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A/N: Thank you all for the faves, follows, and reviews. They make me smile. :)
A/N 2: Any guesses what the chapter titles have in common?
Chapter 3: The Mission
Present Day
Emma sighed when she saw Neal's smirking face as soon as they entered the diner. He had stayed true to his word and had asked her out every day since their return from Neverland, sometimes twice a day, completely undeterred by her increasingly vociferous No.
Emma had tried to avoid him for the most part, but he always seemed to know where she would be at any given time of the day. She assumed it had something to do with Snow's unshakable conviction that Neal was her true love, which had her helping Neal in every way possible. At least Neal had yet to rope Henry into any of his plans, but Emma had no idea how long her threat to withhold visits with Henry would actually work.
Snow beamed at Neal, as did Henry who started to chat with his father as soon as they got within hearing distance. Emma was just grateful that Henry slid into the booth in the seat next to Neal, so she wasn't forced to sit next to him. She motioned for Snow to slide into their seat first, sitting as far away from Neal as was possible in a tiny diner booth.
"Hey, Em," Neal greeted her with a cheeky grin.
Emma just growled in response, earning herself a painful nudge in the side by Snow. She really wasn't in the mood to be nice to Neal, and now Snow was rapidly working her way up her list of people to ignore the rest of the day. Henry shot his mother a questioning look, which she answered with a half-smile.
Her mind was on Regina and her letter. She tuned out everyone else around her and focused on the only matter that held her interest right then. Why would Regina just leave? Was it really only because she thought that Henry wanted her gone? Her heart refused to believe it and her brain doubted it as well. She shot a look across the table, just knowing that at least half the reasons for Regina's disappearance were sitting across from her.
Her own heart hoped that there was another reason as well. She knew that she and Regina had gotten closer on that long trip to Neverland. There had been real friendship there, real affection, and — at least on her side — there had been something more as well. That first night on the boat after they had found Henry they had both been exhausted and relieved, and somehow ended up curled up together on tiny bunk. The bunk had been barely big enough for one normal-sized person, and the mattress was lumpy and smelly. Still, it had been the best night's sleep Emma had had in months.
She remembered waking up, completely entangled in Regina whose hands had found their way under Emma's tank top, one on her back, one on her chest. Regina's head had been resting on Emma's shoulder and she had looked relaxed and at peace. Emma had taken a deep breath, enjoying the closeness more than she knew she should, and had found herself hoping that Regina would stay asleep for a while longer just so she could watch her sleep and study her face.
Emma's eyes closed as she replayed that morning in her mind. It was as if she could perfectly picture Regina's eyes and the look she had given her the first few seconds after waking up, before the walls had come down. And sitting there in Granny's diner on a Sunday morning, Emma was finally able to recognize the way Regina looked at her when the other woman didn't know Emma was watching. Just now, way too late perhaps, was she able to realize she knew that kind of look.
It was the same way she looked at Regina when she knew nobody could see it.
She gasped and her eyes sprang open. If she was right, she knew exactly why Regina had left. She imagined Regina with a lover and having to watch that day in, day out, and had to bite back the nausea that image provoked.
"Are you okay, honey?" Snow asked, noticing Emma's state for the first time. Neal and Henry also had concerned looks on their faces.
Emma shook her head. She had to get out of there, had to get started on finding Regina. "I have to go," was all she got out, before standing up and bolting for the door.
"Mom, wait," Henry yelled and followed her. "What's going on?" he asked once they were outside and alone.
Emma shook her head. "I'm sorry, kid," she replied. "There's just something I have to take care of."
"Right now?" he whined. "We're having breakfast with dad."
"Yeah ... I'm not hungry anyway." Emma tried to sound reassuring.
Henry looked at her shrewdly. "Are you going to look for mom?"
Emma couldn't help but smile as she nodded, appreciating that he knew her far better than she knew him. "Any advice?"
"Not really, no." Henry bit his lower lip. "I could come with you," he offered hesitantly.
Emma leaned down to his eye level. "Nah, you go enjoy breakfast with Snow and Neal, but please don't tell them where I went," she said. "I'll tell you what I find out later, okay?"
