Yo! Guess what this is! Hell yeah, Enjoy.
Oh there is something I'd like to confess...
It terrifies me how many people ship Captain Guyliner and Emma...I mean honestly. My face resembles the Futurama "Not sure" Fry meme when I venture into that section.. Lmfao. I'm sorry, Enjoy!
PS...Henry is dead. He is not the savior, he isn't Adam incognito. That boy is gone dudes and dudettes. Adam may SEEM like him for now, but he ain't. I'm sorry if you like that kid, I don't.
Enjoy!
SQ :: SWAN QUEEN :: SQ
SQ :: SWAN QUEEN :: SQ
SQ :: SWAN QUEEN :: SQ
Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!..."Captain Swan! Are you in there?!"
Emma sighed and opened one green eye. Her office was dark and a little chilly, but her fatigues kept her warm. She had been lying on the floor, halfway beneath her desk. The knocking continued, causing Emma to groan and rub the sleep from her eyes, "Hold on already! Gods, you'd think the world was coming to an end!" Emma didn't take well to being woken during a good dream...or anytime, if you want to be honest about it. Good thing her job is flexible that way…
The officer sat up and nearly bumped her head on her desk as she turned on the lamp, while simultaneously shaking her computer mouse so that she could pull up a few completed reports to make it seem like she had been working. Emma got to her feet and went to open the door, and saw the private that ran into her earlier. "What is so damn important, Private?"
He swallowed nervously. Despite the messy work area and reports on her computer screen, the private could tell that his commanding officer had obviously been sleeping. It wasn't uncommon for officers, especially pilots, to be found literally knocked out everywhere. It was either that, or they were chatting up to anybody willing to listen to whatever it was they had to say. Nobody really bothered the pilots anyway…Unless it was extremely important. Chalk it up to bearable favoritism, only because there were actually pilots like Captain Swan, who remembered that everyone outside the aircraft were human too. It seriously boosted the morale on the carrier when the officers made the others feel like they mattered.
"There's been an incident in Baraki, Afghanistan, ma'am...The General is calling for all pilots on the support roster to get the war room right away, ma'am!"
Emma swore under her breath and pushed past the private and began to run down the hallway. Anything could've gone wrong...there'd even been speculation about sending troops directly into Baraki, because it was a set up, Special Forces or not—Shit! It seems that the conspiracy goons were actually right this time.
As Emma was racing to the war room, her vision was becoming bleary and suddenly it was as if everything had become foggy, but she hadn't stopped running. When her vision came back into focus, she felt a lot heavier and her boots were no longer softly thumping on the hard concrete flooring, they were now softly clicking onto the stone flooring, before she stopped and pushed open a heavy oak door that had suddenly appeared before her…
Emma pushed back her hood as she closed the door behind her, "You called for me, Your Majesty?"
The Evil Queen looked with a mischievous glint in her eye. "Lady Swan. I have a problem."
Emma smirked and came around to sit on the corner of Regina's desk, ignoring the woman's pointed look. "Of course you do..."the Evil Queen always had a problem for her to deal with. "How may I be of service to you today, My Lovely Evil Regal?" Emma responded in an almost challenging-tone…that only she could get away with using toward the queen.
Regina pushed her chair away from her desk and stood, and as usual; green eyes drank her in, as if she were the finest wine in all of the Enchanted Forest. Red coats and skin-tight leather fit the Dark Queen very well...of course Emma's leather pants were no longer fitting as comfortably as they had when she donned them.
Regina, not oblivious at all to her subject's desire, smirked cruelly. She moved to stand between the blonde's slim, but deceptively strong legs, with her blood-red painted nails, precariously resting atop her thighs—getting dangerously close to her groin. Regina was enjoying this far too much, almost to the point of torturing her knight, just for the fun of it. "I need you to kill someone for me today."
Finally, the reason behind that nefarious look in her lover's eyes…Emma's focus dropped to Regina's lips, then back to her eyes, the windows to her soul... "Where can I find this poor, unfortunate soul?"
"Down in the villages, north of the castle." Regina whispered, squeezing Emma's thighs teasingly, enjoying the shiver she felt pass through the younger woman's body. "He's been defiling one of our young maidens for secrets of this kingdom. She's been dealt with...now it's his turn."
"Just how messy do you want his death to be, my Queen?" Emma groaned when Regina's left hand found its way between her legs, still relentlessly teasing the poor woman.
