I'm sorry in advance! Violence warning**
"What the hell was that about?"
He rushed over to his son, examining the blooded lip.
"I don't know, she's a jealous maniac. I was just dancing with her friend harmlessly and she came over and punched me."
"Don't worry, we'll get to the bottom of this. Go and get cleaned up, okay?"
"Yeah, I'll be back." He was still touching his lip as it walked away. Damn she could punch, it hurt like a bitch.
Regina was searching everywhere for Emma.
"Let's think like Emma, where would I go in a house I didn't know with people I don't know and I'm upset?" She remembered this secluded area in the backyard people don't usually go but just her luck people were filling that area up with no Emma in sight.
She checked the kitchen, even the bathrooms, the car, the backyard and even the closet.. Panic was rising, she just wanted to find her. She called her with no answer. Not even a sound to follow. She was dialing again when she ran into him.
"Hey, watch were you're going, lady!" It was when he looked up he saw her. "Oh, it's you."
"And it's you. Didn't know I walked into hell today but here I am."
He snorted. "God, I cannot believe they actually wanted me to be your date today. I had my ideas but now I'm convinced they're actually insane."
"What do you mean they? And my date? Never in a billion years."
"I mean your mother and my father wanted us to be a thing. Told me you were lonely, could use me as your arm candy and to maybe warm up your sheets later." He was getting eerily smitten and ended it with a smirk.
She just laughed in his face. "Trust me, the last thing I am is lonely and I most certainly don't need you to warm up my sheets, I already have someone quite capable of that and more. Now if you don't mind, you can stay out of my way and I'll stay out of your way before I inflict any more damage to you."
He moved to the side with his hands surrendering as he let her pass. "Just know this won't be the last of it."
"Oh, I'm counting on it." She walked up the stairs leaving him to go attend the party once again while she continued her search. What bothered her so much she ran? She wanted to know and she wanted to know more about Emma in general. It was this moment she realized she wanted to know her inside out, she wanted to protect her as well as support her in whatever came shooting towards her.
She thought it was a shot in the dark checking her room, she walked and searched to find it was empty. Just a dead end again. She collapsed on her bed but felt the breeze coming in through the window. She wanted to not care, to shut off every emotion in her body that was making her feel helpless and ashamed for not finding her, for not being there for her in whatever she was going through. A million thoughts were going through her mind as a sob broke out through her whole body. It was hurting, it was like she was feeling her pain and even more pain that didn't seem like hers to feel. Her body must've not registered being inside and the abnormal breeze it was feeling with the window that was opened.
"Regina?"
There was a sniffle as she looked over and saw the blonde, red face and cried out eyes looking at her from outside the window.
"I see you've found my escape place." She ended with a laugh and slight, tired smile.
"I did.. I guess?" She offered her strongest smile she could. "You coming out?"
The brunette nodded as she made her way out the window, feeling like a teenager again.
"I see you've found my escape when I was younger. How did you know this was my room?"
"There's a gigantic portrait of a horse by your bed, Regina. Don't get me wrong, your mother may love them but she doesn't seem like the kind of person that would love them that much."
Regina couldn't help but agree.
"This was your escape place?" The blonde asked.
"When I lived here and I was feeling trapped I'd come out to the only place I could. To this day it's still relaxing but this house still seems to embody the pain." She remembered the fights and the urges to just end it all but her fight that made her continue through it all.
"So, do you want to tell me what happened down there?"
Emma took a deep breath and just said fuck it. Maybe she'd see her just as he sees her and she'll think less of her and not want anything to do with her after this or maybe she'll be kinder and understanding and now she'll know why she had been behaving like this, how much it affected her and still hurts sometimes. The only thing Emma knew was that she wouldn't find out if she didn't tell her.
Regina saw her internal struggle she seemed to be having and it was like she felt it too. She slowly scooted next to Emma a little more and grabbed her hand, rubbing her thumb against it lightly to get her attention, when Emma finally looked up Regina gave her the okay to tell her the story, letting her know she wasn't going anywhere and that seemed to help Emma for the moment.
