Disclaimer: I don't own most of these characters.
A/N: I apologize for the huge delay in posting this episode but real life happened and the Stars needed to be written and then work took over my brain ... but now I'm having a few days off, so I finally had the time to sit down and write this. As promised, a whole episode - and I hope the length makes up for the lengthy absence, at least a little bit.
A/N 2: I don't think I need a trigger warning for this but I need to warn you that Killian Jones is a pretty disgusting individual and it shows in this episode. Nothing too graphic but if you're squeamish, you might want to proceed with caution towards the end (only in his scenes, though).
Regina parked her car in front of a Walgreen's and just sat there for a second, motor running. In the five minutes since she had left Emma at Ruby's, she had cried more than she had in a long time, and nearly driven into oncoming traffic twice because she was so distracted and her vision was blurry.
She wiped at her eyes, trying to calm her raging emotions with a deep breath.
Then another.
When she had calmed down a little, she ran the conversation she had just witnessed through her head again, trying to understand what had happened but the more she thought about it, the less sure she got about her reaction. She took out her phone and scrolled through her contact list, then selected the number she had hoped was in there. It only rang twice before it was picked up. "It's Regina," she said, her voice scratchy from tears. "Just tell me if I overreacted just now."
"Dammit!" There were a couple of quick steps and a door closing before the voice returned. "Damn, Regina, you need to get your ass back here right this second," Ruby hissed. "I'm so sorry I caused this … whatever this is … with what I said but believe me, it's absolutely not what you think!"
"How is it not?" Regina ran the palm of her free hand over her face. "You were the one who said she had a fiancé …"
"I'm still not one hundred percent sure what's going on but Emma's on the phone to a friend and she's scared to death," Ruby explained as much as she could. "Like white as a sheet, shaking like a leaf terrified, so if you like her even a little bit, you come back here right now and talk to her."
Regina swallowed as she remembered the way Emma's hand had trembled against her back. She had put it down to Emma being nervous about being found out, but if Ruby was right, she had just left the woman she liked more than she cared to admit to herself to a situation that scared her for some reason.
Maybe she owed it to Emma to at least listen.
Her mind was made up in a second. "I'm on my way back, Ruby," Regina said, already easing the car back into traffic. "Don't let her leave, please ... I'll be there in a couple of minutes."
"I'll make sure she's here."
155 seconds later, Regina haphazardly parked her car in the closest spot to the entrance, not caring all that much that she almost ran over a man lurking in the shadows in the process. She tossed a half-hearted apology over her shoulder at him as she walked rapidly towards the diner but he ignored her as he slunk around the corner.
Inside the diner, Emma was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Ruby. "Where is she?" Regina asked the first waitress she saw, the new girl called Ashley. "Emma? Did she leave?"
Before the girl could reply, Ruby approached her from the back. "Over here, Regina. She's in my office."
Regina's shoulders sagged in relief. "She's still here then?"
"I told you I'd make sure of that," Ruby said. She stopped Regina with a hand on her arm as she tried to rush past her. "Something about what I said has her really freaked out, Regina … and I'm really, really sorry about before. I had no idea I would cause this," she tried to explain. "I was trying to help, you know … I wanted her to laugh it off as a joke that guy was playing … and if it happened to be true, at least you would have known."
"You need to rethink your approach the next time you're trying to help, Ms. Lucas," Regina replied distractedly. "For what it's worth … thanks for trying to look out for me. It's not like I reacted all that maturely."
Ruby shrugged. "You were jealous and hurt, it's understandable … and my approach was … insensitive to say the least. I owe you two breakfast, I think." She led Regina towards the back. "Now go and find out what's really going on, will ya? This drama is killing me."
Emma had her back to her when Regina slipped inside the room and gently closed the door. Even from a few feet away Regina could see the tense set of Emma's shoulders as she listened to whatever the person on the other end of the line was saying.
"Yeah," Emma just then said with a sigh, "and now Regina thinks I'm some cheating, lying bitch when she's all I can think about these days. I can't believe he managed to ruin that for me too. What the hell did I ever do to him, Callie?"
Regina cleared her throat and Emma whirled around. "Oh my God," she breathed. "You came back."
"What's going on?" Callie yelled, audible even to Regina.
"Regina came back," Emma muttered, eyes closed in relief. "Now I can explain …"
"Huh, good for her," Callie grunted. "Let me talk to her."
"What? Why?"
"Just hand her the phone, Emma," Callie insisted. "I'll talk to her while you take a few deep breaths to calm down. Trust me."
Emma wordlessly held out the phone towards Regina, who took it after a moment's hesitation.
