Edge of Fear
Chapter 2
Emma threw enough money down on the counter as she zoomed out the door into the night. She barely even registered that she was now in the patrol car and was pulling away from Granny's before she was finally able to breathe. She forced herself to stop going so fast and to actually breathe. Thankfully Storybrooke being such a small place didn't have a whole lot of traffic especially at this hour. It seemed the town rolled up the sidewalks at 9 o'clock. She forced her foot to lay off the gas pedal and actually drive a decent speed and not the break neck get the hell away from that shocking scene speed she'd been going at.
What the hell had she been looking at really? Now that she actually had time to process it and she actually could admit to herself that she wasn't sure. Ruby was known to be rather loose but she was a sweet girl with a big heart. She knew Ruby's last relationship or rather series of one night stands that just happened to be with the same guy had upset her. She'd gotten really hurt by the callous way he'd done her after the waitress had thought they were getting close to actually going out on an actual date instead of clandestine meetings in the darkness of the night. She wasn't too terribly surprised to learn that Ruby had turned to a woman after that but what was shocking was that she turned to someone who was actually MORE callous then the guy she'd had before.
Regina was cold as ice and in Emma's opinion dead crazy on top of that. She wasn't the cuddle and snuggle type. She also wasn't the let's go out on a date so I can show you off type. No she'd seen Graham almost fall to his death from the roof as Regina had kicked him out of her bed after she'd gotten what she wanted from him. The sheriff only hoped that Ruby wasn't going to end up in the same shape, she doubted the girl would be able to handle that…you know…again…
Emma reached up rubbing the back of her neck as she tried to work out what had actually gone on. Admittedly it was a little shocking to know that Ruby and Regina were fucking…okay it was a lot shocking…but it wasn't that bad was it? As long as they were happy…but Ruby didn't seem happy. In fact she'd seemed quite scared. The blonde could've kicked herself suddenly for fleeing like that. What if like Emma had first suspected, Ruby was in trouble or being blackmailed or something and Regina was getting her pound of flesh before she drove the poor girl over the edge? Thoughts continued to play through her mind until the sun broke. She still had no answers and it wasn't like she could talk to anyone either. Her two best friends were her own kid who she'd never EVER mention this to and her roommate who seriously should've been a nun. Neither of them were going to know about this. The only person she could honestly see speaking to about it was actually involved in said problem so she couldn't go to Ruby.
Emma banged her head back against the brown leather seat rest as she pulled the car into park at the Sheriff's station. She waved at her deputy as he walked in the door and then forced herself to pull open the door. She wasn't going to stick around long. Do a tiny bit of paper work and then she was going to go the hell home curl up with a bottle of…something…and pass out. She figured she deserved a nice strong drink after what she'd witnessed.
Sitting in her bed that afternoon with her laptop in front of her Emma wracked her brain for any sort of sexual term that would properly explain what the hell Ruby and the mayor were up to. She had very vague ideas of what happened in S&M relationships but she'd certainly never played with them herself. That required actually trusting someone and Emma didn't trust anyone not truly anyway. And certainly not enough to let herself be vulnerable like that. She supposed she could've been the one tying her partner up but she didn't think any of the men and women she'd had random flings with would've been interested at all in that sort of power exchange.
So here she sat on her bed trying to figure out just what the hell she had been looking at last night. She glanced up almost feeling guilty when she heard the floorboards outside her bedroom in the hall squeak. Mary Margaret must've come home early. She'd figured the teacher would still be at school when she'd woken up from her nap but she supposed she was wrong. Suddenly she felt like a teenager misbehaving by looking up something "adult" on her computer while her Mom walked by. Mary Margaret often made her feel that way without even meaning to. The other woman was her best friend but she had a tendency to act like her mother without meaning to. She bit her lip staying quiet as she waited on her to pass. When she finally did she turned her eyes back to her Google search. She rubbed her forehead as she tried to force her mind back to its task.
After a few moments she clicked the little button with the spyglass on it and the little timer appeared suddenly she was looking at various pages some informative obviously and others definitely not.
"Who the hell wants to get their bodies covered in needles and burns?" She shuddered as she backed away from that.
She remembered clearly Ruby's body. There wasn't a mark on her skin at least what flesh she could see. She'd figured Regina for the type to leave heavy markings on someone she considered hers but perhaps she was more vicious to the front then back? Emma sighed and sat forward. She clicked on the second link on her search browser which led her to of all things a blog. She skipped through certain pages until she came to an interesting entry.
"Why do I submit?" The title rang out and Emma paused, maybe this would explain it to her? She clicked to read more and then started to read. A few things became glaringly present to her right off the bat. This wasn't a type of sexual play for the faint of heart. The woman or submissive as she called herself had placed her trust in her partner or dominant. She explained clearly that she was a well-educated woman that was clearly in control of her life and her career but in the bedroom she preferred to shed that control and surrender it to her partner. It was for them an exercise in trust as well as being a way to release tension.
