Regina gripped Emma's heart as if it was a piece of fruit, and held it close to her lips as though she meant to taste it. She let out a shuddery sob and lowered herself onto the leather couch, where she sat while she drank down the rest of Emma's scotch. All of the accusations that Emma threw in her face were well deserved, but crippling; she could no longer deny that she'd been unjustly cruel, or seek to place blame where blame was never due.
What Regina wanted, more than anything, was to undo her impulsive, terrible mistake, so that she could lie beside Emma at night without constantly being bombarded by gut wrenching guilt. She cradled Emma's heart and cracked open her book of spells, flicking through the pages in frantic dismay.
Some time around dawn, she shuffled up to the guest room and hovered in the doorway, watching Emma sleep. She approached the bed cautiously and sat down on the edge, where her feet couldn't touch the floor. With gentle fingers, she pressed Emma's heart back into place, and then dropped her head to the woman's chest to listen to it tick. Tears sprang to her eyes and she snuggled herself into Emma, remembering when she had laid her head on Daniel's breast in the same way, when she was so young and desperate to have him back.
She was desperate to have Emma back, too. Back the way she once was, before everything was ruined. "Please," she whimpered, hysterical and feverish from lack of sleep. "I'm sorry. Emma, please forgive me." She rambled, incoherent and sniffling, pleading with Emma and talking in circles. "… I'm so frightened. If you knew... if you really knew, you'd leave and you'd never come back... please..."
Emma felt slightly numb without her heart. All those swirling, intense emotions were dampened but not removed. She wasn't sure what she'd expected. Emptiness, perhaps. To become hollow. Only she wasn't. No, just numb. Enough for her to actually drift into a dreamless sleep. How long for she couldn't be sure, but she woke up the instant Regina pressed her head against her chest, and the wave of fresh pain told her the woman had evidently relocated her heart back inside her chest. Emma's breath was more of a gasp as she blinked back tears and adjusted to feeling everything full force again.
Maybe it was instinctual when she heard Regina sniffle, or maybe old habits died hard, but Emma's arms wrapped around the woman's small frame and clutched her close. Even after everything she put her through, the blonde couldn't bear to see Regina suffer. She loved Regina too much to ever truly want her miserable. "Shh… Shh… I've got you." Emma whispered against the woman's dark hair, and absently pulled the covers over her to cocoon them in a bubble of warmth. This was it. She could hear it in the tremble of Regina's voice, in her word choice, as if whatever secret she was keeping would send Emma right out of Storybrooke, where nobody except Henry could follow her. The truth was about to spill out and she braced herself as best she could as she clung to Regina.
"You have nothing to be afraid of, do you hear me? I'm not going anywhere," Emma whispered with conviction, and stroked slow, soothing circles up and down the brunette's back. "Don't push me away any more. Just tell me, and whatever it is we can face it together. Okay? It's time, Regina, let it out… Please, let it out. Keeping it locked away is only destroying us."
"Can't," Regina gurgled back pathetically. Shaking her head in distraught refusal, she tightened her grip on Emma and buried her nose in the savior's neck, sniffling and hiccupping. "No, no… I can't! I've ruined everything! We could have been happy, but I ripped all of the happiness out of us...all of the life. Out of me, Emma. I took it away, because I was scared." Her heavy head still lay on Emma's chest, and she quieted to listen to the soft beat, though it made her ache with grief and whine piteously. "The heart… its beat, I can still feel it," she deliriously whimpered, and then she settled in, as if the nonsense she'd spoken explained everything. She hung onto Emma drowsily and in her wife's reassuring, protective embrace, she became still and peaceful.
Emma pulled Regina closer as the woman became even more distraught, and listened to everything she tried to say. "You haven't ruined everything. We can still be happy." The hushed words were fierce as she pressed her cheek against the top of the brunette's head and breathed in the scent of the woman. There had been a few times when she'd witnessed Regina this way, and it was never over anything small. It worried Emma to realize she could literally hear the fear in the woman's voice, could feel it in the way her body tensed and gripped at her own. "I'm not going to run away, not from you and not from Storybrooke. I'm not that woman anymore. This is my home. You are my home."
