A/N: Thanks to those of you who reviewed the first chapter. I really appreciate your encouraging words. =) Thank you also to my beta for this chapter. I do hope you all enjoy this chapter.
Three weeks had passed since the first gift from Emma's secret admirer had appeared. Regina had made sure to send either a gift or a letter every day. She never failed to secretly send these things to Emma, watching on the sidelines and in the shadows for Emma's reaction to them. Regina had eyes and ears everywhere, so she always knew what Emma's reactions were to what she sent. She had yet to figure out who was sending these gifts. Regina had even dropped hints here and there, but to no avail. Emma Swan was still oblivious to the identity of her secretly confessed love. Naturally Regina was highly amused by this, not to mention is was seeming to drive a wedge between Ruby and Emma. They weren't breaking apart fast enough though. Regina's patience was wearing thin, but she was still determined to do whatever it takes to break the pair apart. Even more determined to make Emma hers.
Regina had to get through this obstacle first though. She had to make damn sure the two broke off their….relationship. Her lip would curl in disgust when she thought about Emma and Ruby being together. She should be the one making Emma moan, making her eyes roll into the back of her head, not Ruby. She should be the one with her arm wrapped around Emma's waist or holding her hand. These thoughts were so possessive, so very primal when it came to Emma. So much so that it surprised Regina herself. No one had a clue that she had feelings for Emma and she wasn't about to let anyone find out. At least not now anyway. For now she was going to enjoy secretly sending Emma gifts and love filled letters. While Regina knew most would find this to be out of character for her, no one knew she had a romantic side to her. Regina was in fact a hopeless romantic. No one had ever been able to see it though. Unfortunately no one had ever wanted to. Regina was hoping to change that, even if she wasn't exactly ready to show that publicly.
Personally Regina was tired of being alone. She was tired of sleeping alone in her bed at night. Though she'd never admit it out loud, she missed the affections a relationship could bring. She missed intimacy of the physical and emotional kind. Never in a millions years would Regina have thought she'd be looking for these things from Emma Swan though. How in the hell had she become so enamored with the blond, she'd never be able to explain it. But there was something about Emma that caught her attention, captured her and kept her interested. There would be looks Emma would give her now and then that made her think she thought the same of Regina, but honestly she had no clue. On the outside, the women showed contempt and hate towards each other. But as the saying goes, there's a fine line between love and hate.
Lately Regina had been noticing a few things about Emma. Every now and then she'd place her hand on her lower back and rub. Looking closer, there were dark circles under Emma's eyes and her beautiful eyes were a little red. Regina could only take that as Emma wasn't sleeping very well. In fact, Regina had recently planted a bug in the Sheriff's office and Emma's bedroom, trying to get hints of anything at all about Emma. This was of course a risky move, but one Regina was more than willing to take. Of course, there were times she heard things she didn't want to hear. Once though she'd overheard Emma tell Ruby that she wasn't sleeping well. Which of course led Ruby to make a comment about how that was her fault, all in a teasing tone. Regina had just rolled her eyes at that, grimacing when Emma laughed. So, Emma hadn't been sleeping well? A mischievous smile spread across Regina's lips slowly as her next gift quickly came to mind.
It was a Saturday evening and Emma Swan was enjoying her day. She lounged lazily on the couch in the living room, staring blankly at the tv. Mary Margaret was out on another date with Dr. Whale, which Emma highly disapproved of, and Ruby was working at the diner. So Emma was alone for most of the day, being as lazy as possible. Emma had just plopped her lazy ass back down on the couch, after retrieving a drink, when there was a knock on her door. She groaned, grudgingly pushing herself from the couch and stomping towards the door. She had intended to snap at whoever was behind the door, but when she opened it, there was quite a surprise waiting for her. Emma's green eyes nearly bugled from her head when she saw two men standing awkwardly in the hallway and carrying a bed. After a moment of awkward staring, one of the men finally spoke up.
