A LEDGER SQUARED IN BLOOD
By Scribes and Scrolls
Author's note: So, the goddesses whose lap my life was in and the media barons who rule my working world smiled on me this week. Despite my fears, here tis the next chapter, right on schedule. Enjoy.
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CHAPTER FOUR: GATHER 'ROUND
Emma could feel Regina's eyes burning into her back, eyeing her bare ass and assessing her naked, sweat-tinged limbs.
She bent over the sink and unsteadily placed the cup under the flow of water, her voice croaking out: "You are unbelievable. Don't you ever take a break or need a refuel?"
"You have no idea how excellent my stamina is," the throaty voice purred from the bed. She was like liquid sex, all honey and slippery and...
Emma heard a noise and turned, and swallowed compulsively at the sight.
Regina Mills had spread her smooth olive-skinned legs far apart and was staring at her, eyes dark pools of chocolate. The dying fire and flickering candle lit her in soft, warm hues, and the blonde was transfixed, watching as the mayor slowly slid fingers teasingly between her legs and dipped them into the moisture glistening there.
For a moment all she could hear was the wet sucking noise, the in and out sounds of fingers sliding, and a low moan, followed by deep sighs from the brunette regarding her from under hooded eyes.
Emma gulped down the water and slammed the cup on to the sink, her nipples tightening and insides clenching. She suddenly discovered despite hours of sensual pleasures already, she was ready to go again. Christ, Regina Mills was like a concentrated aphrodisiac. Pure lesbian heroin.
She made one step towards Regina who gave a small teasing half smile and stopped her in her tracks. "No dear. Just stay there. Enjoy the floorshow," she purred.
Her head tilted back, and she spread her legs wider, Emma now able to see the liberal juices coating dark curls. Regina's chest was now rising and falling quickly, her back arching off the bed, fingers dancing and curling swiftly.
The blonde swallowed. Watching Regina come undone was the most erotic sight imaginable. She almost felt like she was intruding, seeing her gasp and exhale breathy sighs, her breasts, topped by rock-hard nipples, moving in time with her fingers.
There was an abrupt pause in her fingers' dancing, and Regina gave a long, primal groan, staring right into Emma's intense, fixed eyes. She cried out sharply "Emma," and then sank back to the mattress. Slowly she withdrew glistening fingers.
Then she spoke, her voice a soft and sultry demand.
"Now come here."
. . . . . .
Emma's eyes snapped open and felt her breath catch in her throat. She scowled, recognising after a moment of confusion she was back in Snow's spare room. A dull incessant ache reminded her she had her own needs to take care of. Again.
The dreams were always there now. A sexy slice from their afternoon and night together, a tease and taste of what she'd had. Never the same moment, but always the same outcome: Emma waking up with such longing and wanting, and desperately needing to come.
It didn't take long. It never did. A few well-placed strokes on her already drenched folds and aroused centre, and she had the less-than-satisfying, business-like end to the passionate dream.
She had begun to hate waking up like this, in such a pitiful state. The memories felt so real, and the pain of reality so raw.
The sheriff flung back her soaked sheets and glanced at her alarm clock. Still far too early. She cracked the door and heard the shower running. And a muffled giggle. Great, her parents were having yet another round of pre-dawn shower nookie.
They were nothing if not predictable.
She grimaced and pulled on her jeans, deciding a coffee might work where a cold shower was being denied her.
. . . . . .
The blonde leaned heavily on the door outside the apartment and finally exhaled as loudly as she wanted to inside. Living with your roomie was one thing. Living with your parents who are one moment getting sexy and the next plotting a war in a fairytale realm is quite another.
She was exhausted after staying up half the night, post-party, giving every shred of intel she could think of that she had picked up about the new world order. Now, barely four hours later, and one unsatisfying self-help effort later, she really needed a hit of Granny's coffee and a whole lot of shut-the-hell-up from the world.
She glanced down the stairs and frowned when she saw a shadowy figure hunched over, sitting on the bottom one. Waiting.
She made her way down and had a veritable glower across her features when she recognised who it was.
"You've got a lotta nerve showing up here today," she said darkly, leaning against the wall.
Grumpy looked at her uncomfortably. He was fairly green around the gills, his eyes were bloodshot, and he had pulled his beanie down low.
