Here's another update for my lovely readers! I hope you like it *grin* Poor Emma though *chuckle*
I spent the past few hours (i.e. all night) writing this, and had no beta this time, so it may have a few mistakes. My apologies =P Read and review please! The more feedback I get, the faster I write! And if there's something you'd like to see in the coming chapters, let me know!
Day 2: Mid-morning...
Crash!
"Fuck! Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck."
"Miss Swan!"
"God Dammit!"
"NO!Don't you DARE."
"Shiiiiiit."
Regina grabbed Emma's wrist in a desperate attempt to halt her magic.
"EMMA SWAN! STOP THIS NOW!" She shouted, gripping Emma's wrist as the paper weight flew around the room, finally colliding so hard with the wall that it got stuck in the hole it had created. Regina was breathing heavily, hair disheveled. She looked at Emma with a wild look in her eyes. Emma was too shocked and horrified to do anything but open and close her mouth. Eventually a small choking noise escaped, and she bolted up from her kneeling position, yanking her wrist away from Regina.
"What did I just do!"
Regina took another deep breath as she continued kneeling, eyes closing tightly as her jaw clenched, her tightly fisted hands quickly causing her knuckles to turn white.
"You let your magic control you." She said in a dangerously quiet voice. Her eyes shifted up to pin Emma, furious. "How many times have I told you to not let your emotions control you!"
"Like you're any better about controlling your emotions!" Emma shouted back, equally as furious as the Mayor. Regina sneered, but Emma continued. "I didn't plan on moving anything but the apple, Regina! GOD! I can't." She threw her hands in the air, exasperated. "I can't do this anymore. I've had enough!"
Regina watched Emma storm off. The Mayor flicked some hair out of her face, mouth pinched as she tried to rein in her ire. That woman was a menace. She stood up, brushing off her pants, body still stiff.
"Reckless, immature, ignorant, uncontrollable, infuriating, uncouth malcontent. That's what Miss Swan is! If I was still queen I'd throw her in the dungeon for a week! NO. A MONTH!With copious amounts of torture..." Regina continued her venting as she stalked around the room, clearing up pieces of broken porcelain, pottery, wood, and glass. The destruction that was strewn around her was truly staggering. Especially since it was caused by a solitary paperweight.
Regina took a shaky breath as she picked her way across the floor. Her lip curled in unbridled disgust at the sickening crunching beneath her feet. She angrily yanked the paper weight out of the wall, gripping it tightly as she imagined crushing Miss Swan's head. What little pleasure she received from that mental image was quickly discarded as she surveyed the damage. Her table lamp was in pieces, the lamp shade hanging off the corner of the side table. The antique coffee table had large dents and chips of wood were missing, the pieces scattered about the floor. The hard wood flooring had nicks and scratches in it from all the glass and various sharp objects strewn about it's surface.
She ran a frustrated hand through her hair as she stood and just looked at all the destruction. Miss Swan's ability to create havoc was understated, she now realized. Her scowl deepened. And not only did she have a hot headed blonde to cajole, she had no magic help deal with the woman's collateral damage . Her mouth set in a hard line as she stalked over to a small closet off the kitchen, pulled out a broom and dustpan, and got to work cleaning up Miss Swan's mess.
It was forty five minutes into cleaning up that Regina felt a presence behind her. She ignored the woman as long as possible, not even stopping when Emma spoke.
"Um. Regina?"
Silence.
"Here. Let me help." Emma gently placed her hand around the broom handle, causing Regina to halt mid-sweep. She gripped the broom a bit tighter and yanked it away from Emma's hands.
"That's quite alright, dear. I have this all under control. You see, I'm someone who needn't destroy everything around me due to an emotional collapse."
Emma glared at her. "You cursed an entire world because you blamed a child for spilling a secret. I'm pretty sure that qualifies as destroying everything due to an emotional collapse."
Regina whirled, standing nose to nose with Emma. "Don't you dare bring Snow White into this, and deflect from your own copious amount of flaws, Miss Swan! You are the one at fault here, not me. You are the one that destroyed my house. You are the one that should have cleaned this up in the first place, not me. And you are the oh-so-talented oaf that I am to rely on to get us out of here. Do forgive me if I lack confidence in your abilities to do anything but destroy everything you touch. I'm sure you understand." She sneered at Emma, eyes filled with barely restrained anger. She shoved the broom against Emma's chest, spun on her heel, and stalked towards the kitchen. Emma slowly lowered the broom to the floor, fingers playing along the handle as she tried to come up with an appropriate reaction.