"Hello?" she asked, not taking her eyes off Emma who was wiping her eyes and seemed to try to collect herself.
"So you're Regina Mills," a woman's voice said. "I'm Callie Torres."
Regina's eyebrows spiked. "I've read some of your papers," she said in reflex. "On orthopedic trauma care. And I know that the hospital tried to coax you here with a nice position." Regina bit her tongue in an attempt to stop her nervous rambling. Why am I even on the phone when I should be talking to Emma?
"Yeah well, at that point in time that would have been a little too close to my family," Callie grunted. "Besides I had just started seeing this beautiful blonde doctor …" There was a more than a hint in her voice.
"I know the feeling," Regina admitted with a small smile.
"Listen," Callie urged. "I don't know exactly what's going on with you and Emma, but I can promise you that she's not in any kind of relationship with that guy."
Of course Emma told her about the talk with Ruby and her reaction. "I think I may have overreacted a little bit," Regina muttered, her eyes searching for Emma's.
"Love makes us do incredibly stupid things," Callie stated.
"But I'm not … We're no—"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Callie muttered. "The important thing right now is that you take care of Emma because she's scared. That guy … his name is Killian Jones … he's been after her for a while. He used to work here at the hospital until Emma finally complained about him and he was fired. She even got the police to arrest him but they had to let him go. Apparently he hadn't done enough to warrant locking him up." She paused. "It's her story to tell … Just get her somewhere safe and take care of her, okay? And call me if you need anything or tell Emma to call me."
"I'll take her home," Regina promised.
"Not hers, you can't," Callie protested immediately. "That's not safe. We think he was in her house here, but we could never prove it."
"We'll figure something out," Regina said impatiently. She wanted to talk to Emma, not some stranger, however well-meaning she was. "I have to go now."
"Take care of her … and yourself."
Regina walked closer to Emma, ending the call and handing her the phone.
"You came back," Emma repeated. "For me."
"I'm so sorry for running off like that," Regina blurted. "I was …" She hesitated, unsure how to describe her feeling, finally settling on, "hurt."
"I understand … but just to make it clear: I really am not engaged to anybody," Emma explained, wringing her hands. "This guy …"
"Killian Jones?" At Emma's surprised look, Regina added, "Your friend mentioned his name."
"Yeah … him," Emma rasped. "He's the reason I had to leave Seattle so quickly." She looked at Regina, yearning in her eyes, her arms twitching. "Could I … Would you …?"
Regina read the question in Emma's body language and pulled her into a hug before she had finished voicing her need. "I'm so sorry," she repeated into Emma's ear. "I should have stayed, I should have held you … be there for you."
"You couldn't know," Emma sighed. "And I don't blame you … I'm just very glad you came back. I was afraid you'd never talk to me again."
"That would have been extraordinarily difficult given our jobs," Regina smiled into Emma's hair. "Will you tell me the whole story? When you're ready?"
Emma nodded against her shoulder. "You should know, especially now …But tonight …"
Regina nodded in understanding. "We need to get you somewhere safe first," she said. "We'll figure something out with work until this is resolved. Helena, Myka and I can cover things there for a few days, I think. Or we could—"
Emma reared back. "Regina, I can't stop going to work because of that bastard," she growled. "I just need to be careful and we need to inform hospital security."
"Emma …"
"No, Regina," Emma insisted. "The worst thing he can do to me is stop me from living my life. That's what he does, you know?"
Regina supposed Emma had a point. "Okay, we'll inform hospital security," she said while making a mental note to make some calls of her own. "But Callie said not to take you home."
"Yeah," Emma agreed. "If he knows where I work and eat, he most certainly knows where I live. He did in Seattle."
"Then he knows more than me," Regina tried for some levity but the joke fell a little flat.
"Not by my choice."
"I know." Regina wiped the tears from Emma's face. "Let's go to my apartment then."
"No!" Emma shook her head. "I can't risk him following us and finding out where you live if he doesn't already know. If he's seen us together ..." She left it at that, implication clear. "We can't go to your place … I should just check into a hotel somewhere."
From the tone in Emma's voice Regina got the distinct feeling that Emma wasn't just being paranoid. In fact, the sudden appearance of this stalker could explain the feelings of being watched that both she and Emma had experienced all day. Keeping Emma safe at the hospital was one thing, and one Regina was fairly sure could be accomplished … but outside of work? She had to find a way to keep Emma safe and most of all make her feel safe.
For a second she contemplated calling Helena, knowing that her friend's background would be very helpful in a situation like this but she knew Helena and Myka would be dealing with their own problems that night. She bit her lower lip as a thought struck her and then the words fell out of her mouth before she had really thought the idea through. "I have a better plan," she said. "I'm going to take you home."
