," the woman teased. "What was that, darling?"
"I… I…" Regina stammered, but found the words trapped inside her chest.
"It's okay," Emma whispered. "That's what I was going for."
Before the young beauty could respond, the goddess caught her lips again and continued the burning kiss, also resuming the exploration of Regina's body with her hands. Eventually, her touch found its way to the woman's thighs and slid down them first, then moved back up. When she continued this and deepened the kiss, she earned another whimper from the partner of her intimacy.
"Emma," Regina squeaked, startled when the woman's touch reached the inside of her thighs. "I…"
"I should stop," the blonde said quickly. "I apologize." Instantly, her hands dropped to her sides as she added, "Hopefully, I haven't frightened you away?"
"N-No," the mortal replied, her head spinning in a daze. "I… You haven't. I…"
"Perhaps, I could see you again?"
"I would love that," the woman confessed, breathing a sigh of relief that this would not be their last encounter.
Their next was similar. Emma arrived at the mansion around one in the morning, just as she had two nights before, except this time, she was bearing a gift.
"Oh, Emma!" the woman cried, taking the bouquet of flowers from her hands. "They're beautiful!"
"And you're gorgeous," Emma replied quickly, stepping up to the last stair to the doorway and catching the woman's warm, full lips.
That night, their love blossomed into a deeper level of attraction as their bodies burned together and united as one.
This intense romance only lasted a few more weeks before the war began to rage.
"I have to go," Emma breathed, kissing the nape of her lover's neck as the woman cried, lying naked in her arms.
"You don't have to!" she protested. "You could stay here. With me."
"I'm doing this for you, darling. I'm doing it to keep you safe. The Dark One has to be stopped, and I'm the one everyone is saying can turn the tide in our favor. I have to try, Gina. I have to."
"Emma, I-"
"No, Regina. This is for you. This is all for you. You have to trust me."
"I do trust you! But you don't have to do this!"
"There's someone who can protect you while I'm gone. I want her to stay with you until I get back."
"No! I can take care of myself! I'm not-"
"This isn't a discussion. I'll introduce you to her tomorrow, and she will keep you safe while I cannot."
"Emma!" the brunette screamed. "No!"
"ENOUGH! This is what's happening! I'm not going to let you die because of this goddam war! It's too dangerous to leave you alone!"
"I'm not a delicate flower! I can-"
"You're my delicate flower," Emma told her softly, stroking her hair and kissing the top of her head.
Regina pulled away sharply and slapped the woman directly across the face, tears pouring from her eyes.
"You can't do this to me! You can't leave me!"
"I'll come back. I promise I will come back. Even if I can't win this, I'll come home to you."
After a long, heavy silence, the brunette said, "You have to win this, Emma. No one else can."
"No pressure though," the Savior laughed nervously.
The next day, when the woman and her protector met for the first time, Regina immediately disliked her. Her confidence. It was sexy on Emma, but on this woman, it was cocky and arrogant.
Two days later, the lovers said their tearful goodbyes.
"She'll protect you, Gina. No harm will come to you. I swear it."
"I don't care," Regina sniffled, her arms clinging around Emma's neck. "I just want you with me."
"For now, Ruby will have to do. You can trust her."
"How do you know?"
"Trust me. Because I trust her with your life, and that's saying something."
"If you don't come back, I will find your body, bring you back to life, and kill you again," the brunette warned jokingly in an attempt to lighten the heavy mood.
She wiped her eyes as Emma wiped hers, and the two shared a deep, painful kiss before breaking apart.
As soon as Emma had left, Ruby – the woman's new protector – followed Regina home. The other brunette looked apprehensive as she looked around the mansion, taking in its size and elegance.
When Regina said nothing, simply sitting on the couch with her arms crossed angrily as she avoided the other woman's gaze, Ruby finally sat down beside her and said, "I'm not going to let anything happen to you, Regina. Emma is my dearest friend, and-"
"You are not needed here. I will tolerate your presence for Emma's sake and sanity, and that's it. You stay out of my way, and I'll stay out of yours."
Though Regina was sure that the war would never be brought to her doorstep, trouble found her quickly, just a short week later.