"We were told to deliver this thing to this address. There's more of it downstairs." The man didn't sound very happy about it and neither male looked too thrilled to be doing this job. Emma was stunned speechless, not ever remembering having bought a bed. After another moment, something clicked in her brain and she jolted upright. "Who told you to deliver it here?" She asked, hoping maybe they'd have the name of her secret admirer. This was clearly something from them. "I have no idea lady. We were just old to deliver this whole thing here. Where's your bedroom?" Emma raised an eyebrow, frowning at the male's impoliteness, but letting it go. "Follow me." She shot back as she turned on her heel and headed upstairs.
There was a small, satisfied smile dancing on her lips when she heard the two men groan behind her. Clearly they didn't want to go up more stairs, but Emma didn't give a damn now. After all, she couldn't really be mad about her secret admirer sending her a new bed, which she needed oh so badly. Of course, in a way Emma found this a little creepy. How had they known she needed a new bed? Emma shrugged it off for now, eager to try the baby out.
Two hours later, after the two men struggled to put the entire bed together, Emma lay spread out across the bed. Her arms and legs were stretched out, her entire body taking up most of the bed. It was a queen-sized bed, so there was still some room to stretch out even more. What amazed Emma the most was the fact that her secret admirer had sent her a canopy bed. She'd always loved them, but was never able to afford them. The bed frame was dark wood with ornate pictures carved into it. The canopy was the same, but with black cloth hanging from each post. Emma had been lying on her new bed for at least an hour and a half now, staring at her new gift.
There had been a letter handed to her as well, which she had expected would be coming sooner or later. If there was a gift, there was a letter with it. Emma was unable to stop herself from reading it over and over again. 'A bed fit for a princess. I had a feeling you needed a new one and you, of course, only deserve the best. I do hope you enjoy this new gift. I made sure every piece was of the best quality. Think of me each time you lie in it, knowing someone cares enough to see to your needs. I hope to one day enjoy this bed with you. Until then, sleep well and comfortable.'
Emma had a grin the size of Texas spread across her lips as she read it for the millionth time. It wasn't the sweetest note her admirer had sent, but there was just something about it that made her stomach feel all funny. In the good way of course. Perhaps it was the line of her admirer hoping to share the bed with her. That one line gave her chills down her spine. Emma knew that maybe she should be more creeped out, but nothing like this had ever happened to her…ever. This was her first secret admirer and she was more flattered than she was letting on to anyone. Especially Ruby.
Lately the two of them had been a little snippy with each other. But of course, Emma was only responding to Ruby's new attitude about the whole thing. At first she had found it sweet, but after more gifts came, it seemed the waitress wasn't finding it so cute anymore. She especially didn't like the letters. A lot of them were sappy, confessing of an undying love for the most beautiful woman ever laid eyes on. While Ruby knew Emma was beautiful, knew others would want her, she was decidedly unhappy with how this secret admirer was shoving themselves into their relationship.
Emma knew Ruby was beginning to hate all of this, but if she was honest with herself, she didn't want the letters to stop. More importantly though, she wanted to find out who was sending her all of these things. She hadn't gone searching for them yet, nor had she really started investigating. But this new gift was really starting to push her in that direction. Emma slipped the letter into the drawer next to her new bed, stuffing it in with the rest of the letters. Just as she was about to sit back down onto her soft, new mattress, a knock resounded from the door downstairs. Emma hopped up quickly, thinking maybe it was another present. She raced to the door, slinging it open as soon as she got to it. Instead of a present, Ruby stood in the doorway, smile spread across her face. "I got off early!" She exclaimed, rushing forward and throwing her arms around Emma's neck.
In a flash, Ruby's lips were pressed to Emma's, teeth nibbling on Emma's bottom lip. Emma gasped, arms moving to encircle Ruby's small waist. When Ruby let go of her lips so they could both breathe in air, Emma backed up a little, raising her eyebrow. "What's gotten into you?" She asked, a little amused, a little taken aback. Ruby had sexually attacked her plenty of times, but this time she hadn't been expecting it. Ruby grinned from each to ear, the grin completely sexual. "Nothing….yet. You could change that though." Ruby wiggled her eyebrows and then gave Emma a wink before attacking her with passionate kisses a second later.