'Well damn.'
o.o.o.o.o.o.o
Emma tried not to dwell on the fact that she was, once again, cleaning up a mess. Only this time, it really was all her fault. The paperweight lay forgotten on the now empty side table, surprisingly unmarred after destroying so much. Emma was sweeping up the last of the shards around the coffee table, analyzing everything that had happened, and still unsure why the paperweight had moved and not the apple. She had been holding the apple. The paperweight hadn't even been in her field of vision. Emma mentally cringed, taking a peek back at the glass and lead sphere. It had almost hit Regina's head when it first moved. Then Emma's eyes widened. Emotion. Emotion and willpower makes magic work. 'Oh god.'thought Emma. 'I wrecked Regina's place because I was pissed. Stupid stupid stupid!' she berated herself. Emma stopped, hand on her hip as she looked blankly at what remained of the mess, but her mind was occupied with other thoughts. Magic. Freedom. Regina. Emma closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Regina. Why did it always come back to that infuriating woman? She could still feel Regina's hands on her own as the brunette encouraged her to focus on the apple and lift it gently in the air. The way her hair fell into her face as she tried to explain how to visualize the apple in her mind. Emma shook off the feeling of calm that had suddenly filled her belly, and got back to sweeping. If she was going to apologize to Regina for her behavior, she sure as hell wasn't going to do so with this mess of a room. But shortly after she got back to work, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She turned her head and saw Regina watching her from across the island, the Mayor's hands wrapped around a steaming mug. Emma just turned back to her task and continued cleaning up. After a few minutes, she noticed a pair of boots in her field of vision, but ignored them. The sound of wood scraping against wood caught her attention though, and she watched as Regina came over and moved the love seat so that Emma could sweep underneath it. Emma barely acknowledged the help with a slight nod of her head as she continued cleaning. Another half an hour and the room was as clean as it was going to get. But Emma was pained to note that the furniture looked much worse for wear. A glance at Regina and the pinched look on her face made Emma feel even guiltier than she already did.
Wordlessly, she went over and put the broom away, and got a glass of water. Then she set her cup beside the sink and headed back to the living room. A new apple was in her hand. The apology could wait. Regina merely watched her return, face neutral. Emma mentally shrugged, sitting down, and placing the apple in front of her. Her brow creased in concentration as she tried to focus on the good things in her life. Her friendship with Ruby. Finding her parents. Escaping Fairy Tale Land. Henry. 'Henry...' she paused.
"Concentrate Miss Swan." Regina admonished, perched on the edge of the love seat. "Concentrate."
Emma just rolled her eyes, and went back to staring at the apple. She tried to let emotion fill her like it had when she had used the dream catcher. A flash of anger filled her as she remembered seeing Regina murder Archie in the dream catcher, and suddenly, the apple moved.
"AH! I did it! I DID IT!" She shouted, distracted from her thoughts. She beamed up at Regina, pointing excitedly on the now immobile apple. "It moved!" She exclaimed.
"Yes...well..." Regina said dryly. "I would say it wobbled. A few centimeters. But yes. Good job dear. Now try again. Whatever you were thinking about that time, try it again."
So Emma turned back to the apple, hands tightening around the knees of her crossed legs, and thought of Henry and how it had felt to use magic in Mr. Gold's shop.
Nothing.
She tried again, face scrunched up in effort.
Still nothing.
She gave a frustrated groan, grabbing the apple and throwing it towards the wall. Regina's hand caught it in mid air, and she scowled at the disgruntled blonde.
"Now Sheriff Swan. Haven't we had enough of your emotional outbursts today?"
"No, Madame Mayor, I would say we have not, since I have barely voiced my frustration, thank you very much."
Regina rolled her eyes, finger tapping impatiently against the red apple in her hand. She sighed dramatically, and then got on her knees, eyes trained intently on Emma's face. She slapped the apple into Emma's hand, holding both in place as she pinned Emma with a look.
"Try. Again."
Emma nodded, unable to say much as she stared into the deep brown eyes in front of her. Then she turned to look at the apple, and the hand covering it. She swallowed. Regina was holding her hand, if unconventionally, and she felt embarrassed and apprehensive at the same time. Over just a touch. She shifted uncomfortably as she tried to figure out why she was so embarrassed by a simple touch of fingers, but was interrupted when she felt the apple wiggle between their hands, trying to break free. Regina's gaze snapped down to their hands, and yanked hers away. Emma felt like she had just lost something precious, although the embarrassment and apprehension were gone as well. Suddenly, the apple surged forward and struck Regina in the nose.
A startled shout came out of Regina's mouth as her eyes snapped shut and she held her nose, the apple dropping to the floor between them. A string of curses slipped out of Emma's mouth, and she grabbed Regina's shoulders.
"Are you okay! God Regina. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for that to happen! I wasn't even thinking about it moving towards you. I'm so so sorry!"