He shrugged. Then looked pained as if the movement had jerked his already sore head.
"Whaddya want Leroy? I'm sure even the mob you stirred up is still sleeping off their hangovers."
"Don't call me that. It's a fake name from a fake life," he grumbled. "And I'm here cos I want a coffee."
"Huh?"
"Granny's cut me off."
"Oh." Understanding dawned.
"She said you're the only one who can get me back in her good graces."
Emma stared at him. "I repeat my previous statement. You've got a lot of freaking nerve."
His jaw clenched. "Look, sister, I know I was outta line last night. I had a bit more Dutch courage in me than usual. But I never meant to turn the wolves on you. It was talking about her that made me see red."
"Look I know everyone's pretty dark on Regina for different reasons. What's your beef?" Emma slid down on to a step beside him and waited.
He scowled as he gathered his thoughts.
"She took the happy endings. Everyone's," Grumpy said sourly. "I know what that's like to lose happiness. I even tried to get mine back when my memories hit but it was too late. The girl I was sweet on said she'd cried enough over me a lifetime ago and wasn't going through it again."
His face screwed up in anguish. Emma stared at him, finding it hard to imagine the angriest individual she'd ever known as capable of love.
"So," he turned to fix eyes on her, "I'd say it's personal when everyone gets put through shit like that. But, seriously, I didn't mean to turn it on you. Especially seeing you're Snow's kid."
"What's that got to do with anything?" Emma asked, puzzled.
"Me and Snow and the boys are tight. She had our back and we had hers when she was being hunted by the Evil Queen. The same woman you don't reckon needs to be punished." He glared at her.
Emma simply glared back. "Trust me when I say she's probably in her own hell where she is right now."
That gave him pause for thought. "Where's that?"
"Regina's under Cora's roof."
"Who the hell is Cora?"
Emma started in surprise. She'd just assumed everyone in the fairytale world knew all the others. In hindsight, she supposed that was as ridiculous as everyone in Boston knowing everyone else.
"Her abusive, psycho, witch mother - who is way worse than anything you thought of Regina. I saw the way she treated her daughter and it wasn't pretty."
Grumpy processed that. "And they've teamed up now? What the hell's that about?"
Emma rested a hand on her head. "I seriously have no idea. And I have spent a lot of time trying to figure it out."
He snorted. "In my experience, explaining herself isn't high on the Evil Queen's priorities."
"No, it's not. She just left," Emma growled and then felt the tears spring to her eyes.
Grumpy stared at her closely, a hint of sympathy flicking past his eyes. "So we all got royally screwed by Regina then."
If only he knew.
She eyed him bleakly, wondering if he was aware of the double entendre, but the man simply stared back at her glumly.
She decided to change the subject.
"I don't suppose you've heard of King George then? Cora's in an alliance with him."
That got the dwarf's attention. Rage crossed his face.
"That cruel bastard, oh yeah, I know him. He killed one of my best friends." Grumpy rubbed his head, digging into the beanie with his fingers. "Stealthy was the nicest guy you'd ever wanna know."
"I'm sorry," Emma said. They fell into a silence.
"If Cora's as bad as you're saying," Grumpy said suddenly, "an alliance with King George is really bad news, sister. He does a lot of nasty stuff. Runs a silver mine off slave labour. The man is obsessed with wealth. That's how me and the boys know him. He asked us to work in his mines because of our skills. When we refused, he tried to press gang us. We ran and I was the slowest and wound up in his dungeon."
"Cora is a powerful witch," Emma said thoughtfully. "So George won't need slaves any more for his mines to get money."
"That bastard would never free anyone under his control. I guarantee he'd just press them into service somewhere else. He loves having an army to show off. They're probably soldiers now. He kept talking about growing his kingdom when I was in the dungeon. Well now he can keep expanding his realm indefinitely if he has a ruthless witch in his arsenal."
"So he'll be planning to take over surrounding villages, then?" Emma mused. "I can see why Snow and James are so keen to break up that alliance. Apart they are much weaker than together."
"Yeah. I suppose that's what they'll want to talk about at the town hall meeting."
Emma shrugged. "Probably. I was up half the night going over what I know." She yawned again as she thought about it. "Damn, I can see why sleep deprivation is used as a form of torture," she sighed to herself.