Regina leaned in, fighting a grin. She did love it so when Emma spoke dirty. Emma thought Regina was going to kiss her, that is until the older woman leaned right, to whisper into her ear, hot breath sending even more shivers down her spine. "I want you to come back completely filthy my Dark Knight...the dirtier you are, the harder I'll ride you…until I break you."
"Wow." Emma swallowed, willing her hips to stay still against that damned hand, but her attempts were futile. "Where, um, where is he, exactly?"
"You'll have to work to find out, Lady Swan." Regina chuckled wickedly. With one final squeeze, she pulled away quickly and sat back down, picking up the scroll that she had been reading, prior to her Knight's entry. Finding herself in a particularly egregious mood, she decided to up the ante with Emma and gave her an almost-impossible ultimatum. "You have until lunch, or the deal is off." She knew her lover would have no problem if she set her mind to the task. Regina liked to keep Emma on her toes, for some reason, it was an incredible turn-on when the beautiful warrior returned home after the nearly-impossible, and sometimes unusually cruel tasks that she demanded of her…
The blonde sat there shocked and aroused, the fog in her mind clearing as what had just transpired became clear. She got to her feet grinning. How she did love to play along with Regina's games. After collecting her thoughts Emma immediately vanished, in her signature cloud of black smoke. She had a mission to complete, after all…To be quite honest her one-track mind was ultimately focused on the handsome reward that awaited her when she returned home to her nefarious queen.
SQ :: SWAN QUEEN :: SQ
Emma sat up quickly, eyes darting around her room rapidly. What the actual fuck was that? She was back in Storybrooke, in her room and in her bed. Emma tried to slow her breathing—she really felt as if she had been running and those dreams had felt so...so real. She was sure that the first dream was a memory, as she recalled the Baraki mission quite vividly—as it had been the final nail that had driven her right into retirement. But the second one? Holy fuck! She couldn't wrap her mind around it…That was not a memory, Emma was sure. It had to be some kinky fantasy dream that starred the Mayor of Storybrooke...just like the last dream. Her body was definitely responding to the kink, seeing as she was rock-hard and her nipples were aching, but at least she didn't wake up to a mess.
This time…
Emma sighed and checked her watch that was sitting on the nightstand...well, Madeline was at school already and she still had a couple of hours before she was supposed to meet with Regina at the diner. She had no idea how she would be able to look at woman without thinking about the last two dreams—hell she wasn't even sure how she managed with the first one.
SQ :: SWAN QUEEN :: SQ
Regina had to refrain from rolling her eyes as she finally managed to get that idiot, Sidney Glass, off of the phone. She was just grateful that he decided to call instead of making an appointment. Regina was overly-annoyed with the puppy-eyed, looks of adoration that he constantly sent her way. No matter how hard he tried to hide it from her—she knew that the imbecilic, Sidney Glass adored her. It was sickeningly annoying and if she still had her magic, Regina wouldn't hesitate to send him back into the mirror, where he truly belonged— if only it wouldn't be so oddly suspicious for him to suddenly vanish off of the face of the earth. Minor details…
Regina sighed and picked up her pen once more prepared to throw herself into paperwork until it was time for lunch.
Lunch.
Cursing herself once more, Regina glanced at her elegant wrist-watch; yet again, to check the time for the umpteenth-time since arriving this morning. Muttering the time aloud, as if that would make it pass by more quickly.
'At this rate, I'm starting to drive myself crazy! But I have that right. Don't I? Great, now I'm talking to myself!'
Regina took a deep breath and tried to calm herself, this was getting ridiculous. She didn't do nervous, yet, right now she was surely acting nervous. 'Damn it all to hell.'
Emma bringing Adam back home was still the talk of the town. Add to that the fact that she had also decided on the spur of the moment to make Storybrooke her permanent residence. Nobody moved to Storybrooke. Not anyone. Ever—Of course Sidney was itching for the story that still had everyone talking about weeks later. He was literally chomping at the bit to cover this story. Apparently, it seemed that Miss Swan seriously intimidated the town's only reporter though, and he had resorted to asking, basically begging, Madam Mayor to convince the blonde to agree to an interview.
Regina said she'd try, just to appease the incorrigible man, but didn't elaborate on how much effort she would actually put forth. The woman had much better things to attend to, such as doing everything in her power to rid Emma of the fairy dust-induced amnesia, and to help re-surface her lifetime of lost memories.