"No, I just said—"
"Not my apartment, Emma," Regina corrected. "My home. There's no safer place I know." Her family history had made sure of that, and she hoped that Emma would be too distracted to ask.
Emma searched Regina's eyes. When she was satisfied with what she saw, she nodded. "Okay, if you're sure."
"I'm sure."
Except she wasn't … but that had nothing to do with security matters and everything to do with allowing Emma to meet the two Henrys in her life. Not to mention Rosa.
Who would take one look at Regina in Emma's presence and just know.
o-o-o
Killian Jones watched as the dark-haired woman strode quickly into the diner after nearly running him over with her car. He pulled a pen and a little black notebook out of his leather jacket with his good hand and wet the index finger of his deformed hand to open it at the right page.
The page titled Regina Mills in blocky letters.
His face morphed into an ugly grimace at the sight of the name and he had to fight the urge to cross out her name viciously. Instead, he added new information to his neat notes. Make and model of her car were meticulously written down as well as the license plate number. There were so many things one could do with this information.
He took one last look into the diner, feeling a twinge of disappointment when he still couldn't see the love of his life, his fiancee, his angel. His Emma.
On the other hand, he also couldn't see Regina Mills, the woman his angel had been holding hands with earlier, so that was a plus. He twitched at the thought of someone else touching his angel.
He returned the notebook and pen to their designated pocket and patted his jacket to make sure they were settled safely. One always had to make sure to be scrupulous about such things, and he was a perfectionist.
With a small smile at the thought of being with his beloved again soon, he slowly walked around the corner of the building to do what he did best.
Watch and wait.
o-o-o
"Here you are, darling," Helena said softly, holding out a glass of wine for Myka. "Cheers."
Myka watched her wife who seemed frozen, standing to the side of the couch Myka was sitting on, eyes moving between the couch and the armchair across from it. "Come here," she sighed and patted the spot right next to her. "I refuse to talk with you so far away."
Helena gave her a small smile, hoping it didn't look as forced as it felt. She still wasn't even remotely in the mood to talk about the daughter she lost and what keeping that secret might mean for her and Myka. Deal with it, she told herself sternly as she sat trying to find the right amount of distance between them. Close but not too close, giving Myka space but not looking like she didn't want to be there, even if that was somewhat true at the moment. She dreaded the talk she knew was coming.
Myka smirked at the look on H.G.'s face and the space between them. Her wife had no idea how little she could hide, her face easily readable to people who knew her well. With a grin, Myka scooted closer until she was pressed up against H.G., who looked at her with a startled expression.
"I thought we were fighting," Helena muttered after clearing her throat and wetting her mouth with a healthy drink from her glass. "I didn't mean to—"
"We're not fighting. We're talking. Granted, the issues at hand are a little tough but we're still just talking, Helena." Myka patted Helena's hand which was fidgeting on her thigh, nails digging into her jeans at random intervals. "That doesn't mean that I want to have to talk with you halfway across the room … Besides, I'm pretty sure one or both of us are going to be needing hugs at some point, so why make it extra hard?"
H.G. shook her head, but there was a small smile playing around her lips. Maybe this talk wasn't going to be as bad as she feared. "I don't understand you sometimes … but that's sort of what makes you so wonderful. You are an endless wonder, darling."
Myka snorted. "You're not too bad yourself," she replied. "When you're not keeping huge things from me, that is. Things we should have talked about the first time I mentioned wanting a family with you at the very latest."
And just like that they were back to the serious side of their evening.
o-o-o
"Could you …" Emma started hesitantly, then stopped.
"Could I what?" Regina took her eyes off the road for a second to look at the woman in the passenger seat when there was nothing else coming. "Emma?"
"Could you drive around a little before … just in case he's following?" Emma sounded shy.
"Of course," Regina replied easily and took a sharp right. "It's a good opportunity to show you some of the lesser known areas of our beautiful city."
o-o-o
"So I know you love children," Myka mumbled as she snuggled into Helena's side. The conversation was taking a lot out of them both and at some point they simply had cuddled up in the corner of the couch. "I see that every time you play with Henry."
H.G. nodded with a small smile. "He's impossible not to love," she whispered. "And not just because he's Regina's kid."