"Mom?" Henry called out from the foot of the stairs. "I'm home. Are you up here?" He took the steps two at a time and went down the hall to the guest room. His brow furrowed in confusion and his mouth fell open in shock when he spotted his two mothers in bed together. "Moms? What's going on? Didn't you get divorced yesterday?" he asked in disbelief. "Anyway, I got a call from Grandma. She sounded like she was pretty close to tears. She asked me if I wanted to stay with her for a few days, and told me she'd come pick me up. I couldn't convince her not to come. I'll deal with her, but you two put some clothes on." He exited without waiting for an explanation, because he learned long ago that his parents were bizarre; more often than not, Regina showed Emma that she cared by arguing with her. When they were happy, their disputes rarely escalated to more than playful teasing, but they had always tried to get under each other's skin. In his mind, it made perfect sense that on the day of their divorce he'd find them in the same bed.
No sooner had Henry warned of Snow's arrival than the woman came through the front door, shouting "Emma!" At her back was a conflicted David, who frowned at his wife's rampant disregard for their daughter's independence.
"She and mom are upstairs in bed," Henry told them. "Want to go to the diner for breakfast? They could be a while. I think they're finally working it out..."
Emma's mind was racing with what little information she now had, but she was determined to figure out what had happened all those months ago. Though before she could even process the new development between them, their son burst through the door and Emma could only gawk at him as he assessed the situation and then took charge of it. Ever the little hero desperately trying to protect his family.
The second he was gone Emma shifted in bed to lay Regina down and then brushed the hair from her face. "Stay here, I'll deal with-" Snow's shriek cut her off and she cringed slightly and nodded towards the door. "We're going to get through this, together." Emma stroked her palm tenderly down Regina's cheek then pressed a tentative, soft kiss to her forehead before getting out of bed. It took her a moment to realize all her clothes were in the master bedroom and she hissed profanity under her breath before she remembered she could use magic. Rather than bring clothes to her, she pictured what she wanted to wear, and changed her outfit. In her haste out of the room, she failed to realize her shirt wasn't only on backwards, it was inside out.
"Hey mo-uh, guys." She frowned suspiciously as she caught sight of her dad and jogged down the stairs. At least her boots were on the right feet, even if the laces were untied. "What's going on?"
Mary Margaret had barely caught sight of her daughter. She was so focused on her pre-prepared speech as she turned around with, "Oh I'll tell you what's going on, you ca-"
David, who knew immediately that Emma would react badly to being told what she could do, and sensed the fight brewing, jumped in quickly with, "Your mother and I were wondering if we could talk."
Emma slowly made her way down the rest of the stairs and frowned as her son burst into laughter. "Talk about what?" She sighed out in exasperation.
"Maybe your shirt." Henry chuckled, then quickly fled outside, but not too far. He wanted to hear what was being said.
"You are in over your head with this, Emma!" Snow lectured, "And I am not going to stand by and watch you get hurt again. You've haven't tried counseling. If you plan to move back into this house, you'd better get some help, because the two of you behave like teenagers…You're both so impulsive, I never know what's going to happen. I may not look my age, but these past few days, I've felt it. I've been sick with worry for you…" Her strict mothering tone of voice seemed to intimidate even Charming, but he put a callused hand on his wife's shoulder to try to calm her down.
"I'm almost thirty-four years old!" Emma snapped back incredulously. "I get that you're concerned, but you have no right to come in here and tell me how to go about repairing my marriage." Honestly, sometimes she couldn't handle the way Snow smothered her. It was strange, still, to be lectured from her former housemate and friend.
"We aren't here to tell you what to do," David affirmed, keeping a gentle hold on his wife, in case Snow attempted to drag Emma out the front door. "But we are worried, which is why we wanted to check in, and then we'll be going right home. How are you doing? How's Regina?"
Emma cast a grateful look towards her father and even managed a slight smile.
As if on cue, Regina drifted down the staircase, without a care as to how unseemly she looked; her pajamas were wrinkled and her hair ruffled. She stood barefoot on the bottom step, gripping the railing and staring at her extended family. "We're fine," she authoritatively insisted, although she felt nauseous from giving her hasty confession. "I'm going to make Henry breakfast and put on a pot of coffee." She breezed by Emma and into the kitchen, where she cracked eggs in a frying pan and toasted slices of bread until they were browned and crisp.