"We met in Arizona when I was 20. He bumped into me with his coffee one morning and said "you have the most beautiful eyes" before introducing himself. We started talking and more and more I forgot about the spilled coffee and actually started falling for him. I thought he got me, I thought someone finally saw me and things were starting to look up. Clearly I was wrong. We hit a rough patch and started stealing for money, it was wrong, I know, but it was from the wealthy to help us survive. Long story short he had me rob this pawn shop that ended up being his dad's. I was greeted with him and his friends laughing at me," her voice cracked as remembered that night and how dumb she felt and feels now reliving it all over again.
Regina let go of her hand and wrapped her arm around her, pulling her in tightly, wanting to take away her pain if only she could.
"They told me I was dumb for doing it for love. He laughed and was just happy he got a good fuck out of me, it was all a game for him. I couldn't move, I wanted to run out of there and never look back but I couldn't move." The tears were rolling down her face as she could only hold tight onto the brunette embrace.
"It was all a game to him. I was just a worthless orphan. He was never in love with me he just played me for all of their entertainment. Since there was a silent alarm they knew about and I didn't I got caught in the shop after they left and I was still glued, trying to take in everything that happened. There were other charges I was picked up on because he reported them so I served my time and after got the hell out of Arizona and never looked back. I never wanted to see him again. But of course, there he is."
Regina was holding her just right as her other hand was running through her blonde hair, trying to keep her calm as possible.
"Emma for what it's worth please know I punched him."
"You what?!"
Regina bowed her head and cleared her throat then looked up away from Emma looking at the sky and anything but her face, "yeah, I uh.. punched him."
There was silence until she finally gave in and looked at Emma.
"Why?" Emma was calm, just inquisitive.
"Why what?"
"Why did you punch him?"
"I had a feeling and the way you stormed off clearly seemed like he upset you and he's Neal.. I was tired of his smug face, it just happened and all I could think about what was he could've said to you because I wanted to hurt him more but I wanted to find you and make sure you were okay so I left it at that.."
Emma pulled Regina in for a hug that lasted longer than she would've thought since neither wanted to pull away. It was something that felt right and after that incident, this feeling was something they both needed. It was like their souls were calm with each other in that moment. No anxiety, no pain, just this moment with their hearts beating calmly to the same rhythm.
"Thank you, Regina. I know that was a big thing to do, thank you for caring." She spoke while she was still intact with her.
"I'd do it all again," was all she replied breathily.
Emma looked into her eyes for sincerity and she found it.
Regina took a deep breath before proceeding. "What do you say, Emma? You ready to be a witness to a murder?"
"And here I was thinking I had to push some annoying baboon in a pool accidentally when you're the true troublemaker here."
"I never said I wasn't, darling. Technically, you still could if you wanted to, we'd make quite the duo," she said with a wink and light squeeze of Emma's hand with a genuine smile.
"I think we already do. I brought the chaos and you brought your fist, really starting this party off right, I'm sure your mother is going to love hearing about this."
"You didn't bring chaos! Neal is just, well, Neal. If I had the ability to, I'd send him down a rabbit hole. And my mother.." She trailed off, getting more anxious about the consequences of her actions, not knowing how to explain it just yet.
Emma watched as her eyes flickered, toning down. She knew she was going to protect her, no matter the cost at this point.
"You had my back and now I have yours, Gina."
A soft chuckle escaped Regina's mouth.
"Hey, what was that for?" Emma asked, jokingly hitting her shoulder in the process.
"You called me Gina," looking her way, struggling to hide her smile.
"Yes, short for Regina."
"I know what it's short for," she spoke not skipping a beat while rolling her eyes. "What I can't believe is that you just called me that."
"Did my Gina just roll her eyes at me? I *know* she's far too elegant to do such a rather bratty thing if I say so myself!"
And then they were laughing, hopelessly.
"Oh now you're in for it! You did not just call me bratty, Miss Swan!" In a second her hands were all over Emma trying to find her tickle spots and as usual, succeeding.
"Giiiiiiinnaaaaaaaa! Oh my god, you're such a!" And then she was laughing too hard to speak.
"I'm such a what? Sorry, not hearing anything!"
Emma was squirming and laughing so hard her stomach was beginning to hurt. And hearing Emma laugh only made Regina burst out too. The room was filled so much joy that all the anxieties soon to follow were out in the hallway. Literally.
Then there was a throat being cleared.
Neither of them noticed.
Then louder, she cleared her throat again.
Nothing changed, they were in their own little blissful world. And they loved it.