Henry nodded. "Are you sure we don't need a code name?" he wondered out loud. "You know, since it really is a secret mission after all?"
Emma chuckled and decided to indulge him, especially if it made him more prone to keep this quiet for now. "Well, I guess every secret mission deserves a good name." She winked at him. "You wanna come up with something when I get back?"
Henry grinned. "No need," he said airily. "I already have a name: Operation Hide and Seek."
"Hide and Seek, huh?" Emma thought about it. "That's actually perfect, kid." She hugged her son. "Now go and enjoy your pancakes, and if Snow asks where I ran off to, just tell her … tell her I have a headache and decided to go for a nice, long walk to clear my head."
Henry nodded and ran back into the diner, Emma's eyes on his back the whole time. She trusted him to keep their secret, even though she knew it wasn't really fair to ask him to lie for her. She mostly did it because she didn't want her son subjected to what she expected Snow and Neal to say when they found out that Regina was gone. She knew they'd both be elated, and she really didn't want Henry to hear that.
She didn't want to hear it either.
With one last look back at the diner she turned around and started walking in the direction of the harbor. Only when she was certain that she couldn't be seen any longer from the diner did she double back and start walking toward Mifflin Street.
o o o
Three days earlier
Regina spent the second full day of her self-imposed exile trying to get through the endless hours and fighting the urge to check on Henry and Emma every five minutes. She tried to read but none of her books — novels, spell books, cook books, graphic novels — held her interest for longer than a few minutes. Pacing helped for a while, so she began to work out, and didn't stop for hours. She fell into bed sweaty and exhausted, but she slept through the night.
Which was why she repeated the same thing the next day, trying to come up with even more strenuous exercises, more ways of torturing her body until it was ready to sleep.
If nothing ever came of her exile, she thought wryly, at least she would have a killer body. Even if nobody ever saw it.
If Emma n ever got to see it.
She slept like the dead at the end of the third day.
o o o
Present day
Emma picked the lock to the mansion with practiced ease, thinking she should definitely have a talk with Regina about home security. Then she remembered why she was there, which sobered her immediately.
The first thing she realized was the silence. Not that Regina's house had ever been noisy, not even when Henry had still been living here, but now it was still as a grave, and Emma shivered a little. She also made a mental note to check the graveyard and the Mills' mausoleum next.
Emma walked through the kitchen but saw nothing amiss. She hadn't been inside the room often enough to notice things that could have been different or missing, but she was surprised not to see any kind of coffee maker, knowing Regina's love for the brew. She wondered if it would have been better to bring Henry after all. She sighed. Guess we'll have to come back together.
She walked slowly through the rest of the rooms downstairs before climbing the stairs with a deep breath. She didn't know why she was nervous, but part of her expected to find Regina upstairs, enraged at the intrusion, ready for a fight. Or something. She was torn between relief and disappointment when it was just as silent and empty upstairs as it had been downstairs.
Emma's heart still beat a little faster when she pushed the door to Regina's bedroom open with the palm of her hand. She stopped a couple of steps inside the room and looked around. The closet door was open as was the door to the bathroom. Closet first, she thought.
Even without having ever been in Regina's closet before, Emma could see right away that clothes were missing. There was a small suitcase on the floor at the back of the closet with a much larger free space next to it. "So she did pack a bag," Emma muttered to herself, her heart sinking. Everything pointed to Regina having actually left.
She checked the bathroom next and registered the lack of toiletries there. Packed that too.
Henry's room seemed undisturbed but Henry would be a much better judge of that. Emma wondered if Regina had packed some small token from Henry's room, something to remember him by, but then she decided in the next second that something like that might actually be too painful for a mother leaving her child behind.
She ran her hand along the banister as she slowly walked downstairs. In the study she could see holes on the shelves where books used to be, of that she was certain. And didn't there used to be an armchair in that corner?
After a few more minutes of looking around Emma stood in the foyer wondering what to do next. She really didn't want to go back to the diner or anywhere where she would have to face Neal and Snow.
Garage first, then the mausoleum she decided.
o o o
A cabin in the woods, present day
Regina had woken up early as usual but trying to get out of bed had been a completely different story. After two days of continually abusing her body with hard workouts she had been feeling every muscle, tendon, and joint in her body.