The beast that appeared at the door, a massive, ferocious wolf, attacked her as soon as she opened it. Its fangs went directly for her throat and nearly snapped her neck with their force, but the moment Regina screamed, a beast of equal size appeared from behind her and was on it in an instant, tearing it away from her and using its own teeth to clamp down on the creature's throat. Blood spurted in waves from the beast's neck and soaked its fur as it whimpered and collapsed on the doorstep of the mansion.
Regina, completely horrified, turned to run back in the house, but the wolf that remained quickly shifted into its human form, and Ruby appeared before her, grabbing her wrist as she started to run.
"It's me," Ruby said quickly, holding onto the woman tightly as she stared into her wide, terrified eyes. "You're safe."
"How do I know you're not one of them?! One of the Dark One's beasts?" Regina screamed, trying to tear herself from the stronger woman's grip but failing to do so.
"Because I just saved your life."
"I…"
"You don't have to thank me."
Unfortunately for Ruby, when the other brunette's eyes softened for the first time in grateful understanding, she felt her heart stop as the woman's beauty overtook her.
They parted ways for the rest of the evening. Regina cooked dinner for the two of them, but while one brunette ate in the kitchen, the other ate in her room. Later that night, around twelve-thirty, Ruby appeared in Regina's bedroom doorway.
She coughed to announce her presence, so as not to startle the woman too badly, then said, "Hey. Are you alright?"
"I'm… I'm fine, thank you," Regina lied.
She was terrified. If the Dark One could send his beasts this far away, how could she ever rest in peace again? On the other hand, Ruby had done as she had promised… She had saved Regina's life.
"Really, though," she added. "Thank you, for what you did today."
"It's nothing, really. I made a promise, and I intend to keep it."
When they shared a smile, Ruby's heart fluttered.
Around four in the morning, Ruby woke to screaming and quickly threw off the covers and bolted into Regina's room, where she found the woman fast asleep, tossing and turning on the bed as she continued to let out desperate cries of fear. The wolf was relieved that there was no danger, but her heart melted at the sight of the beautiful young woman in pain, so she approached the bed and looked down at the sleeping brunette.
"Regina," she whispered, shaking her shoulder cautiously. "You're dreaming. It's okay."
When the woman didn't wake immediately, Ruby knelt down so that she was on the woman's level and shook her a little harder. As soon as Regina did wake up, she thrashed and threw her arms out, hitting her protector in the face.
"Ouch!" Ruby said, but laughed through the slight sting of the impact.
"Oh, my gosh!" Regina cried, as soon as she saw who it was who had woken her and what she'd just done. "I'm so sorry! I thought… I was…"
"You're safe, Regina. I won't let anything happen to you."
"I… Thank you, Ruby."
The same scenario replayed the following night, except this time, when Regina woke up, she wasn't just screaming. She was crying.
"Regina," Ruby said softly, stroking the woman's hair. "It's alright, darling. You're safe."
The fourth or fifth time this happened, things got even worse. That time, Regina was seized by a full-on panic attack that gripped her body and squeezed it tightly, choking the air from her lungs. No matter how many times she drew breath, her lungs refused to fill. It felt as though her ribcage would contract until it exploded.
"Regina," Ruby said, crouching down beside and taking Regina's hands as the woman sat up in bed. "Take deep, slow breaths, okay? I'm right here. Nothing's going to hurt you. Nothing-"
But she was cut off by the woman's arms being thrown around her neck as she was locked in a tight embrace. At first, she hesitated, not knowing how to respond, but when it became obvious that the distraught young beauty had no plans to let go and didn't seem to be calming down any, Ruby placed her hands on Regina's back and pressed their bodies closer.
"It's alright," she whispered, as the woman's chest heaved heavy, frantic sobs. "I'm right here."
"I want Emma," Regina finally managed to blurt out, still clinging to Ruby.
"I know, honey," her protector sighed. "But right now, you've got me, okay? And I promise to keep you safe until she comes back."
"B-But what if… What if she never does?"
"Then I will protect you indefinitely."
"But Ruby," Regina protested, finally wiping her eyes as her nerves began to calm. "That's ridiculous. What about your life? What about what you want?"
"I gave her my word, and my word is my honor, Regina. I will not rest as long as you are in danger."
"Ruby…"
"Yes, my lady?"
This brought a blush to Regina's cheeks, and she broke the woman's gaze to look away, staring at the floor beside her.