Myka laughed lightly. "Yeah, I didn't think you just loved him because he's an extension of your best friend … although in the beginning I wondered if that was what it was. I admit I was jealous but I guess we all know that by now." She paused for a long moment. "Does he ever remind you of …"
"Christina?" H.G. asked. "What could have been had she lived?" She swallowed hard. "Yes, he does. Less often now, but when he was a baby … yeah. When he was just this tiny bundle … You know he was born prematurely too because Regina was so stressed because of … everything, and I was so afraid for her and him because …" She trailed off.
"Because of what happened to Christina?" Myka finished for her wife.
"And Cora … and because Regina wasn't really in any shape to take care of him in the beginning," H.G. added. "You didn't know her back then but … she was only a pale shade of the girl she used to be or the woman she has become since. Her mother," she spat out the word, "almost managed to destroy her. If it hadn't been for Rosa and Henry Sr. I don't know what would have happened."
"But didn't it also show you that kids are resilient? That Regina survived her mother, that Henry survived despite everything… That it's beautiful to see them grow up?"
"Of course it did," Helena groaned. "Myka, I'm … I love children, I do. I'm just so bloody scared. I couldn't go through something like that again." She wiped at the tears that had pooled in her eyes with short, angry motions. "Tell me again why you want children, please. Make me see, Myka."
Myka straightened a little and pulled Helena into her arms. "I want a family with you because I have all this love in my heart and I want to spread it around. I think you'd be such a wonderful mother and it would be a shame to let all that love and care we have inside of us go to waste."
She cupped Helena's face in her hands and tipped her face up to look into her eyes. "But if you can't see that ever happening for you … for us, I will spoil Henry and be the best damn aunt to that boy I can be. Now that I know why you're so troubled by the idea, I'm not going to insist." She pressed a short, sweet kiss to her wife's lips. "That doesn't mean I won't bring it up again at some point in the future, just to see if you've changed your mind."
"I'm sorry, Myka," H.G. rasped. "I promise I will work on it … but that's all I can promise for now."
"That's all I ask," Myka replied softly, having a feeling that working on it would include a lot of talking to Regina who had always been Helena's sounding board. And maybe she was the right person for the job, given that she had been there with Helena, and had helped her through it the first time.
"Just don't ever ask me to carry a child again," H.G.'s voice was barely audible. "I can't go through that again," she said again.
"Oh, Helena, I wouldn't … not now," Myka promised fervently, swearing to herself that she would never mention that it had been her fondest dream to have a little girl that looked just like her wife. "If we decided we wanted a child, I could carry it … or we could adopt …"
"You'd be okay with that?" Helena latched onto that immediately.
Something in Helena's voice filled Myka with a sudden sense of hope. "Absolutely," she said with a smile. "There are so many kids out there who need good families."
"Even if we thought about that, it wouldn't be easy," H.G. reminded. "We're two women with very demanding jobs …"
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, my love," Myka whispered, realizing that Helena was reaching her emotional limit when she started talking about practicalities. She pressed herself against Helena and kissed her with intent, purposely ending their discussion for the night.
Talking quickly became difficult after that and stopped entirely pretty soon.
o-o-o
Jones watched as his angel got into the passenger side of the sleek, dark BMW and the door was closed softly behind her by the dark woman by her side. He wondered how this woman, how Regina Mills had managed to convince his beautiful Emma to leave Seattle and move away from him. Without even saying goodbye to him, which he was still slightly angry about.
But he was certain it wasn't really Emma's fault, so he knew he'd forgive her eventually. He knew she loved him and was just under the influence of this woman who was now getting into the car herself. It didn't matter, he was here now to save his angel, just like she had once saved him.
He was so lost in his thoughts that he almost missed the car driving off. He grimaced, but only for a moment before shrugging it off. He knew where both of them lived, and there would always be time later to find out where that Mills woman had taken his Emma.
For now it was enough that Emma knew he was in town. He had seen the relief on her face at the knowledge that he had come to rescue her. There had been tears of joy even.
He would always come for her. He loved her. She was his. They would be together forever, and nobody would ever come between them.
o-o-o
Regina drove around for an hour, keeping one eye on the rearview mirror, turning this way and that, but generally heading towards her goal. Emma spent most of the time with her head leaned against the headrest and staring out of the window into the darkness that had fallen over Miami. Only rarely did she acknowledge Regina's sparse comments but Regina didn't mind the quiet time to think and watch the traffic behind them, knowing that Emma was worried and working through things in her mind.
The comfortable silence was broken when Regina left the road they had been on for some minutes to turn onto an unlit gravel road lined by a thick growth of trees. Emma looked up at the sudden sensation of deep darkness that surrounded them and turned towards Regina with a raised eyebrow. "Where are you taking me, Doctor Mills?"