"You know," Grumpy inserted conversationally, "Being deprived of coffee could also be seen as a form of torture."
He looked at her hopefully.
"Are you sorry you tried to turn half of Storybrooke against me then?" Emma asked sternly.
He looked down at his boots. "You know the answer to that."
"You gonna do it again?"
"Depends how drunk I get," he muttered. She narrowed her eyes. "Fine, OK. Shit. I'll talk to Michael and the others. We were all a bit deep in the cups last night, and were comparing miseries when you showed up. And we didn't really want Regina slaughtered, just actually sorry for what she did."
"Well if you really are 'tight' with Snow, you have to know she wasn't pleased with what you did to her daughter, right?"
His face fell and it was at that moment Emma could see the loyalty and affection he had for her mother. "Yeah, I thought about that this morning. I was gonna say sorry to her too, later. After coffee."
"Still waiting for you to properly say sorry to me, first," Emma snorted. She was teasing him now and let a hint of a grin peek out.
Grumpy's mouth twisted into a rare smile. "Yeah alright. I'm sorry. There! Now can we get my caffeine hit?"
He gazed at her so anxiously that Emma laughed.
"Alright, come on. Let's go smooth things over with Granny."
. . . . . .
Emma took one look at her bed and flopped with a happy sigh. She had finally gotten her shower and now planned to get a good few hours sleep in before the stupid town hall meeting. She probably shouldn't have had that coffee with Grumpy given she was both exhausted and wired at the same time.
She heard a tiny knock and then her door push open. Geez, does no one care about privacy around here?
"Emma?"
She rolled over and cracked her eyelids. "Hey kid. What's up?"
Henry looked at her guiltily and that caused her to sit up a bit and gesture to the end of her bed. "Pull up a seat."
He bounced onto her bed and looked everywhere around the room except for her direction. Now she knew something was wrong.
"Come on, spit it out."
Henry crossed his legs and sighed. "Last night after the party, I heard you all talking, when I was sposed to be asleep."
Emma's eyebrow lifted and she tried to remember what they'd covered. Which was pretty much everything except her and Regina's relationship, thank God.
"Come on kid, you shouldn't be eavesdropping. That was for adult ears only."
"I heard you saying Cora was mean to Mom. And your mom said she must have escaped the curse by being in Wonderland and that she did deals with King George at his castle in the Infinite Forest cos it wasn't touched by the curse, either."
Emma nodded. "Yeah. Regina only attacked the Enchanted Forest. So what? Why do you look like someone stole the last milkshake?"
Henry hesitated. "Emma you told me Mom had gone home. Was 'home' to Wonderland or the Infinite Forest? Was home with Cora who was cruel to her?"
Emma swore inwardly. Hell.
Her silence was damning and Henry stared at her, hurt. "You told me she was fine now! How can she be fine living with someone who is mean? You lied to me!"
Emma looked at those big eyes and trembling, fierce chin and wondered what she could tell him. Her gut hurt when he put it like that.
She looked down at her hands which she realised she was wringing together. She forced herself to relax them. "It wasn't that simple. It was her choice to go."
"Why would she choose to go to someone who was mean to her? That's stupid!" He glared at her as though he didn't quite believe her and Emma sighed.
"I know, kid. It doesn't make much sense to me either. Look, I didn't tell you because I didn't want to worry you about something that can't be undone."
"Emma," Henry began disbelievingly, "You're the White Knight. You can undo stuff!"
"I did go and check on her once," she said defensively and wondered who she was trying to convince. "To make sure she hadn't been, I dunno, kidnapped or something. She seemed to have free will from where I was sitting, that's for sure."
She frowned at the memory. Henry stared at her morosely and looked unwilling to budge. He crossed his arms.
"You were supposed to look out for her. You promised you would protect her!"
"It's a bit hard to protect someone who doesn't want to be protected. Henry - she didn't want my help."
Henry shook his head at her and frowned. "Didn't you listen to what I said when you first went after her? She gets stubborn and real mad when she's afraid."
Emma stared, her throat suddenly going dry.
"That's just Mom being Mom," he continued, his voice rising. "She pretends she doesn't want help even when she needs it. Sometimes she shouts real loud or runs away but you can't give up on her! Why did you give up on her?"
"I told you I saw her and she looked ... Ah..." Emma paused. Fine wasn't exactly the word.