"We were just talking," Emma added. "That's all," she emphasized, as Snow pointedly looked at her shirt and she finally noticed the issue. Quickly, the blonde pulled it off and sorted it as Regina announced her presence and declared they were fine. More than anything, Emma wanted to believe they were, but she knew it would take time. She worried that the interruption would mean they were back to square one, and she panicked slightly because she couldn't just ask. Especially right then. She smoothed her hands down her shirt and glanced tentatively towards Regina. The woman managed to look every bit the queen she was, even with red eyes, standing in frumpy pajamas that were too big for her. Emma watched her float right by them and might have let her gaze linger. She didn't blame Regina. Even she blonde didn't want to deal with her parents.
The night and day difference in Regina's behavior didn't sit well with Snow or David, and they exchanged a silent glance which meant they would stick around. "I wouldn't mind having a cup of coffee," David said, inviting himself to breakfast, and following Regina into the kitchen.
Without remark, Regina poured coffee into the mug Charming most often chose when he came over for breakfast in the past; she handed the drink off to him and then went about setting the table.
As David sat down with his cup of coffee, Emma tilted her head back to groan at the ceiling. Why was this happening? Couldn't her parents just leave and let them talk? The blonde resisted the hissy fit as she caught sight of her son sneaking back into the house, and narrowed her eyes at him. "Eavesdropping?" She accused lightly, though she wasn't mad. If anything she actually understood where he was coming from. His family had been torn apart and now, with any luck, Emma was finally managing to stitch it back together.
Henry followed Snow into the kitchen and sat next to her so that Emma didn't have to. She gave his hair a slight tousle but didn't bother to sit down. Instead she moved to the fridge and took out the carton of half and half, and as casually as she could, made Regina a cup of coffee and then made her own. Only then did she sit down. "So, Henry said he was staying with you for a few days. Doing anything fun?" Emma knew it was a futile attempt at normal conversation, but when your mother could communicate with birds, you just had to accept that 'normal' would never last long.
"The festival is this weekend," Snow explained, as she lifted her cup of coffee to her lips. For all of her indignation and criticism, she appeared to be content to sit down as a family; she threw a few guarded glances at Regina, saw the dark circles underneath the woman's eyes, and wondered when she last slept. Emma, for her part, looked rested but on edge, as if she was afraid she'd be told to leave at any a moment's notice. "I don't for a minute think that everything is okay between you just because you're calm and sitting at the same breakfast table. You have a lot to discuss if you want to fix this. We'll be going as soon as I finish this cup of coffee, but you both need to promise me that if you need support, you'll call. I took the liberty of scheduling you a session with Dr. Hopper. Your two-year anniversary is in a week. Consider it my gift to you."
"I'd completely forgotten about the festival," Emma said to herself quietly, and as her eyes found Regina her mind offered up the brilliant idea of asking the brunette later, if she'd like to go with her. Whether or not she'd be rejected didn't sway her. Strained as their relationship was she understood that if she wanted to repair it, she had to start at the foundations. Perhaps, slowly and surely, she could get them back to where they once were, and a date would be a good start to show the woman she was serious about her, right? That she could do it, start all over, because Regina was worth it. They were worth it. Snow cut into Emma's thoughts and the blonde frowned at her. How dare she book them a session with Archie. They hadn't even had the chance to broach the subject themselves. This could ruin everything. Why couldn't her mother see that? Rather than chew Snow out at the table, the blonde vowed to speak to her later.
Emma was all too aware of their rapidly approaching anniversary and she licked her lips nervously as she cradled her cup of coffee between her palms. Every relationship had its ups and downs, right? But if you loved someone, you never gave up on them, especially when they'd given up on themselves. This entire time Emma had thought Regina had been punishing her, but after holding her, hearing her almost break, she was starting to think the brunette had been punishing herself this whole time. Regina was the strongest person she knew, but sometimes Emma forgot under it all, she was also the most vulnerable.