"Would you stay in here tonight? Just… Just in case?"
"Nothing's going to happen to you, sweetheart," the wolf assured her. "But yes. If you wish it, it will be done."
"You don't have to talk as though I'm your master and you're my dog."
Ruby returned the comment with a nervous joke.
"I sort of am a dog."
"You're a wolf. That is far more regal and majestic than a dog, Ruby."
The statement earned a smile from her protector as she rose to her feet and answered, "I wish more people saw me that way."
"I didn't, at first. I was apprehensive. I was bitter and angry at Emma for leaving me in your care. For her suggesting that I needed protection in the first place. But I've realized that she was right, and that you are a good, kind-hearted person. Moreover… I've come to trust you."
"I had hoped that you would."
They shared a smile before Ruby circled the bed and sat down on the opposite side, facing the wall.
When she hadn't moved in some time, Regina asked, "Ruby? What's the matter?"
"Nothing, m'lady. I figure I'll wait until you fall asleep to get some rest. I want to make sure you're not going to fall back into your nightmares before I settle in."
"Ruby, please relax. I'm sure you'll hear me if they do…"
"It's nothing to be ashamed of," Ruby assured her, hearing the embarrassment in her voice. "After what happened to you… after the trauma of such a close call… I'd be frightened too."
"But you're not frightened, and you weren't frightened then, either. You-"
"I was frightened," her protector countered. "But my mother used to say, 'Feel the fear and do it anyway.' I live by that motto. I also live by my adherence to a code of honor that includes making good on my word. I'll perish before I allow harm to come to you."
"You're so… so brave, Ruby…" Regina told her, sighing softly as she looked into the woman's deep green eyes. "I envy that."
"Just because you feel fear doesn't mean you're not brave. You could have lost your life, had I not been there to protect you. That's a horrifying experience that no one should have to go through."
"I'm just grateful that you were there. That you saved me."
"I'm grateful as well. Not only did I have the chance to make good on my word, but I also had the chance to rescue a beautiful maiden from danger."
With another blush, Regina turned away, mumbling, "I'm not a maiden. I'm just a woman."
"You are far more than just a woman, Regina Mills. You're as close to a god as mortals come."
Completely at a loss for what to say, Regina simply leaned in and pressed her warm lips to the the skin on Ruby's cheek. Before she pulled away, she felt it growing warmer. Realizing that this was likely from embarrassment, Regina moved away and fell back against the pillows, allowing the woman her space to breathe.
After a while, when she found herself unable to fall back to sleep, she asked, "So what's your story?"
"Pardon?"
"Your story. Your life story."
"You want me to tell you my entire life story? Right now?"
"I can't sleep."
"Then I'll tell you a bedtime story. My life story is one of woe and sadness, I'm afraid. Not something someone wants to hear or talk about before trying to rest."
"You amaze and surprise me, Ruby. I'm simply curious to know where all this valor comes from."
"I… I mean… I suppose I…"
"You don't have to tell me anything. I just figured I'd ask. I'm sorry if I offended you or crossed any boundaries. I didn't mean to upset you, and I understand if you'd prefer not to discuss it."
"There are no boundaries," Ruby told her flatly, looking over at her.
"What?"
"There are no boundaries. You may ask me anything you'd like. I believe that being your protector means being transparent with you, because your trust is important to me. To our relationship."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure. However, the entire story is a long one, so for tonight, I will only share what I believe to be the most significant element."
"How you became a shape-shifter?"
"Like Emma, Regina… I was born the daughter of gods, and thus…"
"Wait, what?" the woman yelped. "Why don't you guys tell people that you're gods before you-"
"Because it is insignificant. The only reason I told you at all is that you seem interested in my powers. It is true that I am the goddess of vegetation and earthly matters, taking after my mother, but more importantly to my life's story, I am also the goddess of the underworld."
"But… I…"
"As I said, my status as a goddess is insignificant. My obligations as queen of the underworld, however, have dictated every day of my life since my marriage to Hades."
"The god of the underworld," Regina breathed. "But how… I mean… Isn't he…"
"Horrible? Yes. Quite."
"Then why?"
Ruby shrugged sadly and turned her face away until it was covered by shadow, then replied, "He took my virtue, against my will, so my mother forced me to marry him."
"But that's-!"
"I know."