Pushing the thoughts of Emma from her mind, Regina forced herself to at least get this month's budget reports done, seeing as nothing else was going to get accomplished. Thankfully it had taken up an hour of Regina's time to finish, but only because she was consciously pacing herself.
It became abundantly clear that she wasn't going to get anything else done until lunch, so she decided to shut down her computer and put away her documents for later. The Mayor checked her watch again and sighed, she still had an hour left to go. She got up and went to stand by her window that overlooked half of Storybrooke. Her view was incredible. The sun wasn't out, like always, but Regina still considered this to be a beautiful day. Her eyes drifted toward the docks, unsurprisingly. From her office, she could faintly see Emma and Madeline's dock-house and the unmistakable orange muscle car, nicely sitting in front of it. She looked past the modern, renovated dock-house, to the selection of empty boat docks that were surrounding it.
Regina, with new-found energy, went back to her desk. She had finally figured out a new task to pass the time.
SQ :: SWAN QUEEN :: SQ
Emma walked into to Granny's diner a couple of minutes past noon. Since she had decided to walk, she was a little late, but only by two minutes. The diner was full, but spotting the Mayor wasn't hard at all, she stood out...her and those dangerously high-heeled shoes that she seemed to favor over comfortable shoes…like normal people. Her short hair was immaculate as usual, and it was simple. Not that terrifyingly exaggerated hairstyle of the Evil Queen in her dreams...No Emma. Don't even start to think about that right now! Damn that kid and his ridiculous fairy tales.
Emma slid into the booth across from Regina near the back of the diner, noting they had a bit of privacy. Emma also took notice that she had her back to the wall, and she could see the door. She appreciated the gesture. "Hi Madam Mayor." She greeted the gorgeous woman in front of her with a cheesy smile. Shit, where in the hell did that come from? Come on Emma, hold yourself together…It's just lunch, she thought to herself.
Regina checked her watched and smirked. Emma was never the one to be on time. "Good afternoon Miss Swan. I was worried that you got lost." she stated facetiously.
Emma laughed slightly, "I didn't mean to keep you waiting, Madam Mayor."
Regina waved it off as if she was bored, but the corners of her mouth curving upwards betrayed that tale. "I'm starting to realize that being on time is not part of your resume?"
"It's part of my charm." Emma shrugged, acutely aware of the diner patrons looking their way continuously and talking amongst themselves—no doubt about them. If Regina was aware of it, she was doing a damned good job of ignoring them, and Emma decided she would too.
Ruby suddenly appeared at their table with her pen and paper ready, looking entirely too curious for Regina and Emma's liking. "Madam Mayor."
"Miss Lucas." Regina inclined her head slightly, and suddenly, the wallpaper was much more interesting than the waitress.
Emma noticed Regina's change of demeanor, but she found it more curious and amusing than anything—seeing the Mayor of Storybrooke that everyone fear and avoided. Emma smiled up at Ruby, "Hey Ruby, nice to see you again."
Regina's interest was piqued and she was instantly possessive, but she quickly reigned it in. Emma and Madeline had been in Storybrooke for two weeks now, it was only normal that they would eat at the diner on occasion...well, at least Emma did, seeing as they were already on a first-name basis. It's not like the town as overflowing with places to eat. Being in Storybrooke for the past nine years really helped Regina with her short-temper. Being the Mayor was way more different than being the Evil or Dark Queen. It literally forced her to calm down. She was wondering how Emma would react to the changes, once she regained her full life's-worth of memories.
Ruby's smile widened when she turned to Emma, and damn if Regina couldn't stop the spike of possessiveness again. She knew Ruby was nowhere near her league of competition, but Regina can still recall having to drive thoughts of the wolf from Emma's mind when they recruited her to their liege back in the Enchanted Forest. "Well, if it isn't my favorite blonde. Where have you been hiding this weekend?" Ruby boldly inquired.
Emma shrugged once more, "Home...Why, did I miss a party or something?"
"Nah, I was just hoping that we could hang out." Ruby winked, "I need someone my age around here."
Regina nearly laughed, but managed to detain it. Just barely, "Miss Lucas I am not sitting here for my health. Either do your job or we shall take our business elsewhere." Regina almost felt bad. Almost. She never did quite 'forgive and forget' what had happened between her wife and the wolf. Poor Ruby seriously picked the wrong day to be exuberant and friendly, Regina was not in a sharing mood.