Emma moaned into the kiss, not able to resist Ruby and her kisses. Ruby was quite the kisser and her lips were talented fuckers. As well as her tongue and her fingers. Suddenly Emma felt herself being pulled towards the stairs while Ruby's fingers found their way under her tank top. In a jiffy, Emma was left in her bra, jeans and socks. Just a few minutes later and Ruby was walking into Emma's bedroom backwards, finger curling and uncurling as if to beckon Emma into the room. Emma laughed, eyebrows raised as she watched Ruby with a smirk.
Seconds later, before Emma could say anything. Ruby back into the canopy bed behind her. Her eyes went wide and her hands flew behind her to feel what it was she had run into. That was when her eyes narrowed, wondering what the hell she had bumped into. She thought there had been a few more feet before she ran into Emma's bed. Ruby turned herself slowly, afraid of what might be behind her. When her eyes fell upon the expensive bed, her eyes opened wide again and she gasped. Quickly turning back to Emma, the brunette glared at Emma, folding her arms immediately. "The hell is this?" She inquired, jerking her head towards the big ass bed behind her. Emma swallowed and blushed, already feeling horrible for this. And she hadn't even said anything yet. "It's…another gift." Emma's words were a whisper, her head hanging low as if she was ashamed. And really, in a way, she was. Though she really had no reason to be. It wasn't like she could send the bed back. She didn't even have any clue as to where it had come from. Emma pinched the bridge of her nose, wondering if there was any way to get out of this one.
There was a huff from Ruby in a split second, arms unfolding and slapping against her legs they fell. She shook her head, clearly exasperated. "Great! Now you're damn secret admirer is buying you beds?" Ruby clenched her teeth for a moment, shooting daggers at Emma with her eyes. Deep down she felt stupid for getting this upset, but this shit was starting to get ridiculous. Emma's secret admirer was making her look bad. Not to mention it looked like they were trying to steal Emma away from her. And that in no way settled well with Ruby. The words spilled out from her, her tone harsh. "When is there going to be a point where it's too much, Emma? How in the fuck are we supposed to have a relationship if this fucker keeps sending you expensive presents and lovey dovey letters?" Ruby raised an eyebrow, defying Emma to deny what she was saying. "Emma, ya know, I really do like you, but all of this shit is starting to get in the way." Ruby bit her lip, promising herself that she wouldn't let any tears fall. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had such a hard time dealing with a relationship. Sure, this had started out as just a sexual relationship between two adults, but for Ruby it had progressed a little more than that.
She knew she wasn't completely in love with Emma, but she liked what they had. So of course it infuriated her that someone was trumping her big time on impressing Emma. Ruby's head snapped up when she heard Emma walk towards her. Emma was inches from her now, trying to look in her eyes. Ruby looked back for a moment, seeing the apology there. "I'm sorry, Ruby. I am. But I don't know how to stop this. It's not like I can contact who's doing this. I don't even know who it is." Emma paused for a moment, taking one of Ruby's hands into both of hers. "If you want, I'll take apart the bed and bring back in my old one?" Emma tilted her head and gave Ruby the puppy dog eyes.
Ruby relented after only a moment and shook her head. "No, no. Don't do that." Suddenly an idea sprang to Ruby's mind, her infectious smile widening and exposing her white teeth. Emma smiled as well, but with a questioning look on her face. "In fact, how about we try it out right now?" Ruby wiggled her eyebrows and turned Emma around quickly, pushing her onto the bed. Emma rolled onto her back and let out a huff of a breath when Ruby landed on her. "It does need a christening." Emma stated between a few laughs. Needless to say, that afternoon was spent making up over a small fight.
Later that evening, Emma had almost forgotten Regina had told her she could spend some time with Henry for the evening. She had been a bit caught up in breaking in the bed with Ruby. Emma had opened her eyes after a moment, in the middle of resting naked on her bed with Ruby, when her eyes shot to the clock. It was five minutes until six. She was supposed to be at Regina's home to pick up Henry at six. Emma had jumped up from the bed, scrambling to get new clothes on and make sure she didn't smell like sex. Ruby watched her in amusement for a minute before asking what was wrong. Emma quickly explained her situation and Ruby had jumped up with her, throwing her clothes back on and deciding she'd go with Emma. It had made her nervous, Ruby going with her. She was sure Regina would have something to say. She would bet money on it actually. Even though Regina had been uncharacteristically nice to the two of them lately, she had banked on it lasting long. In fact, it had lasted longer than she had expected.
