A/N: Hello! Thank you so very much for your support it truly means the world to me to read your thoughts as they keep this story alive. I noticed that I clumsily misspelled Emma's grandmother's name on the last chapter several times and after asking the woman herself for her ID we concurred and yes Lila Blanchard aka (Lily) is the way to go… I have accepted my mistake and will be correcting it in the next few days! Now the story must go on so enjoy!

Chapter 8

Knocking On Heaven's Door (Raign)

Once the whole incarceration fiasco was over and left behind; Emma managed to get her bike out of the impound with no hassle, while Regina and Lily could now say with complete certainty that they had indeed eaten the best breakfast ever cooked by human hands. Emma's grandmother had returned home in her car while the pair rode back on the motorcycle.

While in Vancouver the sunset had fallen upon them and it was simply beautiful; the air was slowly returning back to its usual cold temperature. Emma and Regina got off the bike and walked into a coffee house.

Both women entered the dimly lit place and the irresistible smell of coffee hit their nostrils igniting their cravings for the hot treat. They reached the counter and notice the huge menu on the black wall; hundreds of different coffee types and combinations were written with white and colored chalk.

Regina furrowed her brows and tried to read obviously overwhelmed yet understandably happy. Emma turned to look at her with a grin.

"I know… it's perfect, the only thing missing in this place is a double rainbow and a unicorn"

"This is ridiculous yet genius" Regina said while still reading. "I guess I'll take a triple, venti, half sweet, non-fat, caramel macchiato with the exotic Brazilian dark roast"

Emma smiled while nodding impressed and proud "Atta girl… see you're a local already"

Regina smiled and blushed as she rolled her eyes. "Hardly"

The brunette always tried hard to keep her stone like exterior enforced, but at this point the Emma could see right through her smart comebacks and bravado, besides it was hard to miss those perfectly blushed cheeks. Emma grinned and winked.

"I'll have a grande, quad, soy, one-pump, no-whip, mocha with the Colombian extra dark roast"

Regina turned to look at the blonde "Are you seriously going to drink four shots of espresso?"

"I must, if I don't I think I will spontaneously combust smearing my insides all over the place… including you"

"Emma it's almost 7:00 pm"

"Regina I have big BIG plans for us tonight" The blonde turned to the cashier and pulled out her credit card while the brunette was left with a confused look on her face "Don't worry… nothing like this morning I promise"

"Oh, no I think you learned your lesson well… besides I know you wouldn't risk your life like that, as I would undoubtedly kill you myself"

Emma felt her insides burn each time they bickered, it was the most delicious symbiosis she had ever experienced and the best part about it? It got better and better.

The blonde looked into Regina's eyes and for a brief moment everything slowed down around them, that magic flicker of raw vulnerability swam through Emma's green orbs and robbed the brunette of her next batch of oxygen. "You're safe… I promise"

Regina swallowed and nodded as she blinked softly. She cleared her throat and turned to the clerk who promptly handed them their orders.

As soon as they stepped out of the coffee house the cold air made its way into their lungs. Regina was holding both cups of coffee while Emma walked her motorcycle down the empty street. The night was dark; the wet pavement mirrored the vividness of the street lights… a white one flickered every two seconds while a dim amber one remained firm. A traffic light changed from red to green for absolutely no one, life seemed to put on a beautiful show only for them.

"If I hadn't just looked at the time I would say it's one am…"

Emma smiled and continued to walk her bike next to the most beautiful and interesting woman she had ever met "This town basically dies after nine…"

"Just as expected"

"It won't die for us just yet though"

"Please enlighten me" Regina turned to look at the blonde and smiled "With those big BIG plans of yours"

"Ahh… well you will have to wait, but not for long… we are almost there"

"As long as it does not entail one of your impromptu ideas that could get me killed and left for dead in the middle of this deserted street… scarily enough you could very well get away with it" The brunette said as she took in the beautiful yet vacant surroundings.

