Authors Note: Thank you again to all you lovely people who took the time to write a review or favourite or follow this fic, it is massively appreciated!
Big treat for the weekend, two chapters in two days! I've just about finished chapters five and six and I can't wait to hear what you guys think of them!
Trigger Warnings: This chapter's suggests suicide and there is some self harm and alcohol abuse. Needless to say it's a divisive tool used in this chapter and won't continue in future chapters.
There's some salty language, some minor violence.
By The Prickling Of My Thumbs
By
Red Andraste
It'd been a whole day and night since Regina had told Emma she had stepped over the line in her attempts to suppress Regina's alter ago. Regina had kept herself busy with mayoral duties and avoided any contact with Emma. She felt incredibly guilty over the whole affair. It was she who asked for Emma's help in the first place and Emma, with her hero complex, had obliged without a second thought. Typical Emma, Regina thought with smile. Even all those years ago when she was trying to destroy her, Emma would still come to her rescue even when Regina thought she didn't deserve it.
Regina now understood what the Queen wanted; she wanted Emma in the most carnal of ways. It troubled her to no end. She was the Evil Queen once and to think a part of her wanted Emma in that way was unimaginable. She didn't quite understand why but she suspected it was likely the same reason she was drawn to Emma. Emma, the product of true love, the child born to break the curse she cast, the light in the darkness. It must have been through some perverse need to snuff that light out and an insatiable appetite for sex and violence that drove the Queen to pursue Emma in that way.
Regina rubbed at her temple with her hand as leaned over the counter of her kitchen nursing her forth glass of whisky. She eyed the chef's knife in the block. She could stop this in an instant if she had to. It would be so easy. She could take herself out and destroy the Queen for good. She shook that thought from her head as thoughts of Henry flooded her mind.
She flicked through her mother's spell book looking for something, anything that would help stop her alter ego from making an appearance. She had felt the Queen stirring inside her for the last hour and she knew it was only a matter of time before she lost control. She flicked to page towards the back of the ancient text. "I may not be able to stop you, but I can slow you down" Regina said aloud as she pulled the knife from the block and started to recite the incantation.
Emma had been keeping herself occupied with her sheriff duties although she found she had actually hidden in the Sheriff's station for most of the day for fear of bumping in Regina. That meant no Grannies for hot chocolate or bear claws and no seeing her mom and dad as Regina had requested Henry stay with them for fears over his safety. Neither Emma nor Regina had actually told the Charmings the real reason for Henry's stay, both suggesting he have some quality time with his grandparent for which Snow was characteristically ecstatic about and didn't ask any other questions.
Emma had been feeling equally guilty over her transgression the previous day. Emma reacted to situations as they happened. It was instinct, It was reflex. It was too easy to separate the Queen from Regina and ultimately, she thought she was hurting the Queen to save Regina. A necessary evil for the greater good. She hadn't considered the impact it would have on Regina. The thought of hurting Regina in that way made her feel dirty and ashamed. It hurt her more to think she had hurt someone she cared about.
Emma was sat in her office, boots propped up on the desk as she leaned back in her chair. Chewing the end of her pen, she absent mindedly flicked through the current case she was working on. The nuns had reported seeing strange glowing lights at the far edge of town on two consecutive nights last week. This wasn't unusual, this was Storybrooke after all. She considered that when the Evil Queen saga was over, she'd go have a word with Mr Gold who no doubt had some hand in it. If it wasn't Regina or Zelena's handy work, Gold was a sure bet.
Emma placed the file on the desk before placing her hands behind her head. She hadn't slept particularly well last night, replaying yesterday's events over and over in her head. The dull hum of her desk fan was proving mildly hypnotic as she felt her eyelids getting heavier and heavier.
Emma jolted with a start as Regina staggered into the Sheriff's station, slumping into the filing cabinet.
Emma darted over and grabbed Regina by the arms before she fell to the floor "Jesus Christ Regina! What happened?"