Five minutes late, Emma parked her car across the street from Regina's house and practically ran to the door, Ruby on her heels. Before she got there though, Regina had jerked the door open. She looked as if someone had insulted her, the sneer on her face evident. Emma mentally kicked herself for being late. That had to be it. That had to be the reason she was angry. Emma noticed though that Regina was glaring at Ruby as well, which of course threw her off. "Regina! I'm so sorry I'm la-" Emma was immediately cut off, Regina speaking in clipped tones right from the start. "Sheriff Swan!" Regina pursed her lips before continuing. "I'd like to speak with you in my office…alone." Another glare was shot at Ruby before she held the door open wide enough for Emma to step in. As soon as Emma was inside, she slammed the door in Ruby's face, not caring how rude it was. Emma glared at her for a moment before begrudgingly following Regina into her home office.
Emma stood awkwardly by the door, unsure of what to say. She was nervous of what Regina was going to say, waiting to speak until Regina had her first words out. "Ms. Swan." Regina began, folding her arms and leaning against the front of her desk. When Emma looked up, she saw something in Regina's eyes she'd never seen before. Emma could have sworn she saw jealousy raging in Regina's eyes, but of course her walls were up faster than she could read anything into it. "I'll save you the lecture of my stance on punctuality, which I've spoken to you about before. No need to waste time going over that again." A long sigh, a shake of her head. There was something clearly bothering Regina more than she wanted to show. "But what I want to know, Sheriff Swan, if why you're bringing along that waitress. You're supposed to be spending time with Henry, not her." Regina lifted an eyebrow, trying to get the awful sounds of the pair moaning over and over again. Regina had unfortunately caught part of their sexual escapades because of the bug she'd planted. The jealousy wracked through her even now.
For a moment, Emma seemed to be stunned at Regina's words. Regina found this amusing, but stopped the smile threatening to break out on her lips immediately. However, a knowing looked passed over Emma's face before she spoke. Emma had known she'd say something about Ruby. What she hadn't expected was that small bit of jealousy that she'd see in Regina's eyes. She thought she'd hidden it well, but Emma had picked up on it. This threw Emma way off though. Regina had no reason to be jealous. Of course, perhaps it was the anger almost visibly rolling off of Regina that made Emma think this way. Either way, Emma didn't really feel like dealing with it at this moment. Emma shrugged, taking a step closer into the room and towards Regina. "I will be spending time with Henry. What the hell does it matter if Ruby is with me?" It was Emma's turn to raise an eyebrow, speculation clear on her face. She was throwing Regina's usual actions back at her.
Clearly Regina had not been expecting that question, nor had she been expecting that reaction. She was silent for a moment, hands clenching into fists as she tried to keep at least slightly calm. This wasn't about Henry at all really, but Emma didn't need to know that. "I'd rather not have her around Henry. I find her to be a bad influence. Which makes me question why I'm letting you spend time with him. You're clearly a bad example as well if you cavort with the likes of her." Regina sneered, raising her lip in disgust as she stared back at Emma. Emma blinked, not having expected that string of thought from Regina. Obviously they were both surprising each other tonight. "There's nothing wrong with Ruby." Emma finally managed to get out, stepping a bit closer to Regina. For some reason, her body seemed to be magnetically pulled towards Regina every time they were in the same room. Emma had still yet to be able to explain it. Her body betrayed what she was sure she felt for the woman, which was contempt. The two stared at each other for a moment, having their eye sex moment, just as they always did. There was a moment where they both looked as if they wanted to devour each other, as if they were about to engage in the most intense sex. But nothing liked that had happened…yet.
