AN: I got a guest review warning me that I hadn't properly tagged characters, so I've fixed the problem and gone back through the previous chapters to review and fix typos. Thanks for the tip anon guest! I've also adjusted the tagging for some of my other fics, please check out my The Heat SQ AU as well. Thanks!
TW: the infamous fight sequence
Just as Emma started to pull in the driveway to her home Regina pushed down on the gas pedal in the Mercedes and crashed right into the passenger door of the blonde's stolen car.
"Ahh!" Emma yelled with a scowl as Regina backed up, her busted front bumper dragging along the driveway with a loud screech as she sped away, not without further clipping the stolen car in the process of pushing it out of the way to head up the driveway first.
Emma put the car in reverse and tried to back up and follow the same movement forward but the car was badly damaged and the twisted metal was stuck on the curb so it jerked to a stop; one-third in the driveway, one-third in the shrubbery lining the yard, and one-third hanging into the street. She shook the steering wheel with a grunt of frustration and jumped out of the car, running to the front door in a crouched sprint. She turned the door handle, further frustrated realizing it was locked, and heard David call out to her.
"Hey, Emma!"
She jiggled the handle and pushed on the door with her shoulder before tossing a distracted and now furious glance back at her neighbor who was dressed in sweats, out on a jog and sending her a friendly wave in greeting.
"Hey, David."
"Are you all right?"
She ducked down and crept behind the bushes, quickly stealing glances in the windows lining the front of her property, looking for any signs of movement inside. "Yeah."
"Okay..." He let his words drift off, confused by Emma's odd behavior as she now started trying to open every window, all of which were (as usual) locked as well. "Umm, by the way, your car is hanging out over the... sidewalk here."
"Yeah," Emma started jogging around the house, waving the man away. "Thanks, David."
"O-kay. Have a good night."
"'Night," Emma yelled back, already moving out of sight.
She hid behind the hedge as she ran up the driveway and noticed Regina's car parked awkwardly in front of the garage, the driver's door left wide open. She quickly made her way to the storage shed, grabbed a hammer to use as a weapon, and slipped out. A tree in the backyard provided cover when Regina opened the back door and glanced around the yard, shotgun in hand. Once deeming the area clear she moved back inside the house, locking the door behind her.
Emma glared at her wife's retreating form and raced across the yard, awkwardly diving behind another bush and rolling into a dark corner, not without several pained and muffled grumbles of some rather colorful profanities. Scrambling up she kept her back to the fence and made a mad dash for the basement doors, sliding past the patio light like she was coming in to home plate for a home run. The basement was also (as usual) locked, and she shook her head in frustration before noticing the trellis and vines wrapped around this side of the house. Feeling a burst of inspiration she climbed the trellis and came face-to-face with the den and knocked her elbow and forearm through the glass, breaking the window as quietly as possible and unlocked it, slipping in the room undetected.
She left the hammer on the desk in favor of a gun and silencer she was relieved hadn't been uncovered and confiscated during Regina's raid. Holding the gun steady she crept around the dark house listening for movement. When she reached the bottom of the stairs she picked up a picture frame and held it around the corner, trying to use the reflection in the glass to spot Regina. Regina spotted the reflection first though and from her position at the top of the stairs she fired off a shot which blasted a hole in the wall directly over the top of Emma's crouched form. Emma jumped and ducked lower as Regina kept firing a row of shots at the wall she was using for cover.
When the last empty shell casing hit the floor Regina called out in a smug and teasing tone, "You still alive, darling?"
Emma groaned like she'd been hit and dragged her gun around on the ground before leaping up and sticking her hand through one of the holes in the wall Regina had just created and firing back at her wife. The brunette ducked out of the way and rolled down the stairs, returning fire as Emma calmly moved away and reloaded. They met on opposing sides of the long hall and exchanged fire before ducking behind different doorways. Regina took a deep breath and stood up, a shotgun in one hand and an automatic rifle in the other, and did a large sweep of the room. On the other side of the wall, Emma was looking for her as well. The White Knight was a professional killer, but Emma Smith was a clumsy idiot and her elbow knocked against a vase. She scrambled to catch it but mostly just batted it farther away and when the glass hit the floor and shattered she cringed and Regina smirked.
The brunette fired where the glass had hit, assuming that's where Emma was standing as the blonde ran off in the opposite direction, glad that while she hadn't been able to save the vase and her position of cover she was able to throw Regina off long enough to escape. Regina heard the footsteps as Emma ran and turned, firing in that direction. Emma slid on her back into the kitchen, returning fire as Regina ducked out of the way.
She pulled open the door of the refrigerator as Regina's shots resumed, trying to deflect them as she crouched down and crawled behind the island in the middle of the kitchen. She yanked open a drawer and pulled out a butcher knife, hurling it in Regina's direction and impaling it on the wall next to her wife's head.
"Your aim's as bad as your cooking, babe," she yelled out as she pulled a gas line loose. "And that's saying something!"