"I tried to stop her...too late" She said weakly. Emma grabbed Regina's hand to steady her. As she did, she felt a a sticky dampness seep into her own hand
Turning her hand over, Emma saw Regina's hand had a deep slash across her palm "Shit, you cut yourself?" Sniffing the air around Regina she detected the distinctly pungent odour of alcohol "And you've had a bath in whisky?!"
"Had too...had to try something...to...stop" she managed
"Alright your majesty, let's get that cut looked at and you less...shit faced" Emma slung Regina's arm over her shoulder and half walked, half dragged her to her office chair. She rummaged in the bottom of the filing cabinet producing a small first aid kit. She took Regina's hand, cleaning it gently with a sterile wipe before wrapping it in gauze, pausing every few seconds to push a swaying Mayor back into the chair to prevent her from falling.
Emma touched her cheek softly "Regina?, you still with me?"
Regina blinked slowly trying to refocus her eyes "Just about"
"Right, let's get you some coffee" Emma said as she turned to walk towards the coffee pot.
Regina stopped her, grasping her sleeve weakly "No, Emma, no time..."
"She's coming?"
Regina nodded slowly
"Regina, I can't...I can't do this...not again" Emma said shaking her head
"No other way..." Regina croaked out
"I can't hurt you again!" Emma shouted desperately to a now semi conscious Regina
"You won't..." Regina replied a small smile appearing on her face before she closed her eyes
"Regina!, Regina! Please don't make me do this!" Emma cried grabbing Regina's shoulders
As Regina slowly opened her eyes, the Evil Queen glared back at Emma.
"Hello dear..." The Queen slurred, blinking to refocus her eyes she grabbed the side of her desk and pulled herself to her feet swaying from foot to foot "Oh...it appears your Regina has been partaking in some rather sinful pleasures...of the bottle kind sadly not the flesh" The Queen eyed the Saviour dangerously "But that's why your here isn't dear?"
"You touch me and I will end you" Emma threatened
"Oh, why the change of heart dear? Two days ago you were lapping at my bosom like a hungry little lamb. No doubt if she hadn't interrupted us, you would have quite happily been lapping somewhere else..."
"You're one twisted fuck you know that?" Emma said clenching her jaw.
"A twisted fuck...hmmm...that would be more than satisfactory. But first, I can't very well have my sex without a little violence" The Queen rotated her hand summoning her magic. When a small wisp of smoke was all the Queen could produce, she looked at her hand dumbfounded. She rotated her hand again and again to no avail.
"Having performance issues your Majesty?" Emma smirked
"You dare mock me?!" The Queen hissed
"Yeah, what you gonna do? sass me to death?" Emma taunted
The Queen rotated her hand again but it had no effect "What did she do to me?"
"She must've spiked her booze...how about that huh? no more magic tricks for you" Emma jeered
The Queen shouted out in exasperation at her malfunctioning magic. Emma eyed her with amusement, shaking her head before moving towards her.
"So how about that violence now?" Emma said with a smirk practically throwing the Queen in the cage and slamming the door shut behind then.
Moving around Emma in a circle, hands splayed, the Queen eyed the Saviour dangerously.
"That's not very sporting now is it Saviour?, you with magic and me without?
"Ok, let's do this the old fashioned way" Emma said grabbing the Queen's arm, forcing around behind her back pushing her against the wall.
The Queen moaned low in her throat as she felt her other hand forced behind her before hearing the ratchet of cuffs as the steel bracelets were placed on her.
Spinning her around Emma placed her forearm across the Queen's chest.
The Queen chuckled slyly "This feels oddly familiar dear...ah yes...the hospital storage cupboard. You were vengeful, wild, full of rage, teeth bared and practically spitting acid. Honestly dear, I wasn't sure if you were going to kiss me or kill me" The Queen licked her lips seductively
"That's how I like my Saviour, unbridled, violent and dangerous. You wanted to fuck me then and you still want to fuck me now" moving her head to the left and looking over Emma's shoulder making an obvious show of checking out the Saviour's ass. She slowly moved her knee up and started to rub this up and down Emma's crotch.