Henry peered at her. "Whatever she looked like you have to know Mom's real good at pretending. Right?" he whispered. "She is a politician."
Emma processed that, her mind going in a million directions. She thought back to what she had seen. The hand clasped over Cora's.
She is a politician. Really good at pretending.
"So," Henry said hopefully, sensing a shift in his mother's expression, "Now will you go and save Mom?"
. . . . . .
FOUR HOURS LATER
Emma sat on the stage, a tired look on her face, wishing the hell she could get some of that shut-the-hell-up she'd wanted at the start of the day. She was starting to have an appreciation for just how smoothly Regina had run her council meetings, if this rabble was the alternative. Although having an unofficial dictatorship probably helped keeping the baying mob on a leash.
They had been at it for two hours. Snow and James, seated beside her, did most of the talking. Every now and then she would be called on to expand on some point about what she had seen or heard.
She eyed the seething masses - and that's what they were, seething - well those who weren't hungover, that is. Her green eyes fell to the row of seven short men with matching dark glasses, and an equally pained-looking waitress towering over them one seat along.
Poor Red looked like she had crawled through Regina's hedges backwards. Her hair was sticking up mournfully and she was holding her head on a very strange angle as though it was too heavy for her neck. She clearly did not do hangovers well. The row of eight miserable souls was a most unhappy one, to be sure.
Emma's mind wandered some more. She had been startled to discover a woman she had known as a nurse was actually being called on for tactical and magical information. It turned out she was an actual fairy, of all things.
"All in favour?"
"AYE," said the room.
Emma started. "Aye," she added a little late, when Snow shot her a pointed look.
"All opposed?"
Silence.
Emma wondered what she had just agreed to. She looked down at her boots, wishing this could be over so she could crawl back into bed.
"Next order of business, destroying the alliance between King George and Cora."
Emma sat up. Snow had her complete attention.
"For those who don't know," the brunette began, "Cora is Regina's mother, and a highly skilled, dangerous witch. She has formed an alliance with King George, who is almost certainly planning on expanding his realm using brute force, backed up by magic. The added complication is Regina has now joined Cora's house which possibly places her magic at the disposal of the so-called 'evil two' - making for a potentially devastating triumvirate."
Emma gaped. Well when they put it like that... Shit!
"James and I met with the war council this morning and agreed destroying the alliance has to be the first priority, above everything else. Including resettling the Enchanted Forest. We will need volunteers in all areas of expertise, including military and magic.
"George does not have enough wealth without Cora to fund his own army, let alone a growing one. And she cannot do much prolonged destruction without his soldiers. We must drive a wedge between them. This may not be easy as we have intelligence they are also romantically involved."
Snow paused for breath and flicked a glance to her daughter. Emma was still digesting the triumvirate threat. Would Regina really throw her magical might behind those two bastards?
As if reading her mind, someone called out: "What about Regina! We have to get her, too!"
"Regina is not our top priority," James said calmly. "Cora and George have both displayed aggressive intentions. She has not. Yet."
"The curse was pretty freakin' aggressive if you asked me!" another voice called out from the din. Emma squinted to see who had said it but couldn't.
"We have to stop her!" a third voice, a woman's.
Emma started to get an uneasy feeling about where this was going.
"Regina's dangerous, too!"
That was it.
The sheriff leaped to her feet and fixed the crowd with an outraged stare. She put her hands on her hips and glared, waiting for everyone to shut up.
"Listen to me," she growled. "I have seen Cora in person and what she's capable of. It's hard to miss it when she's raining down fireballs and frost daggers and mini tornadoes at you. And she is a real piece of work, trust me. She makes Regina Mills look like a Sunday school teacher. When I left the Infinite Forest, Regina had no plans for expansion or aggression of any kind against anyone."
Well, that much was true, in that she hadn't voiced any.
Snow caught her eye and gave a slightly sceptical look but said nothing. Emma blinked and continued. "And I saw the way Cora treated her daughter and I am telling you there's no love lost there. So the solution is obvious."
A silence fell.
Emma sucked in a deep breath. "Everyone else goes after George and Cora. I go after Regina and try to talk to her, convince her to join our side."
The groans and roars of disbelief were instant and furious. Snow and James had matching looks of appalled astonishment. Archie seemed about to have a coronary. There were only three people in the whole crowd who nodded. Granny. Red. And ... Grumpy. Emma blinked at him in surprise.