Emma was shocked at the brunette's tone and attitude , she'd never heard or seen it before—but given the way Ruby snapped to attention, and seeing as how a few of the other patrons quickly looked away, this was a common occurrence. "Of course, Madam Mayor. Your usual?" Regina simply nodded, and then Ruby turned to Emma with a forced smile. "What about you Swan? Bacon cheeseburger with fries and a strawberry shake?"
Emma grinned, already salivating. "Ruby, you already know the way to my heart!"
Ruby laughed, "Through your stomach...yeah I know. I'll be right back with your orders"
Regina did not like the way Emma's eyes lingered on the younger brunette's retreating form for 2 seconds before turning her attention back to her. She did not like the fact that Ruby knew Emma's order (even though it was the woman's job) and she hated how friendly they were already.
Jealousy is an ugly trait my dear.
Regina was not jealous. She was- "Madam Mayor?" Emma easily cut through her thoughts, "Are you okay?"
"Of course. I'm rather starved and this is not supposed to be social hour for Miss Lucas." Regina blinked and adjusted her seating, as she crossed her legs under the table, her stiletto-clad foot pressing firmly against Emma's bare calf. The blonde didn't seem to mind, so Regina made no efforts to move.
"Right...so how was your morning?"
Long. I missed you. "The usual. Reports to fill out, phone calls to suffer through...typical office work."
"Sounds like you were hard at work Mayor." Emma quipped with sarcastic smile, Emma had more to say, but the sudden appearance of food being placed in front of her cleared her mind promptly.
Ruby placed Regina's grilled chicken salad in front of her, and then with perfect balance, set their drinks down on the table and flipped the tray with a proud smile. "Enjoy!" Ruby sent a sly wink at Emma before going to the next table and Regina grit her teeth as she squeezed two lemons into her water.
Emma hadn't bothered to respond to Ruby; instead, she began digging into her food as if she was starved. Regina smiled as she thought of how much Emma was still the same, even without her memories. It almost made her even more impatient to get her back though… Patience Regina, Patience. It was becoming her inner-mantra. The beautiful brunette took a few bites of her salad before deciding to talk 'business'. "The entire town is still raving about you bringing little Adam Whale home."
Emma rolled her eyes, but at least she had the decency to swallow her food and wipe her mouth before speaking. "Still? That was almost two weeks ago!"
Regina smirked, "Yes, well...it's a small town, dear. What did you expect? You're the closest thing we have to a celebrity. The local paper wants to do an article on Storybrooke's newest residents as well…"
Emma shook her head, inhaling half of her shake. "No. Hell no. All I did was bring the little boy back home."
Hm, Emma was still Emma. Regina had expected that very response and she didn't push it. That was Sidney's problem, definitely not hers. The Mayor was curious about something though since they were on the topic, "I am curious as to how a 7-year-old boy convinced a grown woman to not only drive him home, but to an entirely different state, instead of calling the police."
Emma turned a little pink and popped a fry in her mouth along with a stray piece of bacon. "Fairytales."
The fork halted mid-way, "Excuse me?"
Emma ate another fry, "Fairytales. I thought he was a little slow, so I opted to drive him myself. I mean...during the entire 3 hour drive, that kid convinced me that he was certifiably nuts. Especially with him carrying that big book like it's a lifeline."
Regina set her fork onto the table, she was still trying to wrap her mind around what Emma had told her. "Fairytales, Dear? And what book?"
Emma gave Regina a look and the Mayor shut it down quickly with one of her own. Emma sighed then gestured loosely with her hands before eating another fry. "Fairytales. You know, like Snow White and the Evil Queen. Stuff like that!"
Regina's eyes narrowed slightly, a motion that was lost on Emma as she finished off her fries greedily. "Interesting."
"I guess. He freaking thinks his dad is The Insane Dr. Frankenstein and that you're the Evil Queen. The kid is insane I'm telling you! I couldn't just put him on a bus back home or call the police. He'd be put into a mental facility or something. I honestly don't know what possessed me, but I just felt pulled to the poor kid. The longer we drove, the more concerned I got for him though."
Regina was suddenly no longer hungry, "Just who does he think you are? Must be someone important if he hunted you down in Boston."
Emma laughed lightly, "He's thinks I'm The Savior."
Regina raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow and she felt no relief with the knowledge that the book was wrong—the woman sitting across her was no savior. The question that burned in her mind was why such a book...even existed. Regina had so many questions and not enough answers, she needed to get her hands on that book. "I see."