"Me? Blonde… daughter of David and Mary Margaret Swan… The girl next door? I highly doubt it… they would probably and narrow-mindedly blame Arthur"

"Arthur?"

"He's our local wandering personality, or as others would say they guy who talks to mailboxes and street lamps" The blonde shrugged lightly.

"Ok Emma it's dark and you are freaking me out"

The blonde let out a small laugh "He's completely harmless… we shared a couple dozen good books through the years, he's super interesting and may I say highly entertaining guy… you'd totally like him"

Regina laughed and shook her head "Are you kidding?"

"No why? Dead serious"

"You are telling me that you socialized with this Arthur man who wanders the streets and speaks to inanimate objects?"

Emma looked around and lifted her shoulders in a half shrug "What? He is so awesome"

Regina closed her eyes and shared a small laugh with herself. Emma seemed to be crazy and beautiful; inside out and around the edges… the blonde had a way of reaching her like no one ever had.

The brunette inhaled deeply "Are we far? Because I must regrettably inform you that our coffees will go down in history as another casualty of winter"

"Perfect…" Emma said and grinned "Look we are here"

Regina looked up to see a gated park, beautifully lit and completely deserted. Monkey bars and swing sets unmoved and equally empty.

"A cold empty park…"

"Not just any park… this is the best one yet" Emma said as she kicked down the side stand of her bike and left it to rest. "It's the only one in town with a castle" The blonde raised her brows and pointed at the red and blue wooden kiddie structure.

"Of course" Regina told herself and walked to the blonde.

"You didn't think I'd just bring you to a cold park with no shelter?"

"It makes perfect sense I mean who in their right mind would choose to go into a warm habitable dwelling when they can just come here?" Regina said sarcastically.

"Not us…" Emma said.

"Of course not" Regina added with a forced smile.

"What is the point of Irish night without a proper incentive?"

"What are you talking about?"

In that moment Emma reached inside her jacket and pulled out a flask.

Regina widened her eyes and furrowed her brows "Where did you get that?"

"Remember our last stop leaving Portland? You had to pee uncontrollably…"

Regina's jaw hit the ground "I did not have to do such thing… I simply needed to wash my hands, after riding around in open air you eventually begin to feel quite filthy"

"Right…" Emma said.

Regina rolled her eyes.

The blonde smiled and walked closer to the brunette "Anyway… I went into the liquor store next door and the rest is history" She began to turn the cap; she took her cup from the older woman and began to pour the amber liquid. The blonde sat on the castle and patted the spot next to her.

Regina's shoulders deflated as she knew there was no sense in fighting it. She sat next to the blonde and opened the lid of her coffee cup allowing Emma to make it Irish.

After a few sips of the rather strong beverage their bodies seemed to warm up and even out with the cold atmosphere. Their hands were numb but they couldn't feel it… hell they didn't know if it was due to the alcohol buzz or the weather itself but it didn't really matter.

The air between them seemed to have become warmer; shoulders were touching… perfumes were mixing and faces were smiling.

Regina looked down and then back up into Emma's eyes "So… why did you really bring me here?"

"To the park?"

Regina shook her head.

Emma smiled and looked down at her hands holding the delicious numbing drink; she wasn't pondering on her answer as it was a simple one, the woman was searching for courage to look into Regina's eyes and not let herself be pulled into her.

She looked up and into those amazing dark eyes "I told you last night" She shrugged honestly. "It wasn't because of her"

Regina bit her lip and smiled as she nodded and now was her turn to look down at her hands; Emma observed her and smiled to herself.

"So what happened between you two? How did your ex girlfriend end up engaged to your brother?"

Emma could have sworn that for a moment Regina seemed jealous and she had to admit that it was fucking beautiful.

"She holds the title of many firsts for me… we met when we were thirteen, developed some sort of strange friendship" Emma focused on a spot afar as she browsed inside her mind for old memories and shared "Belle was an odd combination of a walking breathing human library and James Dean's evil child"

Regina bit her bottom lip and listened attentively.