"Oh, Ruby… I…"
"Look, I don't want you to feel sorry for me, okay? You asked for my life's story. This is a large piece. I didn't tell you to earn your pity."
"I don't pity you. I just… You deserve so much more than that. You deserve love, and-"
"Love," Ruby laughed. "Love is something far from my reach, I'm afraid. Hades is my life now. When I successfully complete the task of assuring your safety, he is all I will have to return to."
"But Ruby… Can't you-"
"Even if I did fall in love…" the other woman began. Then, she paused for a long while before speaking again, green eyes wide as she was seemingly struck by some fierce revelation. "My love would never be returned. Who could love a beast like me? Only Hades does not fear me, and that is because he can control me."
"I highly doubt that," Regina told her. "You are powerful and strong-willed. You don't have to allow him to-"
"Enough. What's done is done. I belong to him, and no one else will ever belong to me, and that is the way of it."
"I don't understand… Why couldn't you just… I mean… Why not let yourself fall in love?"
"With who?" Ruby laughed. "Another wolf, as dark as me? One of the Dark One's minions?"
"No, Ruby. With anyone. You are a beautiful woman, and-"
"Stop. You need your rest, and this conversation is quickly growing irrational."
"Ruby…"
"Just sleep," the woman sighed. "Please, rest." When Regina continued to look at her anxiously, Ruby leaned over, hovering above her, and stroked her hair, saying, "I'll be here to protect you."
With a frustrated but submissive sigh, Regina finally closed her eyes as she allowed sleep to overtake her once more. The rest of the night was silent.
In the morning, Ruby woke her with a bright smile and breakfast in bed.
"Ruby! You didn't have to do this!" Regina cried, looking rather horrified.
"I wanted to. You had a rough night. How'd you sleep after you went back to bed? You were very quiet."
"Actually, I slept great. You're pretty much a heater, to be honest. It was nice not to be cold for once."
Speaking of heat, a fair amount rose to the wolf's cheeks as she turned away. She knew that her body temperature, as a rule of her genetic makeup, was generally higher than that of a mortal, but it was strange to hear this statement made in such a positive light.
"I'm… I'm glad that you were warm…"
Before taking a bite of her food, Regina grabbed Ruby's wrist, jerking her forward, and wrapped her arms around her torso, saying, "Thank you so much, Ruby. You're wonderful."
You're wonderful, the wolf repeated in her mind. Wonderful. She called you wonderful. As she sat on the other side of the bed, watching Regina carefully and gracefully consume the food she prepared, her heart began to race. Normally, when this was caused by fear, Ruby was able to control it and calm herself quickly. In this scenario, the woman's beauty stopped all possible control she would have had over her own heart. Wonderful. Wonderful.
"Ruby? Did you hear me?" the young beauty asked, furrowing her brow as she looked to the other woman for a reply.
"Huh? No, I was… I…"
With a laugh, Regina responded, "That's alright, dear. I won't hold it against you."
As the days went by, each without word from Emma or her companions, the two grew closer and began to trust each other even more. Ruby continued to spend the nights in Regina's room as nightmares continued to plague the young woman's sleep. The nights that were calm were perfect and restful, but the nights where her dreams turned dark were crushing.
One such night, a few months later (still with no word of Emma's safety), around two in the morning, Regina woke screaming and crying, but, as usual, was quickly comforted by Ruby's warm, open arms.
"It's alright, Regina," she whispered, like always. "You're safe."
The mantra usually calmed the young beauty, but this time, it seemed to have no effect. Panicked and confused, Ruby grew anxious, desperately trying to say anything she could think of to relax the distraught, sobbing woman.
"Gina, please calm down. I-"
"G-Gina?" the woman gasped.
Only Emma had ever called her that before, and hearing the word on someone else's lips only made the sound painful to her ears and heart.
"I… I'm sorry… It slipped out. I didn't mean…"
"Emma calls me Gina."
"Oh. I… I didn't know it was… you know… I just… sort of… said it."
There was a long pause as Regina's eyes continued to flood with tears, where Ruby rubbed her back gently and leaned the woman's body against her chest.
Eventually, Regina sobbed loudly, "Why did she say that she loved me if she was just going to abandon me?"
Ruby stared in horror as she frantically searched for a response.