Regina was relieved to hear a touch of teasing in Emma's voice, which she took to mean that Emma was feeling a little more stable. "Well," she smiled, deciding to tease right back, "since you're completely at my mercy I thought I'd take you out into the swamps and have my way with you."
Emma snorted. "I like a little more light for that, thanks," she said with an audible smile. "You're much too beautiful for me not to watch you when I make you come."
Regina felt herself flush from her ears to her chest. "Um," she coughed, knowing she was horribly outplayed.
"Sorry," Emma grinned. She ran a finger down Regina's thigh. "Thank you for taking me away from everything for tonight." She was much more serious now, but there was a small smile on her lips when Regina stopped her roving finger with her own hand. Emma turned her hand and laced their fingers together. "So, where are we really? I'm completely lost … I don't even know if we went north or south."
"Generally speaking … we drove north-west. And I wasn't kidding — the Everglades are just a few miles down the road there." Regina pointed into the darkness.
"I don't know much about Miami yet," Emma replied. "But aren't the Everglades like everywhere around here?"
"Pretty much," Regina admitted. "Which is why we do get the odd alligator attack victim at the trauma center …"
"Something to look forward to, yay," Emma commented dryly.
"To answer your question," Regina said gently. "My father's house … my home … is at the end of this dirt road." She slowed down as a wall with a huge gate came into view. "Right here."
The BMW slowly rolled towards the gate which opened as if by magic. Before Emma could wonder about that since she hadn't seen Regina press any buttons, a figure appeared out of the darkness and stopped by the driver's side.
"Good evening, Doc," a deep voice said and Emma craned her neck to try and see the man's face.
Regina lowered the window with a chuckle. "How often do I have to tell you to call me Regina?" she asked.
"At least one more time," the tall man replied teasingly. Emma still couldn't see his face but she could see that he was wearing a gun in a holster. "Everything's quiet. Have a good evening, Doc."
"You too, Rico. And please tell the others I said hello."
Rico nodded once before heading back into the darkness as Regina raised the window again. "What was that?" Emma blurted. "Am I dreaming or was that an armed guard?"
Regina sighed softly as the car slowly rolled ahead. "That was one of the reasons why I think you'll be safe here," she replied. "My father's house is guarded day and night by Rico and his very well-trained men."
Emma gaped at Regina, jaw dropping. "Why on earth are there armed guards watching your father's house?" she asked, still not sure she believed it.
Regina winced a little at Emma's tone. "That's a very long story," she stalled. "One we do not have time for now. We're here."
Emma had been so focused on Regina that she hadn't even realized that they had rolled to a stop in front of a large but not enormous ranch-style house. "Nice," she breathed. "With the gate and the guards I almost expected a palatial monstrosity." She turned to Regina. "This looks like a nice home, though."
"Thanks," Regina commented sardonically, staring at the house."My father has always been a simple man, a farmer at heart." She stopped talking, her mouth suddenly feeling like a desert as her nerves decided to act up. What had she been thinking bringing Emma here?
"But I thought ... you know, with the whole boarding school in Switzerland thing ..."
"Not his idea," Regina said curtly, her tight throat not allowing for much more. "Not mine either."
She made no move to leave the car and Emma wondered, if Regina regretted taking her here. It had been a necessity, and not a choice, after all. "Listen," she started when she noticed Regina's hand start fidgeting. "We can still find a motel somewhere nearby for me, if my presence here makes things complicated for you ..."
Regina really tried to smile at the gesture but her nerves wouldn't allow it. What the hell am I doing, taking Emma to meet the family? To meet Henry? I should have thought about this more ... why didn't I think this through? "It's not ... I'm not ..." She stopped when the wooden door not too far from them opened and Rosa looked at them curiously. Too late now to do anything about this. Regina shook her head in resignation and turned to Emma. "Are you ready?"
Ready for what? "I guess," Emma shrugged. "The question is: are you?"
Regina nodded, even as she swallowed hard, trying to force her nervousness back down her throat. Not even remotely. "Of course," was what she said, however, getting out of the car and slamming the door maybe just a little too hard. She looked up and saw the curious look on Rosa's face. Time to face the music.
o-o-o
Killian Jones rested his forehead against the steering wheel of his car. Where was his Emma? He looked up at her apartment windows once more, hoping to see some light or movement there but again there was nothing. He had already gone by the Mills' woman's apartment building but there was a concierge, and he hadn't wanted to risk sneaking inside.
Not tonight, at least, and not just to look. He would keep that option for another night. The underground parking garage had been easier to access, however. Thank the fates for internet porn, he thought with a smirk as he remembered that the guard had been otherwise occupied and he had been able to sneak right by him to check if a certain BMW was in its spot.