The first time I submitted to my Mistress I was as scared as anyone can be. The flogger scared me, the blindfold scared me, the cuffs scared me but the look in her eyes made me realize that my fears weren't justified. The love and respect she had for me shown through above anything else and I realized that though I was scared I couldn't have picked a better partner to experience this with for the first time.
My life was an exercise in control. I work in a very powerful industry where I'm forced to seem in control of every aspect of my projects at all times. So to be able to let go of those reins and give myself over to someone for just that little bit of time was a welcome relief though I was frightened at first. Looking back I don't know why I was. With each stroke of the flogger, with every warm panted breath above me I knew I was safe and loved. My Mistress loved me enough and respected me so much that she was willing to do this to make me happy; to make us happy and indeed we are happy.
This aspect of our relationship has brought us so much closer. It has transformed us into a better team and made us both realize that we can push each other's limits and still be able to say that we trust each other so completely that we are able to physically hurt one another but then this wasn't really hurting. It was another aspect of loving.
Emma's lips parted as she stared at the words in front of her. She'd never thought of anything like the type of thing she'd witnessed Ruby and Regina doing as loving or trusting. It just seemed like abuse to her but this woman didn't view it the way the blonde did. To her it was about love and trust and the painful experience becoming pleasurable; another aspect of loving. How strange and intriguing.
The sheriff didn't continue to read as she slid to her feet abandoning her computer for now. Did Ruby love Regina? Did Regina, heartless as she appeared, actually care for the waitress? Is this why they were acting the way they did last night? Her thoughts raced around in her head as she tried to determine just what she was looking at. One thing was for sure though, whatever happened to be there she was going to find out more about it.
"Don't judge a book by its cover Swan." She muttered to herself as she pulled on a pair of tight jeans and grabbed for another t-shirt.
"Hey Em," Ruby greeted with a bright smile as Emma walked into Granny's. The little bell above the door dinged as she kicked it shut with her foot.
She smiled and gave Ruby a wave, fighting to keep the blush off her face. Ruby seemed fine though she was bouncing around as bubbly as always getting her work done.
"Do you want cocoa?" The waitress asked as Emma sat down on the bar stool near her.
"That'd be great. You know the way I like it."
"Yes ma'am I do." Ruby laughed at Emma's bright blush. "What's gotten into you today?" She asked her smile bright.
"Nothing just uh yeah just the cocoa the way I like it." Emma stuttered out. She couldn't help but remember the way Ruby had addressed the Mayor last night. Her voice had been a bit more strained and rough from the sex last night but the words were similar enough to send Emma in a tail spin.
Ruby set the cup in front of her with a little clink then went back to polishing spoons. Her hips swung slightly with the soft music as she hummed along obviously not at all bothered by the Sheriff's careful observation of her. Emma was so lost in thought she didn't even hear the bell on the door tinkle as another person came into the diner. She didn't even look away when said person cleared their throat near them.
"A cup of coffee Ruby to go," Regina's cold voice rang out.
Emma shook her head and glanced over to find Regina glaring coldly at her. "Miss Swan. Glad to see our taxpayer's money going to good use."
"I worked last night actually. I have off for the rest of the day." Emma muttered looking away unable to keep the blood from coloring her fair cheeks. She cursed her fair coloring but then glanced over at Ruby. She blinked. Ruby's head had dropped a little, her eyes on the ground as she moved around with a kind of grace Emma didn't realize she was even capable of.
She set the to go cup down in front of the Mayor and her arms fell to her side and just a tiny bit back pushing her chest out a little. Emma's lips parted but she didn't say a word. She spared a glance at Regina out of the corner of her eye but the brunette's eyes were on the waitress in front of her. There was a possessive sort of gleam in her eyes that the blonde had never noticed before until just now. She doubted anyone would catch it but the two in front of her clearly were playing some sort of game together.
"Good. Put it on my tab." Regina lifted the cup without a word to Emma walked out.
Ruby was flushed but she turned away quietly doing as she was told. The blonde blinked at her and then looked down at her cocoa. Maybe there was more there than she realized after all. She just wasn't quite sure how to find out without embarrassing Ruby or incurring Regina's wrath. She pulled the white cup to her and swiped her finger through the whipped cream and cinnamon. She slipped her finger into her mouth for a moment before drawing it away.
"You okay Ruby?" She finally asked causing the still slightly flustered waitress to drop the towel she was using to shine spoons.
"Yeah I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"
"I dunno. I mean Regina sorta rattles everyone…" Emma trailed off watching as Ruby's head shot up. There was a flash of something in her eyes before she seemed to clamp down on it.
"Yeah she has that effect." The bubbly girl agreed her voice quiet.
"You know…if you need to talk…or anything…I'm here for you right?"
The waitress looked at her, her hazel eyes unreadable before she gave a soft smile and a nod, "Thanks Em but I'm okay."
"You sure," Emma asked, sounding doubtful.
"Yeah, I'm positive." Ruby gave her a warm smile but her eyes remained distant.
Emma nodded, "Okay." She accepted the little lie for what it was. Her super power told her that though Ruby was hiding something it was best not to pry. Let the girl keep her secrets for a little longer. She'd eventually get to the bottom of them. Eventually.