"I… I don't know, Regina… She… She wants to save us all. To take care of us. To keep you safe."
"Why couldn't she take me with her?"
"She didn't want you to get hurt. I wouldn't have either."
"How can you take her side?!" the dark-eyed woman screamed, roughly pulling away from Ruby's gentle embrace.
"I'm not!" the other brunette assured her. "I'm… I'm trying to answer you honestly."
"If she loved me, she'd come back to me. It's been ages, and still no word. When will she come home? What if she doesn't come home?!"
"Regina… I don't know why she hasn't sent word yet. I don't know what's taking her so long. All I know is that this war is not an easy one to fight, that danger is everywhere, and that… had it been me in her shoes… I never would have left you."
As Ruby looked deeply into her eyes, Regina finally saw what had been there all along. She saw love. She opened her mouth to speak, to reply, to somehow say something that made sense, but nothing came out. Instead, she continued to cry and allowed the hot, angry tears to bathe her cheeks in sorrow.
"You're beautiful," Ruby breathed suddenly. "Especially when you cry."
What Regina saw next was a flash of passion. One she recognized all too well from her lover. But this wasn't her lover. This was her protector. Her safety. Her… This was Ruby.
The woman's green eyes continued to flash as she leaned in and pressed their lips together, kissing her slowly. Before she could stop herself, Regina was kissing back, until she was groping at the back of Ruby's shirt to tug her closer. The wolf responded by allowing her own hands to wander over the woman's body, just as Emma had done before the war. Soon, despite her serious reservations, Regina's body was responding. She was gasping for air. She was kissing back harder. Ruby was biting her lip. She was whimpering.
She needed more, but she held back. Now, she was crying from the guilt she was feeling, which had mixed painfully with her intense longing. At least, she tried to hold back, which worked out well. Or, it did until Ruby began to breathe heavily in her ear. When the woman finally spoke, her voice low and seductive, Regina's whole body seized, then shivered with desire.
"I love you, Regina, my beauty. I would never leave you."
This was enough, in her weakened, desperate state, to break Regina's resolve. When she let out a soft cry of longing, Ruby slid her tongue over the outer shell of the woman's ear, earning a high-pitched moan. Just like Emma, this woman knew how to control Regina's body until it was begging. She knew exactly where to touch, what to press, how to kiss. But it wasn't the same. There was hunger and passion in it, which was only made more evident as Ruby took her moans as an invitation to move onward.
Her thumbs pressed into Regina's hips, causing them to lift slightly, and suddenly, Ruby's lips were all over her body. Her cheeks. Her neck. Her collarbone. Her stomach…
"Wait," the mortal finally whimpered, using her hands to hold the goddess at arm's length.
"Tell me you don't want this," Ruby said breathlessly, staring up into Regina's dark, wet eyes. "Tell me to stop, and I will."
After Regina just stared back at her, tears continuing to fall down her cheeks in quiet streams, Ruby tested the water by sliding the palms of her hands over the woman's bare, toned stomach. The young beauty responded with a whimper and closed her eyes, savoring the feeling of the wolf's warm skin against her own.
"Ruby…"
The sound of her own name was exactly what Ruby needed to fuel the fire of her passion, and soon, her hands were wandering again. It wasn't long before the two were naked beneath the sheets, making love well into the early hours of the morning.
Their affair continued through the guilt that Regina's felt in betraying her lover, but the more days that passed without word from the goddess, the more angry and resentful she became. After seven months, she had given up and surrendered herself completely to Ruby's warm embrace.
One year from the day that Emma had left on her quest, everything changed.
Just before dawn broke, several bolts of lightning fell from the sky and illuminated a circle around the town. Thunder shook the houses and woke their inhabitants, including Regina and her new lover, whose body she was currently wrapped up in. Hearing the sound, the two quickly hurried outside to look for its source, just in time to see the victorious Savior approaching the mansion, bloodied and bruised, but smiling.
When she drew closer, though, and saw the looks of horror on each of their faces, the goddess' smile broke.
"Emma…" Regina gasped, staring with mouth agape.
"You're sleeping with her?!" Emma screamed, knowing exactly what had happened as her eyes bore into Ruby's skull with a fiery gaze of fury.
"Emma, it's… It's not what you think," Ruby tried, but the look of extreme guilt all over the beautiful mortal's terrified face gave everything away.