No car, no Emma.
So now he was sitting in front of Emma's building, watching and waiting.
o-o-o
"Where's daddy?" Regina asked once Rosa had led them inside and into the kitchen after quick introductions at the door.
Rosa gave her a strange look. "Playing chess with Cesar, just like every Monday …" she replied slowly. "Are you all right, mija? You seem a little out of sorts." In fact, Regina looked ready to jump out of her skin.
"I'm fine," Regina blurted quickly but couldn't stop herself from giving Emma a side-glance. "Is Henry sleeping already?"
"I put him to bed just five minutes ago," Rosa replied. "Why don't you go and tuck him in? He'd love to see his mama and I'm sure he's not sleeping yet. I'll fix you both a snack in the meantime." She saw the look shared between Emma and Regina. "Don't worry, I'll keep your friend company."
That's what I'm afraid of, Regina thought but the urge to see her son was greater than the concern for what Rosa would talk about with Emma. She knew Emma could hold her own, so she nodded, albeit a little reluctantly. "I'll only be a few minutes," she told Emma with a smile.
"Go see your son and give him un beso de buenas noches," Rosa said and motioned for Regina to leave.
"I'm not going anywhere," Emma promised.
As soon as Regina had left the room, Rosa pointed Emma to a chair as she busied herself with pulling food from the fridge and getting the stove going. "So you're Emma Swan," she said curiously over her shoulder.
"Yes?" Emma wondered what Regina had told this women, who she assumed was Regina's mother. "Yes, I am," she repeated more firmly.
"What kind of trouble are you in?"
Emma raised an eyebrow at the blunt question. Maybe this was why Regina had been so nervous when we got here. "What makes you think I'm in trouble?" she asked, trying not to sound too defensive.
Rosa stopped stirring whatever it was she had cooking in her saucepan and turned to face Emma. "I know my Regina," she simply said.
"Meaning?"
"Meaning that she either suddenly realized that you're the love of her life and that you needed to meet the family immediately … or that you're in some sort of trouble and Regina brought you here because this house is safe." Rosa smiled in satisfaction at her summary.
"What if it's both?" Emma asked, her heart beating a little harder at the thought of being the love of Regina's life. She knew that was not why they were here but apparently Emma had completely underestimated the implications of Regina's decision to take her to her home.
"Maybe it is," Rosa mused. "However, it is most definitely a surprise to meet you this soon. I've never met anyone Regina had only known for a week."
Emma had learned early on in life how to read people, and the glint in the older woman's eyes told her all she needed to know right now. "Regina told you about us," she stated.
"She did," Rosa replied with a smile. "Although the last time we spoke about you, it did not sound as if she were quite ready yet for you to meet the family …"
"I … we …" Emma swallowed. Oh damn, what are we going to tell them? What is Regina's son going to think about my presence here? Or her father? Why the hell didn't we talk about that in the car? Why the fuck did I just sit there and stare out the window like a moron? We should have come up with a story, something to tell them why we're—
Rosa chuckled lightly, interrupting Emma's panicked thoughts. "Don't worry, child," she said softly. "We're harmless. Well, at least we don't bite …" She gave Emma a look of pure mischief. "Unless you like that, of course, and then I'm sure Regina would oblige, if you ask nicely …?"
Emma groaned and flushed in embarrassment. Now she knew exactly what had Regina so nervous. "Oh God, you're doing that on purpose, aren't you?" she spluttered in an attempt to regain her footing in the conversation. "You're trying to see if I can take what you dish out, right? Are you going to interrogate me next to see what my intentions are? I know you're Regina's mother but really, I'm—"
Emma almost missed the pained expression on Rosa's face. "I'm not."
"Not what?"
"I'm not Regina's mother," Rosa explained softly, sadly. "I'm the housekeeper and the nanny and have been since Regina was a baby. I was always around and I love her like my own but I'm … I'm not her mother."
"You are in every way that counts," Regina said from the door, looking much calmer now that she had seen and hugged her son. "You've always been a better mother than …" She trailed off with a grimace.
Emma looked back and forth between the two women. Regina looked pained by something and Emma could see there was a story behind that look, a story that she wasn't sure Regina was ready to tell yet. And Rosa watched Regina with soft, warm eyes that held a mixture of sadness and love. "I'm sorry," she said after long moments of increasingly oppressive silence. "I didn't mean to … I just assumed because …"
Regina gave Emma a little smile, grateful for pulling her back from her thoughts. It gave her the opportunity to turn the situation around. "Because of what?" She turned to Rosa with a smirk. "You gave her the motherly talk, didn't you? Did you already threaten Emma? I can't leave you alone …" She sighed in mock resignation but her smile never left her face despite the accusation.