"Goddammit, Regina Mills!"
Her head looked behind her so fast Emma thought it snapped. Her hands were revoked, staying in her lap safely.
"Glad to see you're having fun with your plaything, just minutes after punching the son of a very, very powerful man in our business, Regina."
"She's not my plaything, she's a person and you won't treat her as anything less," Regina snapped back, Emma reached for her hand and interlocked it as they both got up off the floor, ready to go against whatever force Cora was about to unleash.
"Yes, well, you're both currently in my house, treating my guests awfully, causing a commotion at my event. And you'd like me to be sweet and loving after the hell you've caused here? Ha, in your mind it seems like you might as well been the one that was just punched."
"And the way you're talking makes me believe it probably should've been you that got punched. You, you, you. C'mon, lady. You have no consideration for other people." She spoke with her newfound confidence, she was unaware of where it came from though, she didn't even mean to say that much but she couldn't stop herself. Something about that woman just made her want to strangle her herself.
"When I'm talking to you I will make it clear. Until then, I recommend you keep your mouth shut before you regret it."
Regina rubbed Emma's hand with her thumb, letting her know it was okay.
"You do know Mr. Gold could throw us under the bus for that little stunt you pulled out there, right?" She stepped forward, putting a finger under Regina's chin, making her look at her.
She turned only her face, only for Cora to pull her back.
"You're so damn controlling. You know she's an adult and she can make her own decisions, right?" Emma was burning up, watching this scene unfold was infuriating. She wanted to slap her hand away, she wanted to go with Regina. Enjoy that happiness they just encountered, run from all this negativity that followed.
"Yes well, when it's something that could potentially tear us from the company someone has to keep her in line."
"And this is the way you do it?"
"Why are you even here?" Cora seemed about a second away from annihilating Emma, her presence disturbing her punishment for her daughter.
"Because I'm not going to let you walk all over Gi- Regina like this. Plus your party sucks, so she's the only real company I have and you're kind of interrupting our *wonderful* time here."
Regina let out a small laugh. Even with a mothers fury she's still being a smart ass. Cora gave her a glare that wiped off the small, momentarily smile quickly.
"I'm not walking over her, I'm helping her not fuck up for the sake of the company." Her eyes went from Emma to Regina. "You need to find Mr Gold and Mr Cassidy and apologize, repeatedly. I don't know why you acted out and I don't care. What matters is how you fix this. Maybe then you and Mr Cassidy can move forward and even share a dance."
"You want her to get with Neal? God, you're fucked up." She laughed with no happiness, wondering how someone so beautiful came from someone so.. Wicked.
"I'm not getting with Neal. And I'm not apologizing, mother."
Then her palm collided with Regina's face. Cora's breathing changed, "you will if you want to continue your job, Regina."
"Maybe I don't." She said it calmly, even after the blow to her face. Emma shuttered but their hands were still intact as Emma offered her support with her thumb rubbing the back of her hand throughout this whole interruption. She felt her heart racing but she wouldn't let it show. Emma was keeping her grounded, Emma made her feel like even if her world decided to crash it would still be okay.
"You'll regret that."
"Maybe I will, maybe I won't." Her brow only raised.
"Oh, you will, trust me. And don't bother coming back. You can't see I'm trying to make you see what's best for you or that this," she held out her arms to the hallway, referring to everyone outside and such that she worked with. "This is your family, not this," she spoke looking at their hands together.
"I do believe it's my decision, thank you for your input though, it's been quite lovely. Now if you don't mind, I'm making the decision to go dance my beautiful date, as the man you wanted to set me up with has had the pleasure of doing so with Emma, I'd like to have the pleasure now." And then she leaned in so only her mother could hear, "and then I'm going to kiss her at the end, in front of everyone."
She pushed past her mother, going through the hallway, her hands shaking along the way as her face showed nothing but confidence.
"You'll be back, I know it." Cora spoke to an empty room as the two girls were already down the hallway. She felt like she could burst into flames at any moment. Cursing at the wind, she had to cool down before she ripped someone's heart out.
When they finally got back down stairs Emma pulled Regina aside. "Are you okay?"
"That was.. I've never.. I.. Yeah, I'm okay." Regina shook her head, still processing what just happened as Emma looked at the spot that was bright red. She wanted to make it go away, she wanted to slap her mother herself but she knew that would only end in a lawsuit.