Regina seethed and reloaded her rifle, then swung around and started firing again, the shots immediately causing an explosion thanks to the open gas line which knocked her down. Emma jumped out of the kitchen, surrounded by flames. She landed a flying kick to Regina's abdomen as the brunette started to stand up, knocking her into the wall behind them. Emma brought her knee up, hitting Regina in the stomach and causing the brunette to double over with a grunt. Just as the blonde swung her arm to bring a heavy elbow to the side of her wife's head Regina side-stepped and ducked, bringing her own elbow cracking against Emma's ribs. She stood and pushed Emma, messily knocking everything off the counter they passed with the blonde's body. Emma started to push up off her knees and shook her head to clear it when Regina swung a lamp, ready to crack it over her head.
The blonde brought her arms up defensively and easily blocked the swing, letting the glass break on her leather covered forearm and grabbed a surprised Regina. She had both hands tightly fisted around the straps of the brunette's dress and used them to yank her from side to side, roughly slamming her body against both sides of the hallway. Regina was dazed when they reached the end of it and Emma took the opportunity to throw her over the dining room table as they approached it, the brunette's body sliding over the tabletop and hitting a chair, knocking it down and landing next to it in a crumpled heap.
Emma strolled around the table, staring at Regina on the floor with a predatory glint in her eye. Charming, clumsy Emma Smith was gone; the White Knight was here to play and she brought out a swagger in the blonde that was all confidence that the target was about to be eliminated.
"Come on, babe," she bounced lightly on her feet, her hands in position to fight. She looked like she did in the ring with August; light on her toes, feet shoulder length apart, front leg stiff and back leg bent with her right heel raised. Her elbows were locked in, fists at the level her mouthguard would normally be, left in front of her defensively and right tucked back ready to swing. This wasn't a game though. It wasn't a friendly training match in the ring. This was a brawl with someone trying to kill her. "Let's see what you got," she couldn't help but try to rile her up, wiggling the fingers that were just tucked into tight fists to motion the brunette over.
Regina groaned and pushed herself up, grabbing the curtain rod from where it had fallen when she had landed roughly and swung it suddenly, catching Emma off-guard and hitting her in the head. She used the fact that Emma was now the dazed one to her advantage, wrapping the curtains around her neck and choking her, then head-butted her and when the blonde started to fall back she raised her foot and kicked Emma in the chest, knocking her back and shattering the china cabinet.
Glass rained down on the blonde as she fell to the ground and Regina smirked, "What do you got?"
Emma groaned and slipped on glass as she scrambled to stand and chase after Regina who ran out of the room. Just as the brunette reached down to grab her shotgun Emma ran in the room and tackled her, sending the gun sliding away across the floor. They landed in a heap and Regina rolled on top of her, straddling the blonde's waist. She grabbed the collar of Emma's sweater with her left hand and used it to yank the blonde up and slam her back against the ground, swinging at her with her right fist. She landed two good punches and on the third swing of her arm Emma caught her with a hand around her bicep and flipped Regina on her back, then pressed her forearm down against the brunette's throat to choke her. Regina's hands shot out, scratching and pushing and then she caught a handful of blonde wavy hair and yanked down, making Emma's head hit the floor beside her own. While Emma's head was down Regina snaked her arm out and wrapped it around the blonde's throat in a chokehold.
Emma momentarily choked but luckily for her that particular move had been August's go-to for submission in the ring and she was skilled at getting out of it (most of the time). She reared back on her knees and stood quickly leaving Regina with no choice but to keep holding on to Emma's neck and wrap her legs around her waist. Emma was still losing air so she jerked around trying to throw Regina off before stumbling and slamming her into the grandfather clock ticking away in the corner of the room, hitting her against it repeatedly until the wood broke and the brunette's body went limp. She dropped Regina and took deep, gulping breaths of air while she ripped her jacket off and tossed it aside, the leather now torn all over anyway. Regina's eyes momentarily crossed after being slammed against yet another hard object and she shook her head, trying to clear her mind and get her wits back.
She grabbed a vase in each hand and quickly smashed them against both sides of Emma's head before the blonde had a chance to move away, then jumped up hoping to knock Emma down but the blonde surprised her and caught her, punching her in the ribs. Regina brought an elbow down hard to Emma's back in response and she crumpled, sending them both falling down to the ground. She landed another good punch but as she went to swing a second time Emma slipped away and jumped up to give the brunette a hard kick with her boot. Regina's ribs ached when she retaliated with a kick of her own, hitting Emma in the chest and knocking the air from the blonde's lungs. They both hunched over then, slightly breathless and definitely hurting, taking a moment to recover before realizing they were just standing there gazing at each other. They snapped to attention and straightened back up into fighting stances before Regina looked to the side and Emma followed her line of sight to Regina's shotgun and Emma's pistol on the ground just out of reach. They looked back at each other, making eye contact before diving for the guns. Regina grabbed Emma's pistol and cocked back the hammer while Emma grabbed Regina's shotgun and pumped a shell into the chamber.