"He's definitely going through something. I saw him Sunday, but he was talking about those fairytales again."
"What did he say?"
Emma hesitated slightly, and Regina sensed it immediately. "I don't know. Nonsense about the Evil Queen. So Max and I went to the hardware store."
Ruby chose that moment to come back to their table with the check and Emma immediately plucked it from the waitress' hands before Regina could attempt to pay. "Thanks Ruby."
"No problem Emma." Without further commentary, Ruby left them alone—and Regina was extremely grateful. She'd rather not have to sit and watch them talk, lest her jealousy rear its ugly head again...not that she'd actually admit that out loud.
"Miss Swan I am-"
"I invited you out, so it's my treat. Next time you can pay." Emma tossed a twenty on the table.
Regina smirked as she realized that Emma was still as presumptuous as she had remembered. "Next time Dear?" Regina pressed her foot harder into the blonde's leg and saw her eyes drop down to the table briefly.
"Of course Madam Mayor, but next time maybe we can talk less business and fairytales?" Emma smirked and shifted her leg until the bare skin of Regina's foot was touching her leg. Although the skin contact was minimal, it was definitely rewarding.
Regina checked her watch and sighed, her time with Emma was up—for lunch at least. "Miss Swan, if you'd be so kind to accompany me to my office, I'd like to discuss Storybrooke's boating and navigation permits with you."
Emma looked a little surprised, "You actually pulled that stuff up for something that might not even happen?"
Regina pursed her lips as she collected her belongings that Emma hadn't really noticed until now. Regina slid out of the booth, and Emma immediately missed their playful contact. A few curious eyes slid back to them, but Regina was ignoring them—knowing no matter how hard she glared, she and Emma would be the center of the town's gossip before the day's end. "You never gave me a definite answer. Am I wasting my time?"
Emma drank the last of her shake before standing as well, "Nope. Lead the way Madam Mayor."
A very satisfied Regina turned on her heel and Emma followed her out of the diner— Ruby watched them curiously, until they were no longer in sight.
SQ :: SWAN QUEEN :: SQ
Regina leaned up on the front of her desk as she closely watched all of Emma's silent reactions to the documents that she had printed up earlier. She was excited to see her wife's reactions, but didn't want to make it seem like a big deal…Emma set the papers down on the desk next to Regina and leaned back in her chair, hands behind her head, causing her gray v-neck to slowly tighten around her torso. Regina struggled very hard not to stare at the body that she was so addicted to... "Was everything to your satisfaction Miss Swan?"
"Yup. And I must say Madam Mayor, that your office is absolutely gorgeous! Very swanky…It actually seems like royalty belongs here."
Regina felt a sense of pride, as she had spent quite a bit of effort decorating her office and home, more so than anything else…simply because it was hers. "Why thank you very much Miss Swan."
Emma gestured to the papers sitting on the edge of Regina's desk, "Do you mind if I take these with me?"
"I didn't print them for myself, Miss Swan."
"Cool, thanks." Emma picked the papers up once more and stood, trying not to feel awkward. "Uh, I should be going then. Thank you for these."
"You're most welcome, and thank you for lunch Emma. It has been entirely too long since I've eaten outside the comfort of my home and office. If I can help it, I do send for food...otherwise I wait until dinner."
Emma was shocked at that admission, but Regina wasn't—not anymore. She was on a simple, yet complicated mission to get her wife back...mind, body and soul; not necessarily in that exact order.
"Well, if that's the case, then I guess we should make it a habit of getting you out of the office during your lunch hour, Ms. Mills."
Regina raised a brow, back a little straighter. She was starting to realize that she and Emma were falling into comfortable and playful banter, just as they had when they first met—minus the choking. Minor details…Perhaps when Emma's arrogance decides to make a real appearance...she'll choke her, just for old time's sakes. "That idea sounds lovely Miss Swan, unfortunately, as Mayor of this town—leaving the office every day for lunch is not a luxury that I can afford."
Emma took a small step forward and leaned forward into Regina's personal space. "Well… in that case, I guess I'll just have to bring lunch to you then."
Regina pushed herself from her desk and stood upright, leaving very little room between them. "That's awfully sweet of you Miss Swan. Do you always exhibit such kindness?"
"Nope." Emma smiled cheekily, "Consider yourself special, Madam Mayor."
