A/N: This chapter is a bit shorter than the last two but is a nice transition between the Nationals and the Olympics. I can't believe two more chapters and this journey will be over but I can't wait to hear all of your thoughts on the remaining chapters.
Regina and Emma start prepping for the Olympics. Will they overcome their misunderstanding? Will they finally get together? Will they come up with a secret move for the Olympics? Stay tuned.
Emma knocked on Regina's door the day after they got home, Regina was unusually quiet on the trip home so they didn't have a chance to talk.
Regina opened the door and saw it was Emma she irritatedly questioned, "What is it, Miss Swan?"
Emma saw Regina had become the 'Ice Queen' again, was she really still pissed about being turned down? Emma cleared her throat nervously, "I was hoping we could talk."
Regina rolled her eyes, "What do you want to talk about how you left me the other night and went straight to Ruby Lucas? Because I for one have absolutely no desire to hear it."
Emma wrinkled her brow in confusion, "What are you talking about?"
Regina sighed, "Don't play coy with me, Savior."
"Uh Regina I'm not playing coy I seriously have no idea what you're talking about. After I left your room I went back to mine and tossed and turned for the rest of the night."
Regina huffed, "Oh so that's why I saw you two having breakfast together the next day, clearly after you had been together all night. And to think I was coming to find you to apologize!"
Emma couldn't believe that Regina thought that she had run to Ruby after she told Regina she had no interest in sleeping with Ruby. Emma was pissed and couldn't deal with this right now or she'd end up saying something she'd regret. Emma shook her head, "Yeah Regina I guess that's what you would see."
Regina stood there in her doorway madder than she had been before! How dare Emma play dumb with her. She'd show Emma at practice she felt some toe pick payback coming on.
The next day at practice Regina and Emma stood in front of Marco with their backs turned to each other. Marco knew something was going on between them but he had no idea what it was, he also had a bigger problem to focus on so he began explaining said problem to them, "So we have little problem. Well, we have to skip little problem because now we have big problem. What is big problem, coach? Smillkoff and Brewsky. Last night they win European Championship, perfect scores." Marco grabbed some drawings of moves he'd been working on for years and started placing them on the ice between Emma and Regina who still had their backs to each other. "Everyone has been blown away, contest is over, Smillkoff and Brewsky are unbeatable. So we have Italian Surprise Package, this is a possible solution but is probably too dangerous."
Just them Emma skated over and looked at the papers Marco had placed on the ice. She turned herself on her toe pick to stop and bent down to pick up one of the papers, "Where did these come from?"
Marco looked at Emma, "For 20 years I have been working on this but you know to have skaters that can do it is real trick. I've watched you two, I see how great you are together. I think maybe it's time."
Emma was still studying the paper in her hand, "What is this? Is this a bounce spin into a throw?"
After hearing that Regina skated over and looked at the sheet of paper over Emma's shoulder, "You can't do that."
Marco still looking at Emma said, "The key to this is the release there can be no halfway."
Regina was skating back to where she was before, "No you can't do it the move is illegal."
Marco chuckled and made a teetering motion with his hand, "Legale, illegale is gray area."
Emma finally looked up from the paper at Marco, "So a bounce spin into a throw twist and then I catch her?"
Marco scratched his head, "Uh sort of."
Regina looked at Marco with a stern face, "We can't do this."
Marco glanced at Regina, "Why not, we have all the pieces?"
Regina argued, "We have six weeks!"
Emma looked down at the paper again and then up at Marco, "We could call it the SwanQueen Twist."
Regina glanced sideways at Emma and it was the first time she had looked at her all practice. She was still upset about all that had gone down and was hoping avoidance would make her numb to the situation.
Marco gave Emma an approving smirk.
Regina said, "Absolutely not." Then looked between Marco and Emma just before she skated away.
Emma looked after Regina as she was skating away, "What you want it to be all of your name, like IceQueen Twist?" Emma knew the remark would burn Regina up, even though Emma still had deep feelings for Regina it still wasn't stopping her from throwing shade.
Regina turned around at that and glared at Emma.
Marco watched the reactions between them and then said, "Maybe is mistake."
As Marco reached for the paper in Emma's hands she pulled back, "No! This is good stuff I can do this."
Regina skated back toward Emma and Marco and she glanced at Emma, "Are you saying I can't, Miss Swan?"
Emma looked at Regina over her shoulder, "Hey if the shoe fits."
Regina ripped the paper from Emma's hand, "Look I have been competing for years and no one tells me what I can and cannot do!"