"She would take my breath away and at the same time…. I would somehow always end up splattered with her bullshit, it was like trouble followed her and so did I" The blonde shrugged "I guess it is what they call infatuation"

"You were just a child… it's completely normal and understandable"

Emma nodded "Yeah… that's when I began to rebel to my mother, I'll always be grateful to Belle for that"

"Mary Margaret didn't like her?"

"It was more like she didn't like me standing up to and challenging her… with my mom it's never been about the people around me, I seem to be the object of her heartaches and disappointments" Emma's demeanor began to shift into a more blank one, her eyes seemed lost and gloomy "I know it sounds stupid and self deprecating but I could almost swear she has always hated me"

Regina's heart was pierced by the blonde's statement "You are her daughter Emma… I am sure she doesn't hate you"

"It's ok really… I'm actually used to it; I mean why sweat it right?" The blonde said and took a drink in.

Regina took a deep breath "No child deserves to grow up feeling unloved or uncared for, it is a horrible thing to live through… not to mention unfair"

Emma turned to look at Regina "So… um, is it ok if I ask you something personal?"

Regina smiled peacefully and nodded "Go ahead"

"Your last name… I mean the other one, the one you don't talk about"

"I changed my last name as soon as I turned eighteen and was finally able to move out and away from my father's claws"

"You mentioned you guys don't get along"

"Far from it… Mills was actually my mother's last name; she died when I was nine"

It was now Emma's turn to have her heart shattered. "I'm so sorry Regina… you were so young"

The brunette shook her head as her dark eyes seemed to glass over with unshed tears they remained in silence for what seemed an eternity the blonde respectfully allowed Regina to have.

After a couple of minutes lost in thought and internal crumbling the older woman spoke.

"She was a good mother… gentle, careful-" The brunette smiled and closed her tear-filled eyes; choking and swallowing them back with no avail.

Emma placed her hand on Regina's and entwined their fingers.

The blonde took in a deep breath and placed her other hand on Regina's chin; turning her stunningly vulnerable face and once their eyes met the blonde gently wiped away a tear that ran down the older woman's cheek… then came the other one with equal care. "I am the worst host… I've had you thrown in jail, dragged to a cold depressing park and made you cry I'm sorry…" Emma whispered with furrowed brows and tender eyes.

Regina let out a small laugh and sniffed in while wiping her remaining tears away "It's quite alright… I don't even know why I'm crying… it was so long ago I can barely remember her face" Regina said and Emma noticed she was now shivering, she could see the air coming out of her mouth condensing into a fog.

"Regina… you don't need a reason to cry for your mother…" The blonde felt crushed for the other woman, she caressed her cheek and looked into her eyes. The instant seemed never-ending and intimate; Regina bit the inside of her cheek and looked down. Emma shook herself back to earth and broke the silence.

"You're freezing, here…" The blonde said as she shrugged off her jacket and placed it on Regina's shoulders; she reached for her riding leather gloves.

"You don't have to do this I'm ok" Regina said feeling far too exposed.

The blonde jumped off the castle and took Regina's hand to help her down. After the brunette complied, Emma took her darkly manicured hands to her lips and blew on them trying to warm her up.

Regina smiled and simply allowed her to do as she pleased observing her caring action.

This was a rarity and somehow Emma knew it; she knew she had been allowed to see things no one was allowed to see… opened doors no one had ever been allowed to touch and she simply couldn't believe her luck.

After putting the leather gloves on the brunette; Emma smiled and looked into her eyes "All ready to ride in style" Emma laughed "You look like me"

"I could never ride that thing"

The taller woman turned to look at the bike then back at Regina with a raised brow "Would you like to try?"

It was Regina's turn to raise her brow.

"You only live once… come on" Emma charmingly pleaded and there she was… giving in to her once again.

"If I fall Emma I swear…"

"You won't… I'll be right behind you" Emma said as she motioned for the brunette to hop on.