"I'm jumping for joy Miss Swan." Regina deadpanned, refraining from rolling her eyes. "But I'm afraid I don't desire to eat foods that will ruin my figure or provide heart attacks when one least expects it."
No, don't look down...don't look down...
Emma's traitorous eyes lowered anyway, much to the Mayor's amusement.
Those boobs will be the death of me...and those legs...I wonder if they're as strong as they were in my dreams..Oh, just no...
Emma exhaled slowly, "No...We definitely wouldn't want to ruin Madam Mayor's flawless figure now, would we?" She looked back into Regina's eyes, briefly wondering if she was pushing too far...but the glint in the brunette's eyes indicated that Regina was enjoying this as much as she was. "I assume rabbit food is your preference?"
"Amongst other things, yes...you assume correctly." Regina saw that Emma had another remark waiting to roll off of her tongue, just to stall the moment—but the brunette decided that she was finished talking. She needed to make her first move now. She closed the distance between them and pressed her lips against soft, thin pink ones. Emma was taken by surprise, but she quickly recovered…and deeply kissed Regina back.
Emma pulled away first when she felt her body beginning to react, and she smiled sheepishly, but neither said anything. Of course Regina knew why Emma had pulled away, but she didn't voice her knowledge. Instead, she quietly waited. Emma cleared her throat when the silence and Regina's dark gaze began to unnerve her… just ever-so-slightly. She held up the papers, "Thank you...for these...and for everything Regina."
Regina waved it off nonchalantly, "Consider it part of our friendship, dear."
"Our friendship is...what exactly?"
Regina's shoulders rolled slightly, "Friendly, and casual...for now."
Emma frowned and she almost laughed, but she was nervous. This was her dream come true...quite literally, and although she wasn't the least bit ashamed of her body—but she had no idea how a regal woman like Regina would react to her being, well...not-so-womanly, down there. "I'm starting to get the impression that you're anything but friendly and casual."
Red lips stretched into a small, but mischievous, grin. "Lunch tomorrow Miss Swan?"
Emma did laugh this time, and took a step back. "But of course, Madam Mayor. See you tomorrow."
Regina stayed in front of her desk until her office door was firmly closed behind Emma, before releasing the breath that she wasn't even aware that she was holding. The extremely satisfied brunette had made significant progress today with Emma...and she was sure Max would be happy to hear this; though Regina would be censoring out that she had seduced Emma into casual sex—or at least into thinking about it.
There was just a small problem...Regina laughed to herself as she went to sit in her chair to resume working. Well, there was more than a small problem...but just like the first time, Regina will have Emma. Of this she was certain.
SQ :: SWAN QUEEN :: SQ
Emma was fighting her smile as she walked away from Town Hall, she couldn't believe that a woman like Regina...would—wow. Emma was so happy that she nearly collided with someone, just because she wasn't paying attention.
"Oh sorry about that..."
"Gold, Mr. Gold." the incredibly unattractive, short and scrawny, older man introduced himself after a few seconds of intensely staring at Emma. Fuck, that's not creepy at all… insert the facetiousness here… That gaze felt like hours! What the hell?! Emma was a hard one to put-off, but this man managed to do it…He didn't offer his hand, and neither did she. "You must be Emma Swan."
Emma raised a brow, it was no surprise that people knew her name in town, but she'd never even seen this guy until...oh. Gold's pawn shop. Right. He looks like the creepy collector guy in town. "Yeah, how'd you know?"
Mr. Gold smirked, eying Emma uncomfortably. "The one who brought the runaway boy home, you're name is all over town, dearie... and it seems you're some sort of Savior now."
Emma laughed, but she was so not enjoying the way that he was looking at her—he was acting as if he knew her, and Emma was damned sure she didn't know this skuzzy creep. Guys like this put her on edge. "I'm no "Savior" Mr. Gold, far from it."
Isn't that the truth...Mr. Gold; however, chose not to entertain that thought—not today. "If you ever need anything Miss Swan, my shop is always open."
Emma narrowed her eyes, smiling a little tighter than she was before. "If I need something, I'll get it myself, but thank you." she was polite yet her eyes told an entirely different story. Mr. Gold was definitely not on Emma's good side. Emma wasn't sure if he had somehow managed to set off the paranoid soldier in her, or if it was something else—regardless of what it was, she'd be watching her back around that imp-like man.