"Regina …" Rosa sounded exasperated but there was a mischievous grin on her face.
"Nah, it's fine," Emma said dismissively. "Nothing I can't handle, and it's done wonders to take my mind of other things."
"I like her," Rosa told Regina. "She's going to be good for you." She turned off the stove when the saucepan threatened to bubble over. "Now sit and eat and tell me what trouble you're in."
Emma swallowed, not ready to talk about that. Not when she was just feeling on a somewhat even keel again. "Is there a bathroom I could use?" she asked Regina. "I think I need a moment to freshen up," she added under her breath.
"Are you all right?" The concern in Regina's eyes warmed Emma through and through.
"I'm fine, don't worry," Emma whispered back. "Just maybe … could you … I don't really want to … not tonight …"
Regina nodded in understanding. "The bathroom is at the end of the hallway, you can't miss it." Emma got up and Regina stopped her with a hand on her arm. "Take all the time you need."
"Thank you." Emma pressed a kiss to Regina's cheek and left.
As soon as Emma had left the room, Rosa stopped pretending not to listen to their hushed conversation and gave Regina a look. "I'm glad you allowed her in, mija," she said quietly. "I was afraid you would remain too stubborn to try and be happy. You deserve so much to be happy again."
Regina lowered her eyes, knowing full well that Rosa's pep talk had a lot to do with the way she had accepted Emma at the cabin. "Thank you for giving me a kick when I needed it," she said. "It helped. I'm … I … I really like her. I tried hard not to but … I feel like I didn't stand a chance." Regina shrugged, helpless to explain the effect Emma had on her. "Pienso que podría enamorarme de ella."
Rosa patted her forearm. "Oh, I know, mi corazón. I knew on Friday, and now that I saw you around her, it's even more clear. Something changed this weekend, something big. You opened your heart."
"But you hardly saw us together just now."
"I saw enough, I heard enough," Rosa dismissed Regina's protest. "But I also know that you would not have brought her here so soon … not under normal circumstances. So tell me what trouble your girl is in."
In rapid Spanish, Regina explained what little she knew, allowing Emma to distance herself from it if only for the night, even if she came back right now.
Rosa listened carefully, her face clouding over more and more.
o-o-o
Emma rested both hands on the sink and looked at her reflection in the mirror. It was obvious that she had been crying earlier since what little make-up she had worn was gone, and there was only a smudge of mascara under her right eye, which she wiped at with a finger. Her eyes were red but given that she was used to sleepless nights and long days in her line of work, that wasn't actually anything unusual.
She opened the faucet and tossed water in her face, wishing it were colder than it was. She was still used to Seattle where the cold water was actually cold, and not the tepid temperature that it always seemed to be here.
She knew that she should go back to Regina and talk to her, tell her everything she knew about her stalker, everything about what happened in Seattle. Why he scared her, made her leave a really good job at a hospital that had offered good career opportunities, and where she had friends.
The truth was, she didn't want to talk about him, not tonight. She didn't even want to think about him, didn't want him to influence her life like that again, make him the center of her existence. That was exactly what he wanted, she assumed, and she was not willing to give him that again. What she wanted was to continue the non-date date with Regina, learn more about her … just light things, little things, fun things, first date things. Not talk about why she couldn't go home tonight, or why Regina's family lived in a house that was guarded like a fortress. There would be time for that, and soon, but tonight she couldn't deal with it, and she was pretty sure from the way Regina had acted on the way here that she wasn't exactly looking forward to sharing that long story she had hinted at.
Emma dried her hands, wondering if this avoidance made her a coward. Possibly, she mouthed to her reflection, but she decided that was something she could live with. Tomorrow she would have to talk about it, she and Regina would have to inform hospital security, and she wanted to tell Helena, Myka, and Pete just in case Jones showed up at the trauma center. Again, she added, remembering the way she had felt eyes on her today. She would have to tell the team who to be on the lookout for.
Emma pulled out her phone and scrolled to a number. "Hey, it's me again."
"Emma! Are you safe?" Callie's voice was the opposite of calm.
"I am, don't worry," Emma reassured her at once. "Regina took me to her father's house which is pretty well guarded."
"Like a gated community?"
Emma chuckled. "Something like that," she said, unwilling to go into details. "But the reason I'm calling is—"
"Apart from letting us know you're all right," Calle said pointedly.