"I got you a leaf blower for your anniversary," David added, to dispel some of the tension in the air.
"How thoughtful," Regina dryly replied, breaking a long and meditative silence. "David, I'll use your gift in the fall. Snow, I'll use yours when hell freezes over."
What Emma expected was an argument, but what she witnessed was a glimpse of the Regina she'd missed the past year. Laughter bubbled up and spilled from Emma's lips to land in her mug as she raised it to her lips. The corners of her eyes crinkled as she looked between Regina and her mother while she took a large gulp of the hot liquid. It burned down her throat and thawed the lingering chill of last night out of her system.
"You're welcome," Snow beamed, not for a moment fazed by how Regina accepted her present. She drained the rest of her mug, placed it in the sink, and then stopped to kiss the top of Emma's head. "We'll see you in a few days."
Henry, meanwhile, scarfed down what remained of his breakfast and plodded after Charming to the door. "Bye, moms. I'll call you later to check in."
For a moment things felt like it used to be, and Emma leaned back in her chair to smile at mother as she got up, she gave her father a nod and then without thinking she called after Henry, "Have fun kid, we love you."
Then it was just her and Regina, and suddenly Emma felt her son's age as her stomach fluttered from nerves. Her palms began to sweat and she absently wiped them down her jeans before standing up to cast a soft glance Regina's way. "I think you should go back to bed." The blonde said quietly, and stuffed her hands into her back pockets because she wouldn't assume she had the permission to join. "Why don't I make us breakfast, and I'll bring yours up when it's ready?" Emma wasn't going to push for any more answers today. As far as she was concerned this morning had been a breakthrough. The first beam of light to pierce through the dark clouds that had blocked out her sun for months. "After I eat I'm…" Emma cleared her throat, cast her gaze to the wall, and shrugged slightly. "I'm going to go to Marco's to get a new beam for the headboard. It'll be good as new in an hour."
Regina deposited her mug in the sink and slipped her arms in front of her, loosely hugging her ribcage. "Yes, alright," she whispered, although previously she would never have consented to eat anything Emma prepared. She glided away from Emma and up the stairs to the bedrooms, but rather than enter the master suite, she curled up under the blankets in the guest room, where Emma had slept most of the night. With the scent of Emma all around her, she was able to keep calm long enough to rest if not to sleep; she clutched a pillow close to her chest and focused on slowing her breath, without giving in to her rising panic.
Emma might still be learning to cook full on meals but she had pancakes down. So when Regina was gone, she quickly mixed up the batter, then grabbed an apple out of the fruit bowl. She sliced it thinly then cut it up so it looked almost shredded, and added it to the mix. All in all, once she'd gotten everything plated It wasn't particularly fancy. Just a couple apple pancakes and scrambled eggs, but it smelled damn good. Emma took the plate up to Regina and paused in the doorway just to look at the woman. She seemed so small under the blankets, and the blonde felt momentarily helpless. "Hey, I'll leave this here for when you want it. I'll be back within the hour, okay? If you need anything I have my cell, but try to rest. I know… this morning wasn't easy for you, and I… I just want to say thank you, for trying to open up to me. You have no idea what it means to me."
Emma set the plate down on the bedside cabinet and jogged down stairs. She quickly ate her own breakfast, brushed her hair and tied her boots before grabbing her jacket and car keys and rushing outside. Ten minutes later and she was standing awkwardly inside Marco's workshop trying to explain the kind of wooden beam she needed without actually saying it was for a headboard. "Just you know, a sturdy plank of wood, maybe three or four inches wide, about this length…" Emma held her arms apart as her cheeks reddened. "Something that isn't going to break or splinter when I hammer it back into place. I only need the one..."
Old though he was, the way Marco blinked at her then nodded, well, it was clear he'd put two and two together. "Ah yes… I have some spare in the back from other things. I'll go get one, please, sit," he said with a slight nod and smile, and then vanished from sight.
Across town, Regina stared dully at the dark underside of her blanket, unwilling to budge from her safe hiding spot. Her stomach was rioting from hunger, but she when she finally sat up, she left her breakfast untouched and rushed from the bedroom. If she could only undo the wrong she had done, she would be able to live herself and save her marriage.