Regina batted Emma's face away from hers, and so Emma backed off, as she watched Regina tilt her head backwards. A slow but steady stream of blood was sliding down and over the Mayor's mouth, and her hand had red splotches across it from smeared blood. With a disgusted sigh, Regina stood up and headed to the kitchen.
o.o.o.o.o.o.o
"Why did I put myself in a such close proximity to an obviously dangerous creature." she muttered to herself. "Damn that woman." She leaned over the sink, pulling her hand away as she watched the blood drip onto the stainless steel, leaving long red streaks on the metal. She shook her head in disbelief as she turned on the tap and began to wash away the blood. After a few seconds, she flipped the handle down and tilted her head back again, holding her nose shut. Regina opened the freezer, grabbed an ice cube, wrapped it in a paper towel, and pressed it against her nose. "Gods that hurts." she hissed to herself. After a minute of standing there, knowing how ridiculous she looked, she removed the ice, and wiped the last bits of blood away with a tissue. She looked over and saw Emma standing at the edge of the kitchen, looking pathetic. 'Why does she look like a kicked puppy?' complained Regina, raising an eyebrow at the Sheriff.
"I'm sorry."
"You mentioned that."
"And I meant it."
"Oh, so you're sorry for giving me a bloody nose, but not for my house being partially destroyed. Very thorough, Miss Swan, I must admit." Regina was not amused.
Emma scuffed the toe of her shoe on the floor, hand stuffed in her pack pockets as her eyes looked everywhere but Regina. "Well. I uh. It really was an accident. The house, and the bloody nose." She looked sheepishly up at the Mayor, who was standing with her hands on her hips. "I'm sorry, Regina. Really."
Regina just shook her head and brushed past the blonde sheriff. "I cannot see us continuing this particular exercise, regardless. You are obviously in no state to control objects that can be used as projectiles."
Emma reached out and gently caught Regina's arms. "Give me one more try. Please?"
Regina looked over, searching Emma's eyes for any malicious intent. She found none. So with a long sigh, she nodded. "One. Try."
Emma gave her a small, apologetic smile, and then moved past her to go into the living room again to grab the apple. But Regina stopped her. "Let's try something a bit different, shall we?" At Regina's raised eyebrow and extended hand, Emma just rolled her eyes and dropped the fruit into her hand.
"Fine."
"Good. Now, If you could move over here, Miss Swan?" Regina inclined her head towards the island. So Emma moved next to it, rocking on her heels as she watched the Mayor move next to her. Regina gently placed the slightly bruised apple on the marble. She reached over and grabbed Emma's hand, moving it to the red fruit. "Focus." She said quietly, fingers resting on Emma's. "Imagine the apple on the other side of the island. Imagine what the apple would look like a foot in front of you. Imagine it, and will it to happen." Regina's voice continued to be steady and quiet. Emma had to remember to breathe, trying hard to focus. Before she knew it, it had disappeared. They both looked around, trying to find where it went.
"Where is it?" Emma asked, very confused.
"Oh for heaven's sake Miss Swan!" Regina exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. "Just find it!" She looked intently at the sheriff. "What were you thinking about?!"
Emma blushed. "Um...You."
Regina gave her a look of disbelief. "And what about me?"
"Weeeeell. That your hand was kinda warm. And stuff."
Regina looked highly unamused. "That is very unhelpful."
Emma shrugged. "You asked."
Regina rolled her eyes dramatically, and then turned in a circle, eying the living room, dining room, and kitchen, trying to find the missing apple. "You make things disappear, either by breaking them, or making them vanish into thin air. At this rate, I'll have nothing left of this house except the walls." She sniffed, hands on her hips. "Your incompetence is continually astounding, Sheriff."
"I'll find it. I'll just...I'll go look for it right now." Emma blustered, skittering into the kitchen to look through every cupboard and drawer. Regina watched her for a bit, hiding her amusement at the ungainly sheriff searching her house. With a half-pained, half-amused smile at Emma's magical 'prowess', she headed towards the hallway.
"I'll be in my room if you need me." She called back. Stopping, she looked at Emma over her shoulder. "And please, wait for permission to enter this time. Barging in on my private time is not appreciated."
Emma watched as the Mayor turned her back and left, the door to her room making a quiet snick in the otherwise quiet house. Emma turned around and tapped her foot impatiently.