Then he got to his feet and slowly walked to the stage, lifting his arms to quiet the crowd.
"Shuddup," he finally barked. "It makes sense. If Mills had wanted to attack us, she'd have done it when the curse broke and she got her magic back. She had weeks to hurt the sheriff over there and didn't. So it stands to reason she wouldn't attack her if she went to pay her a little visit. What'll it hurt anyway? Most she can do is tell the sheriff to go to hell. Or kill her. Which, we've already established, she doesn't seem inclined to do."
"But, Grumpy," James interrupted, "We could go as a force to see her ..."
"Bull," he said. "Put that woman's back to a corner and she kicks like a demon. We've all seen it. Talk to her. It's the best shot. And you know my views on her, so you know I'm not being naive. If her mother is as bad as all that, we're gonna need a witch of Regina's power on our side. And who is the only one in Storybrooke Regina could stand to be around?"
"Sidney Glass!" a wag called out. Everyone laughed. The man hadn't been popular for his obsequious lap-dogging to Regina. So when he was discovered in a secret mental ward cursing her name and vowing to run off to Boston, no one mourned his absence.
But it was obvious to all who Grumpy was referring to and it seemed there were far too many knowing looks in the hall for Emma's liking.
She reddened. Was it really such common knowledge Regina actually liked her under all that bluff and bluster? Was she the only one who never noticed behind all their fiery encounters that there could be something else?
The crowd was murmuring now, but the anger had withered out. Grumpy turned and trudged over to her. "They'll back you now," he muttered in her ear.
"Thanks," she whispered back.
"Don't thank me yet. I just got you halfway there. Though you're out of your mind if you ask me."
"Then why help?"
"I owed you one. And like I said before, I think people should have their happy endings." He looked at her significantly then turned and walked off the stage.
Holy crap. Emma watched his retreating form, suddenly warmed.
Snow leaned across and whispered: "Em, are you sure about this? I mean I agree with all that has ... happened, you are the best person to reach her. But are you sure?"
"I'm sure," Emma said firmly and nodded.
She watched as her mother turned to her father and they had a low conversation out of her hearing.
Snow finished and stood before the crowd.
"We agree to Emma's plan," she began and waited while an excited hubbub began anew. The noise died down when Snow put up one hand. "The meeting is adjourned. Would the war council stay behind and we'll work out details on the George and Cora plan. The Blue Fairy will take names for volunteers for our assault. Emma and I will work out tactics for getting to Regina. Red and Granny are you OK with being scouts?" she paused and saw them nod. "And Dr Hopper, where are you?"
Archie stood.
"Can we borrow you for non-combatant liaison and child minding, please? For those whose parents commit to the assault?"
"Of course," he said and inclined his head, resuming his seat.
Emma gaped. She hadn't even thought of that. The matter-of-fact way Snow mentioned it told her this was not the first time it had come up as an issue, and that everyone in the room seemed OK to have their kids babysat during a war. It reminded her yet again how out of water she was in this world.
Emma edged over to her mother. "What about Henry," she hissed. "Where will he be?"
"With all the other children at our castle, of course," Snow said. "He will be quite safe and guarded like the others."
"We could leave them here."
Snow shook her head. "It's too risky if we lost access to Storybrooke. Parents fight better knowing their children are safe. And not out of reach."
"Uh..."
"Trust me."
Well hell... Emma had no comeback for that.
The crowd started dispersing and lines were forming in front of a table the Blue Fairy had set up.
James called out: "Don't forget to state any specialty skills you might have on the form. It'll help with planning."
Emma tuned him out as he continued his instructions and slid her eyes around, astonished at how orderly things were for a group of people who had just committed to go to war. They didn't even look remotely fazed.
Snow came over. "Are you sure you're OK, Em? I know this will be your first real battle."
The blonde had to repress the urge to laugh into the face of the woman who looked like demure Mary Margaret, but who sounded like a hardened veteran.
"This is really happening, isn't it?" she asked her mother, feeling oddly adrift.
"Yes it is," she replied firmly. "Tomorrow we go home. And then we take back the realm."
. . .
A/N: Next chapter - Regina, Regina, Regina. Her POV, and all those maddening questions answered.