They faced each other with weapons drawn and stared each other down, panting as the seconds ticked by, neither one making the first move.
Regina watched as her wife softened, she could see the determination and cold focus leaving Emma's green eyes. Love is weakness, Regina. Her jaw tightened and she glared at Emma, then shook her head trying to convince herself to look past this trap and pull the trigger.
Emma was losing her resolve. This wasn't just a woman trying to kill her, not just a target she needed to eliminate. This was her wife and fuck she still loved her. She lowered the shotgun.
"I can't do it," she admitted quietly.
"Don't!" Regina screamed, shaking her gun in front of her to remind Emma this was life or death and they both needed to make this choice. "Come on!" She begged, teeth tightly clenched, shaking with rage and need. She wasn't sure she could pull the trigger if Emma surrendered. She needed Emma to fight back so she could end this. She needed to make the kill and move on. "Come on!"
Emma merely shrugged, "You want it? It's yours."
She dropped the shotgun to the floor and the tears that had gathered in Regina's eyes began to fall. Her arm remained outstretched, pistol still pointed at Emma as she stared into Regina's brown eyes pouring out all the love she felt from her own green ones. When Regina choked out a sob and closed her eyes Emma advanced. She knocked the pistol from Regina's now loose grip and cupped Regina's face with her hands, pulling her in close for a passionate kiss which the brunette immediately surrendered to.
Emma's hands start to wander, grazing a bare thigh and lifting it to wrap around her waist. When Regina's hips start rocking against Emma's leg the blonde reaches down and squeezes Regina's ass firmly with both hands, giving her the silent message to lift up off both feet and wrap both legs around Emma's midsection. She bites Regina's bottom lip, swallows her moan, and this time when she pushes Regina's back into a wall it's not in a fit of rage but in the heat of passion. Regina gasps and drops her legs after Emma sits her on the broken remains of their entertainment center, then spreads them widely leaving room for Emma to stand between them.
Emma pushes up the bottom of Regina's short dress which was already falling at mid-thigh, intent on bunching it around her wife's hips. When the tight fabric doesn't respond as quickly as she wants it to she simply rips it open at the slit to hurry up the process. Regina leans back against the wall from her sitting position, her palms resting against the edge of the entertainment center as she white-knuckles her grip on it while Emma kisses and sucks at her neck.
When Regina starts tugging on Emma's sweater the blonde raises her arms and lets her wife pull it up and over her head, tossing it aside. She jumps down and drapes her arms around Emma's neck like she had while they had been dancing and tangles her fingers in knotted blonde hair. She tugs at the wavy curls when she kisses Emma deeper and Emma moans in response and pushes her again into another wall. Regina moans and pushes back, then launches forward and rips Emma's tank top off too. Emma lifts Regina's leg to wrap around her waist again and grinds her thigh against the brunette's center. She squeezes Regina's thigh with her left hand while her right tangles her fingers with Regina's and brings them up over her head.
"Couch," Regina pants out in a breathy moan but Emma doesn't think she'll be able to make it that far so she picks Regina up and knocks everything off the nearest available surface, setting Regina on it and pushing her down onto her back with a hand between her breasts. She yanks the ripped dress up around Regina's hips and pulls down lace panties, throwing them over her shoulder before she bends down and spreads Regina's legs open wide, settling between them with a long lick up her wife's wet center. Regina throws her head back and moans, reaching down between her legs to grab a handful of Emma's hair and hold her in place.
It's a blur after that. A lot more kissing, a lot more teeth, a lot more pushing. It's passion and lust and the fire they've both been missing between them that Emma had been so desparate to find again but now it's infinitely better because there's nothing holding them back anymore. When Emma makes Regina cum with her tongue the brunette feels like a weight has been lifted and when Emma's legs shake while Regina's fingers are buried deep within her she feels like she's coming home again. They make each other fall apart and they pull each other back together and neither one ever wants to let go again.
Once the lust-filled haze has dissipated they go from fucking in every room on every available surface to making slow, sensual love. Emma is sitting on the couch and Regina is straddling her. They're both panting and their foreheads are resting together. They share a sweet kiss and Emma hugs Regina close, holding her in an embrace full of caring. Regina opens her eyes and pulls back slightly to look into Emma's and sees how much her wife adores her.
"Hiya stranger."
"Hiya back."
Later that night...
The sound of beeping rouses August from his sleep. He reaches out for the cell phone on his night stand, cracking one eye to review the new alert from Gold's Guild.
REGINA MILLS A.K.A. REGINA SMITH A.K.A. THE EVIL QUEEN
$500,000.00
"Tempting," he yawns and places the phone back down, muttering to himself. "But I don't get out of bed for less than a million dollars."
His phone beeps again with another new alert.
EMMA SWAN A.K.A. EMMA SMITH A.K.A. THE WHITE KNIGHT
$500,000.00
"Fuck."