She moved into the hall with a rapid step, hurrying down the stairs and into her study, where she pulled out all of the spell books that had been part of her mother's estate. Paging through the tiny volumes, she earmarked all of the spells that might be helpful, but none of them stood out as a viable solution to her problem. As she tried one after the next, she realized her efforts were in vain. Her magic appeared to have deserted her in her time of need. Her frustration grew until she flung back the cover of the oldest book and began to inhale the words from the yellowed parchment. She whimpered in discomfort as the thick, purple lettering went through her nostrils and down into her throat. Her eyes darkened to a shade of violet, catching the light with their luminescent glow.
But after she started, she couldn't stop. The book, once full of flourishing script that detailed ancient incantations, emptied itself wholly into her.
Regina collapsed gasping on the floor, and pinpricks of black spotted her vision as she floundered, reaching for the cordless phone that sat on her desk. Her fingers dialed Emma's number, but she lost her grip and fell back on the floor, shutting her eyes as a wave of nausea overwhelmed her.
In Marco's woodshop, Emma was hit by a pulsing wave of magic.
Emma saw Marco return and stood up, but as she reached him a wave of dizziness struck and she felt her body tingle all over. It robbed her of her breath and she gasped sharply and pressed one hand against her forehead. "Did you feel that?" she asked, then froze, wide eyed. That… That wasn't her voice… Emma reached out to steady herself and panic erupted within her chest. Those weren't her hands... And her clothes felt incredibly restricting, especially around her shoulders. Even her toes pushed uncomfortably against the inside of her boots, like she was wearing a size too small.
Marco looked stricken, but thrust the long strip of wood into her hands. "Take it, no charge." he mumbled, because what else could he say when he just witnessed the Sheriff change before his very eyes? "Perhaps The Blue Fairy can help?" he suggested softly.
"I… I gotta go," Emma stuttered out between anxious breaths. "Don't uh, mention this to anyone, please." She added as she fled the shop and threw herself into her car. She squeezed herself into the driver's seat and winced as her knees hit the dashboard. With a quick adjust she settled in, but as the engine roared to life she caught sight of herself in the mirror and began to hyperventilate. "This can't be happening." She croaked, only her voice was deeper, husky, and she watched her Adam's apple move as she swallowed thickly. "Why is this happening?" she yelled at her mirror self, and took off down the road, completely breaking the speed limit.
The car barely stopped moving before she jumped out of it and raced towards the mansion. Regina would know what to do. Had someone cursed her? Oh shit, what if someone had cursed her? The blonde swung the gate open and barely made it two steps before something grabbed her arm. "What the-" she grunted, and turned to see the hedge snake over her bicep, curling further towards her shoulder as it started to tighten like a python around her. The sharp twigs pierced her shirt and bit into her flesh and she let out a cry of protest while tugging her arm back. It felt like it was going to rip right out of the socket as she raised her left hand to claw at the plant. "Get off me you son of a bitch!" And though it wasn't rational she started to punch the part that had snared her arm, with utter disregard to how it hurt her. Between the blows and the pulling, she managed to break free and almost fell on her ass scrambling away from the damn thing.
"What the hell is happening!" she bellowed as she got to her feet and all but crashed through the front door just to slam it shut. As if somehow that would protect her, or solve the madness taking place. "Regina! Regina I need your help! Something's happened!" Blood seeped through her torn sleeve but the pain was barely registered as adrenaline spiked her bloodstream.
"What?" Regina choked out, though her strained throat was constricted and prevented her from projecting her voice; she eased up from the floor and steadied herself on the couch before attempting to hobble out of the study. "Emma, is… that you?" She went into the foyer and started at the sight of Emma's very manly appearance. The savior's snug jean pants were ripped and tattered from the sudden change in musculature, but she recognized Emma immediately. "I may have cast a spell... or two?" she guiltily admitted.
She lowered herself into a chair, overcome with dizziness from the amount of magical energy she expended. "I can undo this," she promised. "I just need to regain my strength." She sat hunched over and waited for the feeling to pass, but the longer she waited, the more drained she became. Dazed, she blinked up at Emma and weakly stretched out her hand, silently reaching for her wife.