"Of course, dearie." Mr. Gold smirked before he turned and hobbled down the street to his shop. Emma shook her head and began her walk home, taking the long way so that she would be able to take in the amazing scenery. Who knew that Storybrooke, Maine was so incredibly beautiful? As she sauntered along the pier that led to the docks, Emma saw a small, but sorta, run-down castle playground on the beach.
Emma wouldn't have thought much of it had she not seen a small boy sitting in front of the slide hugging his knees. His backpack was in front of the slide, contents laid out in the sand without a care. Emma spotted the corner of a brown leather book peaking out and sighed— "Damn." she really didn't want to—she wanted to just leave him to it, but the parent in her overruled the hard-ass officer in her. Shit, seriously Emma? Here we go again. Hopefully he doesn't talk about fairytales.
Emma found the stairs that lead down to the beach and she made her way to the castle, upon closer approach—she could hear the unmistakable sounds of sniffling. Damn! Without thinking too much about it, Emma folded up the papers that the Mayor had given her and put them into her back pocket. She reached the end of the slide and pulled the book from his bag. Adam watched Emma curiously through his teary eyes and wiped his nose on his sleeve. Emma managed to climb onto the castle to sit next to him, but her back was against the wall that was next to the slide's small opening.
Adam turned to her, but he wasn't smiling like he usually did and Emma could tell the boy had been sitting here for awhile crying. Emma sighed, fingers picking at the tread on the book. "You're in what? 2nd grade? Aren't you too young to be skipping school?"
Adam shrugged, "Who cares."
"I don't, but I'm sure your dad will when he finds out."
Adam looked at her with alarm and hostility, "He's not my dad!"
Emma was taken aback by his extreme anger, "Whoa, calm down. What's up with you, kid? Is someone beating you up?" Ha. No surprise there...stop it Emma.
"No...I don't know. I hate it here!" Adam huffed then glared at the book in Emma's lap. "And I hate that stupid book!"
"Two weeks ago you loved this book, now you hate it? Why?" Emma was used to talking to a crying child...Maddi cried more times than the young girl would actually ever admit. As an ex-officer in the military, Emma had developed a skill to cut through the bullshit...with a soft hand and a heavy fist. It was a talent that was truly necessary for raising a child with a personality like Maddi's, but right now she had a distraught 7-year-old to tend to. Great.
Adam shrugged again, "Because. It's not real...and everyone makes fun of me for believing in it."
"Everyone? Who is everyone?" Emma asked curiously.
Adam glared down at the book, hugging his knees tighter. "The big kids...they call me mean names and make fun of me for believing the book and running away."
Emma couldn't help but think that the kid brought it on himself, but she didn't voice her opinion. "Why did you do it? Run away I mean...besides the fairytale stuff?"
Adam sniffled again, and wiped his snotty-nose with his sleeve again. Emma tried not to grimace at that too much. "I wanted The Savior to save me…" he said it so softly that Emma had almost missed it.
"Save you from what?"
"He drinks a lot...and he's mean to me."
"Your...Dr. Frankenstein?" Emma questioned refraining from rolling her eyes, she would've thought the kid was spitting out bullshit again if his eyes weren't so damned big, innocent, and sad. "How is he mean to you?"
Adam swallowed and shrugged, not wanting to talk anymore. He laid his head down on his arms again, and Emma could see his little body shivering. She sighed quietly...this was not her problem. Not her problem at all...but Emma found herself opening the book and tingles went through her arms. Yet, these weren't the least bit pleasant. It was almost as if something was trying to shock her.
The fuck was that?
She glanced at Adam, but the young boy wasn't heeding her much attention, Emma looked down at the book...and noticed how thick it was. She flipped through the pages uninterestedly...she came across dozens of fairytales, but they reminded her of the Grimm's Brother's fairytales more than anything. Emma came across a story that was entitled 'The Savior'.
Interesting. Not.
The Savior is supposed to break the curse that the Evil Queen used to take everyone to the world without magic to punish Snow White and to escape death with her family. The Savior comes from a land that is not a part of the Enchanted Forest, and she is destined for good, with the powers that can both destroy and create life. Her parents had died when she was a young girl, leaving her and her baby sister alone to fend for themselves. In time, they would take their places in royalty when they came of age—until then it was their Aunt who took the role of the Queen.