"You said you'd protect her!"
"I did! I was! I am!"
"By fucking her?!"
"You were gone, Emma! You sent no word, no hope. We thought you were dead!"
"So you just moved the fuck on? Is that it?" the blonde snapped, this time directing her question at Regina.
"Emma… I…"
"You know what? I took down the Dark One, and I'll fucking take you down too," the woman snarled at Ruby, taking a dangerous, threatening step closer.
"Emma, no!" Regina cried, grabbing onto her shoulder and attempting to pull her back.
But the goddess was too strong, and her efforts did nothing to stop Emma from advancing on the woman's new lover. Before she could hit her rival, however, the brunette shifted into a wolf and growled at Emma, baring her teeth at the other immortal.
"You think I can't beat you?" Emma laughed. "If I can take him down, I can end you, too."
"Emma!" her lover shouted, once again attempting to tear her away from the impending battle. "Please don't!"
"Why?" the blonde roared, turning on Regina with rage in her eyes. "So you can keep fucking her?"
"Emma… Please…"
"CHOOSE! Choose now."
"Emma, I can't! You don't understand."
"Do you love her?"
Ruby's eyes, now a deep shade of black, suddenly looked soft and sad as she herself waited for the reply.
"Yes," Regina confessed, starting to sob.
After a long pause, Emma finally asked, "Do you love me?"
"Yes!"
"You have to choose."
"I… Emma…"
Ruby shifted back to her human form and cut in with, "She's right, Regina. You have to choose."
"Fuck you," Emma hissed. "I'm killing you either way. I just want to know who she-"
"ENOUGH!" a voice behind them shouted. "You children are clearly incapable of making adult decisions. Therefore, I will make this simple."
"Who… Who are you?" Regina asked anxiously, staring at the brown-haired woman before them.
"Her name is Belle," the blonde ground out. "And she is the goddess of justice."
"And the sky, thunder, and lightning," the goddess corrected, stone-faced.
"So what's your proposition then?" the goddess of love and desire demanded, still wearing an intimidating glare that seemed to scare everyone except the goddess she was speaking to.
"Regina, our lovely Adonis, will spent one-third of the year with you, one-third of the year with Ruby, and one-third with whomever she chooses."
"NO!" Emma screamed, turning on Ruby and advancing towards her.
The goddess of justice (and the sky, thunder, and lightning) quickly intervened, holding Emma back, and looked at Regina, saying, "Do you agree to this accord?"
"But she-"
"Forget about what they want," Belle ordered. "Do you agree?"
With a few more pained tears, Regina conceded by nodding her head. Emma let out a howl of agony and fell to her knees, holding her face in her hands as she sobbed.
The beautiful mortal stared in horror as Ruby also began to cry, until finally, the woman approached her slowly and asked, "Whom will you choose to spend last third of the year with?"
"I choose…" Regina started, looking back and forth between them, seeing that Emma was still crumpled to her knees, her body wracked with sobs. "I choose to spend it with Emma."
At this, Emma lifted her head and stared at her lover. As Ruby tried to draw breath, it stuck in her throat, and she coughed. Tears continued to well in her eyes, but she forced herself to stay composed. Emma was the goddess of love and desire. She may have been physically strong, but, in Ruby's eyes, she was weak with emotion. She was the goddess of the underworld. She was made of iron.
But she had to know, so finally, the wolf asked, "Who will have you first?"
"Emma will have her first," Belle cut in firmly, "because she has returned from her long, tedious quest a victorious hero, and because they have been so long parted.
After a long pause as Emma dried her eyes, the blonde told them, "Fairy Tale Land is safe once again, thanks to our efforts. I will take her there and return her in eight months time."
"Is that agreeable to all parties?" the goddess of justice asked the three.
Emma gave a curt, reluctant nod, and Regina gave one as well, but Ruby's was also reluctant and slow as sorrow filled her eyes.
"In eight months time," the wolf said out loud, her gaze piercing into the mortal's dark eyes.
With that, she snapped her fingers and was gone, returning to the underworld where she would spend the next eight months with her husband, ruling over the dead.
Emma, though still furious, returned to Fairy Tale Land with her lover, where they would spend the next eight months together, making up for anger, bitterness, betrayal, and lost time.