"You cast a spell…" Emma dumbly repeated, and thumped heavily down next to Regina.
Regina leaned into her true love and found it strange to be so small in comparison. The book was very old, it wasn't supposed to do... that. I don't know why it affected you." Her hand lifted weakly to wave at the transformed blonde, and she caught herself muttering, "You need a shave." The faint hint of amusement that touched her lips vanished as her eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry," Regina whispered, shifting to sit in Emma's lap and touching the savior's chin. "I can fix it once I've rested. You won't be stuck like that," she promised, the first of her tears finally spilling.
Twisted as it was a wave of relief ran through Emma as the brunette settled on her lap, and she wrapped her arms around the woman's waist as she breathed out, "Oh thank Christ, I thought someone had cursed me." It was ridiculous, really, but she found herself laughing as if a weight had been lifted. It could be reversed. It was going to be okay. "Yeah along with new clothes, these are cutting into me like a bitch," she rumbled, and buried her face in dark hair to calm herself down. The conversation might have been absurd to anyone else, and later Emma would be asking why the hell Regina had been casting spells, but as the brunette burst into tears she prioritized what was important, and right then it was comforting her wife.
Regina began to sob and threw her arms around Emma's neck, her tiny body heaving and trembling as she repeated, "I'm sorry… "
Emma's large hands stroked the length of Regina's back and she murmured quiet words of comfort and reassurance. Though between the gentle weight of the woman, and the movement as Regina cried, the blonde shifted uncomfortably until she realized just what the hell was going on. "No, no, no, no…" She whispered to herself, and winced as the already tight fabric began to feel a little tighter. "This can't be happening," Emma blurted, and with a pained look tried to slide Regina off her lap. "I uh, I need you to let me up," she said gruffly, and finally managed to stand up, her face flushed. "New clothes," Emma stated, as if that answered for her strange behavior.
Oblivious to certain problems of Emma's new anatomy, Regina rose from the savior's lap and sniffled back the unwanted tears. "What will you wear? We have nothing in the house. You could give your father a call, but if your mother finds out, we'll never hear the end of it…"
"No!" Emma shouted, then winced at how loud her voice was. "I really don't want anyone else to know. It's bad enough I traumatized Marco… on the bright side his best friend's a shrink. There has to be something I can wear - "
Regina unbuttoned the shirt Emma was wearing and pushed it back over the savior's shoulders, revealing the broad chest that was underneath. "What about those loose sweat pants you always wear? Those might work. I'll go fetch them."
Emma released the kind of sigh typically reserved for taking her bra off at night when the shirt was pushed free. She could actually feel the circulation improve across her shoulders and under her arms. "Thank you," she sighed gratefully, and her face lit up at the mention of her sweat pants. "Yes," she agreed quickly, "Those should work."
In the past, Regina tried to get rid of the baggy pair of sweat pants, but Emma always snuck them back into the drawer, determined to keep them for lazy afternoons. She located the pants in Emma's luggage, and returned downstairs with them slung over one shoulder. "Go on then," she said, handing the sweat pants to her wife. "Would you like me to look away?"
Emma kicked off her boots and wiggled her toes. At least they weren't ruined. She just wouldn't be wearing them any time soon. Maybe her sneakers would still fit. She took the sweatpants with a slight grin, and then froze like a deer caught in headlights when the brunette waited for her to change.
"Well?" Regina turned to one side to afford Emma some small bit of privacy, and sighed when the familiar tingle of her magic coursed through her fingertips. "Are you alright?" she asked.
Emma swallowed thickly, only to release a breath as she struggled out of her ripped jeans without actually looking down. As far as Emma was concerned that whole area was the new bermuda triangle, and as such, she was not going anywhere near it. Except, she realized with a strange kind of unease, she felt weird standing as a man in panties. With a grimace she shut her eyes and stepped out of them, and hurriedly pulled on her sweat pants. "So much better." Though she was unaccustomed to standing around downstairs without a top on, and while there was nothing to cover, exactly, she still folded her arms self-consciously across her chest as if she were a woman. "You can turn around now," she murmured, and wondered if she'd get used to the deepness of her voice.
