A/N: I had written both chapter 3 and 4 as one chapter but decided due to length and content that I would break them apart. I realize this story is slow in the making but I want to be realistic in the pacing of their relationship so I hope it keeps your interest. Thank you for the favorites, follows and reviews.
Chapter Three: The Villain
Emma looked around the cottage, it was deceptively bigger on the inside, boasting large rooms which is enormous compared to her shared loft with Mary Margaret. Its kitchen boasting an open fire place that Regina lit with an easy click of her fingers and a large oak table flanked by two benches; its living room showing off comfortable chairs and another fireplace with walls blanketed with bookcases and sharing its space with the bedroom which held one large bed, its bedding made of soft goose feathers; its bathroom small, and lacking the plumbing that Emma was used to. The cottage in short was cosy.
Regina ran her finger along the dust and mumbled to herself. She closed her eyes and wished it be clean and with a simple gust of wind, it was just that.
"I bet you missed that trick in Storybrooke," Emma stated as she sat at the table.
Regina chuckled and nodded, "But I admit electricity made a good substitute for magic."
Emma's stomach grumbled and Regina looked at her amused, "Hungry, Miss Swan?"
Emma blushed slightly, "Am guessing you don't have any food stored here."
"Another useful invention from Storybrooke," Regina stated. "Processed food. Just a moment…"
Regina disappeared for exactly a minute, enough time for Emma to believe that she had been abandoned; enough time for her to get angry with the former queen; enough time for her to feel fear.
"Regina?" Emma called into the silence and blinked when the older woman reappeared holding a plate of food in her hands. She placed it upon the table and couldn't help but smile at Emma's curious and slightly disgusted face.
"What is that?" The blonde asked.
"Chimera… part lion, part goat, part serpent."
Regina sat opposite of the blonde and watched Emma nod before glancing up at her, "Kind of like Turducken?"
Regina could only raise an eyebrow as she watched Emma tear into the food, pulling pieces of meat of and onto her plate before doing the same thing.
Emma swallowed her first bite before shrugging, "Tastes like chicken."
Regina shook her head before raising the bone of meat to her own lips taking a bite. The two ate in silence, not wishing to talk about what had happened and what will happen. Regina finished eating first. She stood up and looked down at herself before glancing at the watching blonde.
"I am going to clean myself up… you may want to do the same."
Emma only nodded and watched the brunette leave for the bathroom. She could hear a water pump being pushed into action, and the sound of the liquid hitting tin. She stood up, stretching her back before stripping herself off her red jacket stained with ogres' blood and forests' grime. She dropped the jacket onto the bench before lifting her foot to remove a boot and then worked on the second. Her socks had originally been white but now were a dull grey. She felt filthy all of a sudden. She left her boots next to the table and padded into the living room. She looked around, seeing nothing personal only books and antique souvenirs. She turned to watch the flames dance in the fireplace before seeing something shine in its reflection. She turned and saw a dagger adorn the wall. She took it and lifted it from its hooks, before pulling it out of its sheath. The blade was slightly curved, inscribed with a language she could not understand. The hilt was of soft leather and felt comfortable in her hand, as if it belonged there. She touched the tip of the blade with her finger, gasping when she saw it had cut her.
"Sharp," she stated to no one but herself. She returned it to its sheath before sliding it into her belt.
"I see that you're making yourself at home, Miss Swan."
Emma jumped at the voice and turned to see Regina, dressed in only a white shirt, designed for a man with ruffles at its collar. It reached her knees, bare of any clothing. Her hair was still damp from the water and her face clear of make-up making her appear younger. Emma inhaled as the woman sat upon the armchair, tucking her feet beneath her and looking up at the blonde.
"The water pump is self-explanatory, even for you…"
Emma exhaled quickly and went to the bathroom only to be stopped by a magic tug of her belt. She turned to see the smaller woman holding her newly acquired weapon. Emma watched the brunette carefully as she studied the blade. Regina looked up at the blonde and held no expression as she spoke, "Can I trust you to let me sleep without using this?"
"Can I trust you to do the same?"
Regina smiled slightly, so slightly that Emma almost missed it, and waved the knife back to Emma's belt, "I guess we'll find out."
After spending twenty minutes trying to figure out how to work the water pump and the hot coals beneath the tub, Emma was finally able to clean herself of the filth of a long, horrendous day. She rose from the tub, grabbing a towel that had been left on a small stool. She dried quickly before dressing in another man's shirt that had been left also. It was black in colour, and reached to her thighs and buttoned to her chest. The material was not the softest, but it was still comfortable. She crept out of the bathroom into the bedroom to see that the cottage was no longer lit by candles but glowed dimly in the flames from the fire places.
She glanced at the bed and saw Regina was already beneath the covers, curled into a small ball, dark eyes glistening in the fire. Emma glanced at the armchairs before exhaling loudly and walking to the other side of the bed. She slid under the covers, careful not to touch the older woman. She pulled the covers to below her chin before glancing at the back of the brunette's head. She chuckled slightly.
"What is it that you find so amusing Miss Swan?" Regina asked without turning.
"If Henry saw us now…" Emma whispered.
Regina didn't answer and continued to watch the flickers of the flames dancing in the grate. She felt Emma roll away from her and listened to the unsteady breaths that came from the blonde.
"Miss Swan, what is it now?" Regina sighed, exasperation evident in her voice.
"I left the tub full… I couldn't figure out how to empty it…"
"That's fine."
Emma rolled again and sighed loudly. Regina's tone bit as she spoke, "What now?"
"How do I know your mother won't come while I sleep?"
"I put a ward on this cottage… she doesn't even know it exists."
"Oh, okay," Emma answered allowing them to fall into silence for a few more moments. "What is this cottage?"
Regina closed her eyes before answering, "It belongs to a mutual friend of ours… or belonged."
Emma frowned before whispering, "Graham?"
The brunette did nothing but nod against her pillow.
"Regina, did you kill him?"
The question was so quietly asked that Regina wasn't sure it was a voice in her head or actually asked by the blonde.
"Miss Swan, we need sleep… my magic I cannot keep using. It leaves a trace for my mother to follow. Tell me, can you ride a horse?"
Emma shook her head and Regina rolled her eyes, "Then tomorrow is going to be equally long."
"How will you find Hook?"
Regina turned slightly, seeing Emma's profile in her periphery vision, "I left my mark on him, or rather his hook. It should be easy to place…"
"You made Captain Hook Captain Hook?" the blonde squealed in disbelief.
Regina rolled her eyes before rolling onto her back, turning to the younger woman, "No, I did not amputate Hook's hand." She sighed, "I know that I am the Evil Queen but I am not the villain in every fairy tale you have read."
"Just my story," Emma spoke with bitterness.
The silence was painful and the blonde struggled to form words, her mouth gaping as she internally scolded herself but her pride blocking her from any kind of utterance. She looked at Regina and could see her features in the glow of the fire; her lips tight, her eyes dark, her face without expression. The dark-haired woman met Emma's gaze, and almost growled her words, "Yes, Miss Swan… I am the villain in your story. Now, go to sleep."
Silence fell upon them in thickness as both women rolled away from each other, the dark facing the flames and the light facing the window's framed view of stars.