Emma continued to read on about this Savior and she sounded a little...frigid to Emma, but she didn't think too much about it—it was only a story. She turned the page, and there was a picture that took up the entire page. It was a blonde, standing there… The image shocked Emma a little. For one, this illustrated drawing was wearing modern clothes—as in jeans, a graphic shirt and ankle-high boots—add to the fact she was standing on a hilltop that overlooked Storybrooke. The only reason Emma even knew it was Storybrooke, was because of the huge clock in the middle of the town.
"Kid...how did you find me?" Emma asked as she continued to flip through the pages until she came across one that made her heart skip a beat. A woman with a wicked smirk that looked very similar to a certain Mayor stared back at her, holding up an apple…and then, behind her, there was a hooded figure, with their bare arms crossed and long, blonde hair falling past her shoulders. "I mean...how?" Emma slowly closed the book and looked at Adam. "This is getting weird."
Adam looked up at her. His eyes were dry now, but still red from the crying. "Why do you care? You don't even believe me."
Emma did roll her eyes this time, kids and their dramatics. "Okay I admit...the book is a little creepy and interesting, but there aren't any names in here...except the Dark Knight, the Evil Queen...Queen of the Sea... uh..." Emma thumbed through a few more pages, "King of-"
"I know what's in there!" he practically yelled. That was the first time his voice had been above a whisper. Apparently, she had finally struck a chord… "I'm the one who read it, remember?"
"Yeah okay, it still doesn't explain how the hell you found me...and why you think that the woman on the hilltop is me." Emma checked her watch and noted that she should've gotten him back to school at least 30 minutes ago, but she needed to know how this 7-year-old child had found her.
Adam sighed, "The book said that Snow White and King Charming had two kids. One had the Heart of the Truest Believer and the other was the product of True Love, one of the most powerful forms of Light Magic. They named her Emma, that's you, and their son Henry."
"Okay… then what happened?"
"The Princess ran away...and no one knows really happened to her, there are tons of theories...and then the Evil Queen took Henry's heart to start the curse."
"So who is this?" Emma went back to the page where the Evil Queen and mysterious person stood together…
"That's the Evil Queen's Dark Knight!" Adam exclaimed, eyes excited. "The Dark Knight had Shadow Magic, and she was super evil! Just like the Evil Queen! She even killed King Charming and a lot of Snow White's friends." The excitement in his voice picked up as he spoke. It was drawing Emma in as well...she wanted to shoot herself for admitting that.
Emma now raised a brow, "I see. But how did you-"
"The Swan."
..."What?"
Adam reached forward with a sigh with a slight eye roll, and took the book. He flipped back a few pages until he found Snow White and King Charming holding their first child. "The Swan. On the blanket...and in the window." Emma leaned forward to where he was pointing, and saw the blanket indeed had a Swan stitched on the corner...and a wooden carved Swan in the window. "Emma. Swan. Emma Swan! Snow White and King Charming's first child is you!"
Emma laughed and waved that comment off, "There are tons of Emma Swan's out there you know."
"Not really. You were easy to find..."
"How?"
"Dr. Frankenstein works at the hospital...it wasn't hard, medical records."
"How old are you again?" Emma was impressed, alarmed, but impressed. Never underestimate a determined child.
"7" Adam stated proudly, then his smile died down and he closed the book, "I guess I was wrong though...The Savior isn't real...and I'll never be saved." Tears collected in his eyes again…
"Or maybe you were just wrong. Maybe The Savior is still out there." Emma never should have said anything. Damn it. Adam looked up at her curiously and Emma knew she couldn't take it back...not with those puppy-eyes staring at her like that. "I mean...what if I'm not this 'Savior'."
"Not possible. The book-"
"The book tells you the story...it doesn't tell you the truth kid. Remember that."
Adam frowned, looking confused. "I don't get it...that doesn't make sense Emma."
Emma slid off the castle and stretched her long limbs then she went around to the slide and crossed her arms. "The book said The Savior isn't from the Enchanted Forest...Snow and Charming's first kid is though."
Emma's grin slowly grew as realization dawned on Adam, and his face lit up like Christmas. "Emma! You're a genius!"
Emma picked up his backpack and handed it to him, which he took gratefully—and he was looking much happier than he did before. "Makes you wonder who you really found doesn't it?" Emma teased, satisfied she cheered him up, but feeling a little guilty for once again pushing him back into the land of fairytales.
By the time Adam finished stuffing the book in his bag; Emma's words registered in his mind, but she was gone when he looked up.
SQ :: SWAN QUEEN :: SQ
SQ :: SWAN QUEEN :: SQ
Thanks for reading!
Monster Galore.