"I prefer you as a woman but I would be lying if I said you weren't an attractive man. At least I didn't do anything horribly disfiguring with my magic... - oh, but it does seem you have a little problem." Regina arched a brow as she glanced down at the stiffness in Emma's sweat pants. "I suppose that is also my doing. Perhaps you should go upstairs and take care of that, dear."
Emma's brow furrowed as Regina spoke, and she followed her gaze only to cringe. "I wouldn't call that little." She muttered under breath with annoyance. Emma felt embarrassment spread across her neck like a rash, but it didn't stop her from glaring at the brunette as she spat incredulously, "If you're suggesting what I think you're suggesting then you're out of your damn mind."
"Well, if you have better ideas of how to get rid of that, I'll leave you to it." In a few quick strides, Regina moved off towards her study, making it clear she had no intentions of helping. "This is yet another instance in which I'm betting you wish you were a more attentive student. You could have cloaked yourself in your true form or transformed back all on your own. If I can't figure out a solution, we'll go see Rumpel," she huffed.
"You can't honestly be blaming me for being stuck like this, I didn't do it!" Emma sputtered, and then let out a growl of frustration as she bent over to grab her clothes, ruined as they were, and stomped up the stairs.
Regina imagined that Rumpel would be smug to see them both, coming in together and with Emma as a man; he might chauvinistically assume that this was a way she achieved sexual gratification. She sank into the leather chair behind her desk, but instead of flipping through another spell book, her fingers touched upon two small vials of clear liquid she kept stashed in the back of her drawer. She clutched the vials for a long time before she remembered what she was supposed to be doing.
With a sigh, she shoved the vial away and examined the journals filled with unusual runes and languages. After a period of fruitless searching, she went upstairs to her bedroom and called out to Emma, "I need to shower and get dressed. It seems we'll have to go see Rumpel, after all. I'm not sure I'll be able to cast a spell without it having some more damning consequence."
It was incredibly uncomfortable for Emma on several different levels as she walked into the bathroom meant for guests. The sight of her reflection startled her for a split second before she realized it was her, and she glared at herself. Her face looked grizzled with blonde stubble, her strong jaw was emphasized and her features were definitely masculine. The only thing that remained the same was her eyes, and she sighed as she dropped her clothes. "I can't walk around commando," she said to herself, as if talking aloud would help her think. It didn't hurt, but in her current state it was… peculiar, to say the least. Almost like having a conversation with a stranger.
Impulsively, Emma picked up her panties and shut her eyes, focusing entirely on the fabric in her hands as she pictured what she wanted. When the familiar tingle of magic shot through her, she released a heavy breath and opened one eye to peek at the result. "So I still have magic," she breathlessly whispered. At least that was something. Regina's spell hadn't affected her powers.
Emma stepped out of her sweat pants for a second time without looking and quickly pulled on her new white cotton boxer briefs. Only then, once she was fully covered, did she glance down. The blonde let out a strangled cry of, "Why won't you go away!" As if her new anatomy could give her all the answers. Instead it just remained there, straining against the snug fabric, but at least it was kept in place, and once she pulled her sweat pants back on, she was happy to discover it was concealed too. At least she could walk around without the added embarrassment of worrying about that.
Completely intent on ignoring it, Emma opened the medicine cabinet and pulled out some cotton pads and antiseptic liquid then turned towards the mirror. The cuts and scrapes along her arm had stopped bleeding but they looked messy regardless. Quick fingers turned on the hot water and she filled the sink before dipping a face cloth into the water. Emma washed the dried crimson of her skin then sloshed the cotton with the antiseptic liquid. The first touch caused a snarled hiss of pain to squeeze out between her clenched teeth, but she carried on until she was done. She stepped back to grab a towel to dry her arm and blinked. Could it…? She pulled the waistband of her sweat pants out and glanced down, then grinned. "Yeah you didn't like that, did you?" She said smugly, and sauntered into the bedroom just as Regina began to strip.
Regina undid the buttons on her pajama top and slipped off her flannel bottoms. "Get ready," she sighed. "I'll only be a moment in the shower and then we'll go. Rumpel will know how to handle this."