"Seriously. You're a fucking apple. I can at least find an apple!" And so the hunt for the elusive apple began.
o.o.o.o.o.o.o
Regina looked around her room, barely taking in the black, red, and white paintings along her walls, and then headed towards the bookcase on the far wall. Her fingers slid over the worn spines, feeling the power in the books. If she only had a way to get her hands on the raw magic in the books themselves. Sadly, she only knew how to use the magic attached to specific spells. So until they needed a particular spell, the magic was useless. She carefully pulled out a deep maroon volume and stroked it's cover. It had white filigree on the front detailing a many-branched tree, devoid of leaves. She traced each branch with her fingertips, getting lost in the design. So many memories. This was one of the few books of magic her mother had given her that never had any particularly negative memories attached. She opened the book and the pages fell open to a passage on "The Growth of Magical Trees". She smiled and rubbed her thumb over the sketch of an apple. This was the spell she had used to grow her tree. Regina flipped a few more pages and came to a spell for healing poisonous stings. And a few pages after that, a spell to make a hallucinogenic tea. Regina chuckled. That had been amusing to put in the drinks of visitors, at least until her mother found out what was making her guests see pygmy unicorns prancing on the walls. Regina snapped the book closed at that memory, the mixture of pleasant and painful memories too emotionally draining. Clearing her throat, she put the book back, and pulled out another one. This one had a light blue cover, with deep purple filigree in the shape of a hexagon. Regina moved to her bed, pulled down the covers, and slipped under them. She pulled a pillow behind her back and got comfortable. And with a small smile, the Mayor opened another old spell book, this one on elemental magic. Her fingers traced each sketch, but her reverie was cut short as she felt something pressing into her leg. She flipped the covers back and reached under the rest of the sheet to grab whatever it was. Pulling her hand out, she gaped at the red apple she was holding. 'Is she serious?' she said, mouth open in mild shock. 'My bed. She transported the apple into my bed.' Her mouth thinned into a line as she examined the fruit.
'How would she have transported it into my bed if she wasn't thinking about...my...bed...' Regina's eyes widened, and she surged out of bed, holding the apple in a death grip.
"Miss Swan!" She shouted, throwing her door open. "What is the meaning of this?!"
Emma's head peeked around corner, expression turning from alarm to relief when she saw the apple.
"You found it!"
"Yes, I did. In my BED." Regina glared at the quickly blushing Emma.
"R-Really?" stuttered Emma. "That's...uh...curious. Dunno why it would have done that..."
"You said you were thinking about my hand, and stuff. What, pray, was this other 'stuff', Sheriff." Regina was seething. "You half destroy my house, and then have the audacity to think of me and my bed, using magic to fulfill some fantasy of yours?!" Regina didn't understand why she was so worked up over this. It was just an apple after all. An accident with magic. They were more common that people seemed to realize. But the words kept pouring out of her, whether she meant them to or not.
Emma looked like a fish out of water, gaping at the apple, then at Regina. "No, no. That's not...That's not what happened. It was an accident! Honest! I just—I don't...I don't know. I—"
"Next time you have a desire pertaining to me, please refrain from performing magic! I would hate for any other unpleasant surprises, perhaps when I'm in the shower, or changing, or just doing my day to day activities. I am NOT here to offer myself to you as a method of performing magic. You were supposed to think of genuine emotional connections, not the fantasies of eight year old boys!" Regina threw the apple at Emma, barely missing her head.
"If I was still the queen, you would be—" She stopped mid sentence, not sure how to finish the myriad thoughts in her head, or even if she should. Regina's chest was heaving, and she looked down at the floor, eyes closing as she tried to rein herself in. She knew she had flown off the handle. A glance at Emma, and Regina knew she had stumped the blonde. She had never seen the blonde so confused, embarrassed, or speechless. If the Mayor wasn't so disproportionately angry, she would have laughed in triumph at finally stumping the glib Sheriff. Instead, she merely shut her mouth, refusing to open it until she had herself under control.
"Regina?" came a tentative voice.
She looked up at Emma, tilting her head slightly.
"...Sorry..."
Regina closed her eyes again, then took a deep breath. She nodded, then turned around and walked back to her room, movements stiff. Then she disappeared for the next few hours.
o.o.o.o.o.o.o
Emma stayed in the kitchen, trying to understand how they kept butting heads. She looked down at the bruised and battered apple, sighing.
"Guess it's just us." She said, giving it a lopsided, sad smile. Emma bent down to pick it up, and set it gently on the counter. She ran her fingers through her hair as she let out a long breath. Images of the apple in Regina's bed flooded her mind, and she winced. She had to admit that the implications of her magic sending it into Regina's bed were a bit sketchy. She poked the apple. "You've been a bad boy." she said. Then Emma smiled. "I wonder if you had fun..." Then she mentally shook herself and practically ran from the kitchen, making a beeline for her room. "Noooope. Not going there, brain. Not. Going. There."
And so Emma Swan tried to occupy the rest of her unpleasantly eventful day with more chapters of Silas Marner, and, to her chagrin, many daydreams of an apple and a mayor.