Regina rolled her eyes, disgust still evident on her beautiful features. "She dresses like a hooker." She blurted, throwing her hands in the air. "I've heard she sleeps around like one too." Now Regina was just being mean. This was that damn green eyed monster rearing its head. Regina absolutely hated the fact Ruby got to touch Emma intimately. It made her feel sick to the stomach. Of course, she showed no such emotion in the presence of the woman she was trying so hard to win over. Secretly of course. If only Emma knew it was her who had been sending her these gifts and letters for the past three weeks. Now was not the right time to reveal it though. Oh no, she had other plans for now.
Though none of them had been about arguing with Emma about that trash of a woman Ruby. This whole situation infuriated Regina more than she wanted it to. But there was nothing she could do about these feelings she had for Emma. She'd tried pushing them away, locking them up, but that was damn hard with the woman walking around her town all the time. Seeing her every day in those damn tight jeans and that sculpted ass, it made it harder to hate her than she ever wanted to admit.
Emma groaned and shook her head, wishing like hell she didn't have to deal with this right now. Not to mention, even though Emma was with Ruby, she couldn't help but stare at that extra, unhooked button on Regina's shirt. Couldn't help but let her eyes wander to how well that skirt clung to all the right places. The woman was the epitome of sex when it came to how she looked. This made it quite hard to concentrate at times. Which was why she let her eyes slip close for a moment, giving herself a chance to concentrate.
After taking in a few big breaths, she opened her eyes and kept them trained on Regina's face. "Look, Madame Mayor, Ruby is my girlfriend." Was that a flinch she just saw from Regina? Did her lip curl in disgust that much more? Maybe, but she wasn't quite sure. So she continued. "And so there are going to be times when Ruby will be with me. I don't see anything wrong with that. She's good to Henry and Henry likes her. So I don't see a problem." Emma was silent only for a moment. "Now, can I go get Henry and spend some time with him or are you going to keep my in here all night?" She raised an eyebrow and stuffed her hands into her pockets.
Regina clenched her jaw as tight as was possible. She was backed into a corner. If she didn't let Henry go with Emma, he'd resent her even more and give her one of his glares. That glare telling her that she was evil and that he hated her. It was either that or letting him go with Emma and Ruby, subjecting him to the small town trash that Ruby presented. Now it was time for Regina to rub the bridge of her nose as she closed her eyes. This was ridiculous. She wouldn't have to deal with this if the two of them were together already.
However, Regina knew that couldn't happen right away. No, she had to play her cards just right. She had to pull Emma in without her noticing. Which was what this whole secret admirer thing was about. It was also the same reason she had been trying to be civil with the pair. She had a plan and she was going to follow through with it damn it. So, taking in a relaxing breath, Regina plastered a smile on her lips and spoke. "Alright Ms. Swan. Henry should be ready for you by now. Have a nice time." She let the smile linger a little longer, trying to hide how hard it was for her to say those last four words.
There was a small amount of silence between them as Regina watched Emma deflate. She had apparently prepared herself for more of a fight. The look of surprise was evident on her face, proving quickly that she indeed been prepared to argue some more. Well, Regina was not going to let her have that satisfaction. Emma blinked a few times, trying not to look so surprised. But with the smug look on Regina's face, she knew she'd given her surprise away instantly. "Well, okay. Thanks." Emma mumbled as she backed her way out of the room. "You have a nice evening too, Madame Mayor." She threw out just before disappearing from Regina's office.
When she approached the front door, she heard Henry stomping down the stairs quickly. When she turned around, he slammed into her, throwing his arms around her waist. Emma laughed, putting her arm around Henry and squeezing him once. "Emma! Hi!" Henry exclaimed, looking up at her with a delighted expression on his face. "Hey kid. Let's get going okay?" He gave a nod and bolted out the door, greeting Ruby on the way to Emma's car.
Nobody saw the pained look on Regina's face as the three made their way happily to Emma's car. Nobody knew how much it hurt for her to watch them, happy as larks, being together and leaving her alone with her thoughts. Nobody saw the tear that rolled down her cheek as she turned to grab herself a glass of her own apple cider. It was then that Regina decided it was time to turn her game up a notch.