Marco looked between them again they fascinated him, there was always so much fire between them.
Regina skated away from them again as Emma decided to poke the bear once more by recycling a line Regina had once used on her, "Don't quit your day job!"
They immediately started working on the new move. Constantly working on the spinning and releasing. Emma was holding Regina by her ankles and spinning while trying to get her higher and higher. She had to get her high in order to properly release Regina into the throw. Over and over they practiced this move. Regina was constantly falling or being dropped, Emma fell backward if she leaned back too far, not to mention Emma's wrist hurt like hell from where the blade of Regina's skates kept cutting into it.
Cora and Marco looked on from the sidelines. Cora asked, "Are they going to get it?"
Marco responded without taking his eyes off of Emma and Regina, he constantly watched them to see what they were doing wrong, "Eventually."
Cora chided, "Before they kill each other?"
Marco yelled at Emma, "Release has to be higher. There is no hallway with this move. Halfway is bullshit! You go halfway you get hurt."
Regina fell to the ground once more the move was absolutely brutal on both of them but now that she'd started this she had no intention of giving up. Besides having the move to concentrate on she didn't have time to think about Emma or fight with her.
The practicing continued on into the weeks they had before the Olympics. Emma was now wearing bandages on her wrist from where Regina's skates had been cutting into it. Regina had fallen so many times that she was struggling to get up off the ice and Emma immediately skated over to help her up. Emma was grateful that they were so busy preparing she rarely had time to be mad anymore, if she was being honest with herself she hated being mad at Regina.
Marco again instructed them from the sidelines, "Higher much higher. We are needing an explosion."
Regina was laying on the ice once again yelping in pain each time her body hit the ice and Emma looked down at her to make sure she was ok. Regina had to admit she hated being mad at Emma. Regina was starting to soften again. She was unsure if it was them working together on this grand move or if her feelings for Emma were so strong she was starting not to care anymore if Emma had slept with Ruby. One thing was certain between them skating always brought them closer.
Cora walked into her office one night to find Regina sitting there alone, "Regina?"
Regina looked up at Cora, "I was just looking at the pictures of Daddy."
Cora smiled and took a seat beside Regina, "I can hear him now, 'The Olympics!' This is something he always dreamed of."
"I miss Daddy so much."
Cora nodded and put her arm around Regina, "Me too baby me too. Let me tell you there's nothing worse than not being with the one you love."
Regina smiled and shook her head, "Are we going to talk about Emma and I now?"
Cora shrugged, "Honey, I don't know why you won't believe Emma. If she said she didn't sleep with this girl then I'm sure she didn't sleep with her. The Emma I know is certainly not a liar."
Regina leaned against her mother, "I know. You know how stubborn I can be."
Cora chuckled, "Do I ever! Look, Regina, I'm not saying you have to talk to Emma right this second but you need to do something. I can tell you are both miserable being apart. Now come on darling up to bed you need your rest."
Regina extracted herself from her mother's arms, "I love you Mother, good night."
Emma sat in her room in the guest house watching a video of Regina and Jefferson from the last Olympics. She had heard so much about this epic mistake but had really never seen it. For research purposes, Emma decided watching it would be a good way to try and prepare. As Emma was watching the video she noticed something that just couldn't be so she backed the video up to check it again. This time there was no mistaking what Emma saw: Jefferson wasn't at fault for dropping Regina, Regina had a misstep while Jefferson was holding her up which caused him to lose his balance. Emma had no idea what to do with this information.
Just then Marco walked in, "Emma, what are you doing?"
Emma looked behind her, "I was watching the final performance with Jefferson and Regina."
Marco sighed, "So you know then?"
Emma nodded, "Why didn't you tell me before? Is this something I need to worry about? Will Regina throw me under the bus too?"
Marco took the remote from Emma and turned off the TV, "No. I didn't tell you because this is totally different situation. You and Regina have something special I have not seen in very many skaters. Trust is big and she trust you more than anyone, Emma don't you know?"
Emma wrinkled her brow in confusion, "Know what?"
Marco sighed, "Regina loves you, Emma."
And with that Marco walked away leaving Emma alone with her thoughts. If Marco saw it along with Ruby it must be true. Emma knew something had to be done she just didn't know what.
A/N: Was anyone expecting the former Olympics to be Regina's fault? Those that saw the original movie probably were but I'm interested to hear the thoughts of those that haven't. As always thanks for all the reviews and general wonderfulness I've received! Until next week!