"I'm proud of you for standing up to her. But do you want some ice for, you know."
"No, I'm okay. Thank you though, for both of those things. And standing up to her too. I don't think I could've done that if you weren't there with me. Thank you for staying."
"Of course, Regina. You deserve to be treated so much better than she treats you." With that, Regina brought Emma's hand up to her mouth and left a gentle kiss on it, Emma instantly blushing.
"Emma, will you dance with me?"
"Yes." And then the brunette was leading her to the dance floor as Save The Last Dance by Michael Bublé played. The dance floor was illuminated by lights strung across the top. Their smiles were back as they were slowly melting into each other, ignoring everyone else around them, they only saw the other.
Cant you feel it when we touch
I will never let you go
Regina lip synced and even touched Emma's nose, causing an even bigger smile plastered on her face. Regina swore she could fall in love in that moment, the day was hell but Emma made it feel like heaven. Worries slipped away as she got lost in those eyes, the light shun upon them with every movement and she wanted to kiss her, but Regina also didn't want this moment to end.
Emma's heart was racing, this didn't feel like a job. It felt like romance, it felt real. In no time in her life did she feel something like this. It wasn't supposed to be — no, but she felt it. She didn't want to fight it when it felt so good. Being by Regina's side, even through the bad felt right. Dancing with her felt magical, the way her arms held her made her never want to fit in another's and when Regina sang to her, my god, was she screwed.
Meanwhile, Neal sat at the bar, watching them dance. Getting more and more disgusted and annoyed at the fact that the blonde was still here. The blow to the face put him in a bad mood but this.. It was too much. He put his cocktail down and decided someone had to say something.
The song was nearing an end and Regina was getting ready to kiss her. She couldn't wait to feel Emma's lips pressed against hers again, maybe Emma would feel what was tugging at her heartstrings, maybe then she could understand. This wasn't just a job, maybe it never was.
"Hello, everyone! I'd like your attention please!" There he was, shouting at the wind. Staggering here and there too. Nevertheless, attention is what he was receiving.
"Oh no," was all Emma said when Regina was about to kiss her. Regina quickly caught sight of him.
"Let's go." Regina lead her back to the front of the house as quickly as she could.
"Awh, where is my little broke orphan and heartless bitch going?" He was yelling at them and they didn't even turn back.
"Everyone, Regina is so desperate she had to pay someone to show up! And her "date" is so broke she took her offer!" Everyone was shocked and instantly started talking around him, some laughing, he applauded himself for figuring it out, it was the only thing that made sense to him.
Regina had one thing in mind and that was Emma. Getting her out of there and letting everyone believe what they wanted. She didn't care anymore. What she cared about was not putting her though anymore hell than she already had. Thankfully that was the last they heard before she opened their car door for Emma. Of course Neal was on his way, too. Regina ducked into the vehicle but he pulled her out, punching her in the stomach. Emma only screamed, watching the event unfold before jumping out of the car herself.
"That's for earlier, you bitch!" He spat her on her too as regina wanted to cry out but she knew that would only make him happier. He pulled her up and punched her until he was happy with the sight of red.
Emma came from behind, kicking the back of his legs and knocking him down before punching him to give her time to get Regina in the car so they could finally be done with this hell hole.
She went to Regina's side and picked her up, walking her to the car and putting her in safely. Neal pulled on Emma's leg, drawing her back and making her lose her balance, falling to the floor. He wrapped his arm around her neck and squeezed hard but just enough that she could still breathe.
"Did you forget your fucking place, baby? You don't belong here, you don't belong anywhere. I told you earlier and yet you stayed. Bet you regret staying now don't you? You disgust me, this stupid thing you both have going on-"
And then his grip was lost as he fell backwards. Emma took a deep breath as she looked back. Mr Gold stood there, apologetic, "go now, please. I'll handle him." That was all she needed as she scrambled to the car and woke the driver up to get the hell out of there so she could take care of Regina.
"God, fuck." There was much more blood than there was initially. "Regina? Regina, look at me? Please look at me.." She touched her as softly as she could but with enough pressure she could feel her touch. Still no response.
"Take us to the nearest hospital now!"
"Regina, please!" She was getting desperate and all she wanted was her to look at her again. She needed her to look at her again.