Regina hesitated for a few seconds and then found herself swinging her leg over and onto the driver reigns. She placed her hands on the handles and felt the blonde sit on the back; her warmth was electrifying and rapidly addictive. After a few seconds she could hear Emma's breath on the back of her neck as she began to give her commands.

"Alright… it's super simple, put both feet on the ground"

Regina complied; trying to ignore the commotion inside her… after all she was an exceptional teacher therefore she would live up to her expectations of being an equally brilliant student.

Emma placed her arms over Regina and reached for the handles, she motioned to the right one "This is your accelerator… and this is your brake" The brunette nodded as she took the information in. The blonde motioned to her left hand "This is your clutch" Regina nodded once again.

Emma was effectively drunk on the brunette's every scent, from her perfume down to her shampoo. The blonde took a deep breath and centered herself unnoticeably.

Emma placed her hand on Regina's thigh trying to guide her leg to the foot pedal. The brunette shifted in her seat a little and swallowed as she tried mighty hard to regain focus.

"Now I want you to feel your balance…. This is the most important part" Emma instructed as she took her hands away and allowed Regina to take control.

The brunette could feel the adrenaline begin to pump through her veins.

"Alright…" The older woman said after feeling more comfortable with the assigned task.

"Are you ready?" Emma said to head ear and Regina nodded.

The blonde went ahead and turned on the engine; sending the brunette into an internal frenzy, she was fucking nervous but she was surprised at how much she was loving this moment.

"It's ok… you got this, just go slow ok? Press on the clutch lightly here on the left and at the same time hit the accelerator on the right" Emma instructed dangerously close to Regina. The brunette nodded and throttled the motorcycle as she felt the accelerator.

Regina smiled and Emma began to feel a little nervous "Ok… now go slowly"

The blonde kept one hand one the brake handle and another looped on Regina's stomach.

The fearless brunette gave it a go but hit the throttle with too much intensity sending them a bit off balance, Regina squealed.

"Whoa! Easy there Dunlop" Emma said as she quickly controlled the motorcycle; Regina laughed excitedly and the blonde found herself falling in love with that sound.

Emma was impressed as the older woman turned out to be an impeccable student… a few minutes passed and she was smoothly handling the sports vehicle.

Emma smiled as she could feel Regina's excitement in her very own veins "You got it" Emma whispered to her ear.

They were riding and it was amazing; for a few minutes the brunette felt completely free. With Emma faithfully clinging to her body and the night as culprit Regina wanted to take this moment and die in it, young… beautiful and frozen forevermore.

But contrary to her desire, Emma made her want to crave life… she wanted more of it and her… she knew now she was officially stepping on unsteady ground.

Later that night after safely arriving to the house, several shots of now plain scotch made it into their systems… Emma and Regina stealthy made it up the stairs while sharing a handful of giggles and hushing sounds. The day had been long and eventful; Regina noticed that ever since she had been by the blonde's side every passing second seemed to be eventful, not that her life was boring before but perhaps too cold and pre calculated. Regina had managed to micro organize every aspect of her adult existence, and tonight she realized that little by little the blonde had been breaking down her walls and this terrified her.

The brunette finally found sleep and succumbed to its grasp; her soft dark hair was smeared on the white pillow while her body was curled into a half fetal position facing Emma. The blonde's eyes shone in the dark as she faithfully stared at the stunning woman across from her.

The blonde lay on her side and with her fingers gently caressed a few strands of those dark locks.

Regina had managed to blow her mind and rob her of much needed sleep. In rare occasions was Emma this serious; in truth she was smitten and lost within herself, she was scared… as she realized she was falling in love.

A/N: There you go! Chapter 8 delivered and done, much more to come so stay tuned for things have begun to shift. As always thank you so very much for reading! You guys keep this story alive please give me a review! (I have noticed many of you have asked about Emma and Belle's Relationship would you like to read a chapter more in depth about them? Perhaps a look at the past? Let me know!