Emma looked down before locking eyes with the Queen her breathing becoming more rapid.
"Now who's having performance issues dear?" The Queen smirked
"I know you're in there Regina" Emma pleaded
"Oh please!" the Queen laughed "I rather you were in me dear. Or maybe I can be in you?" she said biting her bottom lip seductively
"I won't give you what you want" Emma said defiantly
"Really?, I know you've had the darkness inside you, maybe you'd like me to put it back in hmmm?" The Queen purred
"I won't hurt you again" Emma stated
"You disappoint me Saviour, you know I like it rough" The Queen replied pushing her groin forcefully into Emma's
"Exactly" Emma said before moving her hands to gently cup the Queen's face. She sealed their lips, lightly.
"I won't hurt you Regina" Emma repeated and kissed her softly again. "You can hurt me, but I won't hurt you" She reached her hands behind the Queen and unlocked the cuffs as she kissed her again.
Emma felt the Queen's hands move up her arms and braced herself for barrage of violence the Queen would undoubtedly release on her. Instead the arms snaked around the back of her neck and pulled her body in, kissing back softly.
"Regina?" Emma said hesitantly as she pulled back from the kiss. Regina opened her eyes slowly looking straight into worried green eyes.
"Emma?" she said breathily
"You ok?" Emma asked placing her hand on her cheek
"Yes...I think so" Emma stepped back as Regina pushed off the wall unsteadily "Although I still think I'm a little inebriated"
Emma grabbed her by the elbow as she opened the cage and helped her back into the office chair "Yeah, I think you're still pretty canned. Probably a good thing she couldn't conjure that fireball, you would have lit up like the fourth of July" Emma said chucking softly
"Sorry. I know she's out of my control but I am sorry none the less" Regina said quietly
"You made it a lot easier for me, she didn't have any magic. You spiked your drink?" Emma asked
Regina nodded "A leeching spell, temporary but effective"
"You should have seen her face" Emma said smiling "Talk about a Kodak moment"
"Kodak?" Regina asked raising an eyebrow
"Er...and old saying from this world" Emma offered
"I'm sorry" Regina said simply
"It was an old advertising slogan..." Emma began
"No, not that. I'm sorry that I forced you to do something you didn't want to do" Regina confessed
"I didn't have a lot of choice" Emma stated flatly
"Did she hurt you?" Regina asked worriedly
"Only in a creeped out, I'm gona need to see Archie for a couple of counselling sessions kinda way" Emma said lightly
"I see...Listen Emma, I know we didn't part on good terms yesterday and that's my fault. I really tried to stop her myself this time but now I know I can't do it without you"
"Regina..." Emma started moving towards the Mayor
"I know I said it wasn't your fight but the truth is...I need you Emma. I've poured over a hundred spells in my mother's book but there's nothing..." Regina trailed off
"Nothing?..." Emma pressed
"...that is effective as what we've been doing" Regina finished
"And what are we doing Regina?" Emma asked "Apart from really screwing up our friendship"
Regina averted her eyes, looking to the floor.
"Regina look, you're still a little buzzed; I don't think you're really grasping the potential fallout from all of this" Emma stated placing her hand on Regina's shoulder
"You're right. Your friendship is too important to me Emma. I don't want to pressure you into doing anything that might jeopardise that" Regina stressed
"We really need to work together to find another way" Emma asserted
"Agreed. Call by my house later, I'll cook you dinner and we can talk about it then" Regina suggested
"Sure...you want me to give your drunk ass a lift home your Majesty?" Emma chuckled, affectionately bumping Regina's arm with hers.
Regina winced as she swayed on her feet "Actually, I need to swing by the office first"
Authors Note: Tiny spoiler, there's a smutty as hell scene coming up in Chapter 5! – the kinda scene you pray Lana and Jen won't hear about.
If you're good *cough* review *cough* and you want me to continue, I'll finish the chapter and post it up extra early!