"Rumple, seriously? I thought you said you could undo this?" Emma waved her arms towards herself, even as her eyes trailed down Regina's back and lingered on the shapely hips and perfect roundness of her-
The bathroom door shut with a click and Emma jolted slightly. She felt the telltale stirrings of pressure and shut her eyes. Then she groaned low in her throat like a whiny child and grimaced. "Not again!" Emma sat heavily on the edge of the bed and placed her hands on her knees. She took several deep breaths then shook her head. "Alright, let's do this."
Several minutes later and the sounds of heavy panting interspersed with the odd grunt and groan filled the bedroom. A faint sheen of sweat covered Emma's body, and she bent forward slightly with a gasp. "Just a little more…" The muscles in her arm strained and her hand threatened to cramp from her grip. "That's it…" She husked, her tone laced with excitement. Then, with a slight thrust forward, the wooden beam slotted into place and the bed frame stood proudly once again. Emma stood up and wiped her hands down her pants with a look of pride on her face, then she removed the moisture from her brow with the back of her hand. "So…" She panted quietly, and peeked inside her sweat pants again, "Manual labor kills the mood too. Good to know."
No sooner did Emma finish "killing the mood" than Regina paraded across the bedroom in nothing but a towel; she approached Emma and stood on her tiptoes to kiss the blonde, although she hesitated for a moment, wishing that her true love was in true form. "Thank you for fixing what you broke," she murmured.
Emma understood Regina's initial reluctance to touch her. Hell, she wasn't even ready to glimpse at herself fully, she couldn't imagine how weird it must be for Regina to look at her let alone kiss her. Though she did grin brightly, a combination of being thanked, feeling proud at pleasing her wife by fixing what she could, and the kiss because that was the second in two days. With the added bonus of knowing the second one wasn't even about manipulation. Really, when there had been nothing for ten months, Emma saw it only as a good sign. "I know you adored that headboard." Emma mumbled softly as if to explain her actions. "I'll paint it to match the rest later, but for now at least it's back in one piece."
"I appreciate it," Regina breathed. "And I'm going to try to do the same with our relationship. I'm hoping there's a way to repair it, in spite of what I've done. If in the end you don't forgive me..." She let her voice fade, unable to consider what the consequences would be; she needn't know what the future would bring to guess that she'd act drastically and on impulse, but she wanted to believe that she would be capable of overcoming instinct, in favor of embracing rationality.
Regina looped her arms around Emma and hung on, staring deeply into Emma's eyes.
As Regina's arms secured around the savior, and the fresh scents of soap that clung to her skin invaded her senses and Emma couldn't help the way she inhaled deeply. "Hey…" Emma's voice was a low, husky rumble as she bent forward to wrap her arms around the small woman and pull her close; it felt strange to have Regina pressed against her muscled chest, even though it felt like the most natural thing in the world to be holding her. "I might not know what's happened but I do know part of being human is doing some extreme things when we're afraid. I mean, we've all done things we aren't proud of, but it's not what defines us, it's what we choose to do after them. Right? And you, choosing to try and fix this, trying to open up to me? That's what counts, Regina."
Regina's eyes were soft and full of doubt, but she shut them and concentrated on the comfort of being in Emma's arms. She wanted to believe Emma, but how could she when the savior didn't have the whole story?
AN: So it's pretty clear by now what Regina did, although Emma's very slow on the uptake and the temporary distraction caused by Regina's magic kept them from fully getting an opportunity to discuss it. But now is a good time to say there's multiple secrets she's been keeping, and the second won't be revealed until later, although there have been hints.
Thank you very much for reading and reviewing, especially to people who have come back several times - casrinator & RavenLClaw, and probably a few of our guests. Your feedback is important.
I also want to address a few comments we received about Emma and Regina's behavior. I'll just say, the fight that took place in the last chapter is the first time Emma has stepped up to defend herself in months. So, yes, the last chapter might have been painful & there's certainly more angst ahead, but there will also be humor/romance, and this is ultimately about Regina and Emma reconnecting, in spite of their serious trust issues.