It had taken her an embarrassingly long time to crawl from her bed to the shower but at least the very hot water and the massage setting had helped. She had regretted not having added a jacuzzi when she had upgraded her bathroom, but then she had simply determined that she could still do that later in the day.
Nearly half an hour in the shower had her feeling much better, and the pot of coffee had done the rest. Now she was ready to tackle her day.
She rolled her shoulders as she got dressed, making a mental list of things to do. She needed to keep busy or thoughts of Emma and Henry would drive her insane. No workout today though, she thought with a sigh as her body ached as soon as she moved. Just a walk along her borders to check the enchantments then. And later … maybe she could pop into town unseen to check up on … NO, she admonished herself. Just don't go there.
Just a walk, Regina.
o o o
Emma found the garage closed but not locked, which was so unlike Regina that Emma suddenly wished she had a weapon on her. She opened the garage door slowly, afraid of what she might find. Her shoulders sagged when she could see inside the garage.
It was empty. Well, almost. No Mercedes, just a bunch of boxes in the corners. Emma thought she remembered more stuff inside the garage but maybe Regina had done some spring cleaning. Her hopes waned even further. Packed bags, and now the car was gone? It really began to look like Regina had just disappeared in the middle of the night. Without really saying goodbye to her son. Without saying goodbye to her.
How on earth was she going to tell Henry that his mom had really left him? Left them?
o o o
Emma needed a drink. She didn't care that it was the early afternoon on a Sunday. To her, it felt a lot like the end of something that didn't even have a beginning.
She closed the garage behind her, making a mental note to try and find a key to lock it up safely before she left, then walked back into the house in search of a drink. A glass of the best damn apple cider she had ever tasted, maybe? But just the thought made her sad enough to choke on a breath. She hoped Regina had something else on hand.
She walked straight for the den and started looking around until she found a brand new bottle of Maker's Mark on a sideboard.
That'll do nicely.
o o o
Regina walked in a wide circle around her cabin, checking the four cornerstones and all the enchantments. Everything was working perfectly fine. As soon as she stepped across her border, the sight of her cabin in the distance was replaced by wild, overgrown forest, dark, tangled, and completely uninviting. Nobody would ever dare go there. And if they did, one of the enchantments was designed to instill a burning, undeniable desire to be elsewhere in any trespasser. The border wouldn't hurt anyone, but it also wouldn't let anyone pass.
She felt better after her walk, and a little hungry, but as soon as her brain wasn't busy with thoughts of enchantments and safety and what else was left to do, it turned to Emma. She was sure the sheriff had read her letter by now, uncaring of her wishes. She was probably busy acting like the Savior, ignoring her instructions and looking for her, at least for a few days until she realized the futility of it. It was just in her nature, and there was a tiny kernel of hope inside of her that hoped Emma would find her … if she was looking. But as soon as the sheriff realized that Regina had really left, she would soon get back to her new life and hopefully be happy, and give Henry a happy life in the process.
Her hunger fled with these thoughts and she returned to the cabin feeling a deep-seated sadness that manifested as an ache in her chest. A drink would be lovely now, she thought and checked her supplies.
Nothing.
Well, that definitely had to change. With a flick of her wrist, she held the unopened bottle of bourbon she knew she had in her den. Or so she thought because once she took a look at the bottle, she saw the red seal had been broken and there were several fingers of the bottle's contents missing. Who would come into her house and dare sneak a —
Her heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Emma.
o o o
Emma poured herself a generous drink, replaced the bottle in its spot, then walked into the kitchen to see if she could find some ice. She had made it as far as the foyer when she heard a sound from the den, the light clinking of glass and a sort of very light hissing sound.
She turned on her heel and ran back into the room, the bourbon in her glass sloshing over the rim. She stopped in front of the bar area with all its glasses, one of which had fallen over, and the bottles. She wondered how a glass could just fall over out of nowhere, and reached out to put it to back to its original position. Then it hit her. The bottle of Maker's Mark was gone. Just gone. Vanished as if by …
Magic.
Emma swallowed hard, drink forgotten. Hope tasted better anyway.
Regina was still in Storybrooke, she just had to be.