"Apart from letting you know I'm fine and not to worry, of course," Emma confirmed. "I want to warn my team and hospital security tomorrow … but I deleted the photo I had of him on my phone as soon as I got out of Seattle …"
"We still have that photo of him hanging in the break room … the one that was put up as a warning," Callie replied immediately. "I'll take a photo of it tomorrow morning or fax it to you or something. It might have some holes in it though …"
"What did you do?" Emma asked with a grin.
"His ugly visage is currently stuck to our dart board," Callie explained with a chortle. "Believe me, Grey has never had better aim …"
Emma laughed out loud at the image of Meredith Grey flinging darts at her stalker's face. "Thank you, I needed that."
"You're welcome. Oh, and don't think I'll forget that you owe me the story of how you managed to get your boss to date you after that adamant refusal only a few days ago."
"I'm sure you won't," Emma replied, still smiling. "Bye, Torres … and thanks for everything."
Emma shoved her phone into her pocket and headed back to the kitchen.
o-o-o
Killian Jones snarled as he looked at Emma's dark apartment again. What if she wasn't coming back tonight? What if she was being kept somewhere by that woman, against her will, helpless? And he couldn't get to her, save her? Maybe he should wait for her in her apartment? Maybe she had left him some clues in there. She knew he was here, she would welcome him with open arms if she were home, so she would be happy for him to sleep in her bed, he was sure of it. He needed a place to sleep anyway.
And he needed a plan.
He was tired after driving for three days straight to get here, taking only short naps at gas stations here and there. He snarled again. It had been a long drive but there was never going to be a place far enough that Regina Mills could take his Emma. He would always follow. He would always find her. And he would remove all the obstacles keeping them apart, one way or another. He just needed a plan.
Killian Jones got out of his car and walked up to Emma's building as if he had every right to be there.
Time to rest.
o-o-o
Rosa watched with a smile as Emma and Regina drank their coffee after having devoured their late snack of tomato soup and grilled cheese. Comfort food always worked, be it on Regina, Henry or even Regina's father. And it seemed Emma Swan was no exception.
She held back a sigh, not wanting to draw attention to herself. It had been so long since she had seen love in Regina's eyes, and even if her little girl didn't know the extent of it yet — or was ready to fully accept her feelings for what they were — Rosa recognized it for what it was, even as tinged with worry as the look was at the moment.
And Emma Swan? She didn't know her enough to read her with absolute certainty, but if pressed she would swear that this woman was well on her way to being in love with Regina. She hoped this man who was after her would be stopped soon, so Regina and her could focus on each other. She wanted Regina to be happy, and she had a feeling Emma would be a key factor in that.
Rosa had respected Emma's unspoken wish not to speak of her tormentor this night, so she had served them food and made light conversation when it was required, but mostly she had been happy to sit back and just watch them. She checked the clock on the wall. Maybe it was time to leave them alone.
"I think it's time for this old woman to go to bed," she said, breaking her silence for the first time in many minutes.
Regina checked the time and raised an eyebrow. "You just want to go and catch up on your telenovela," she said with a smile, knowing exactly that it wasn't remotely Rosa's normal bedtime. "But you're right," she added as she turned to Emma, "the day was long and I think we should head to bed too."
Emma looked startled for a second but then she gave Regina her most beautiful smile and nodded.
Rosa smiled warmly as she shooed them off. "Children," she muttered under her breath as she went to watch her daily telenovela before Henry Sr. returned home.
o-o-o
It hadn't been hard to get into his angel's apartment. Killian had picked more difficult locks before and the back door had been easy. Emma's house in Seattle had been much harder to get into, he remembered, especially because she had lived with three other people. A nuisance.
But now he walked through his beloved's apartment with nobody around to stop him, taking everything in. There were no pictures on the walls yet — the whole placed looked mostly unfurnished — so he wasn't too disappointed not to see any photos of him or them together. He had sent her that photo of the two of them from the Seattle Grace holiday party the year before but he guessed it was still in one of the many boxes he could see stacked in a corner. He barely resisted the urge to go look for it and hang it up in a place of prominence but then he figured that she maybe put it up in the bedroom to have him close to her at all times.
The bedroom was the most finished room of all, even if there were no pictures. There was a nice queen-sized bed against one wall, the sheets rumpled as if Emma had just gotten up. He touched the sheets but all the warmth from her body had fled, of course. He closed his eyes and imagined her lying there, waiting for him to join her.
He turned to the dresser next to the door and opened the drawers one after the other, running his hands through Emma's underwear with a dreamy look on his face. Most of the panties and bras were practical, like his Emma, but there were some lacy pieces of lingerie that he knew she had bought just for him.
He took out a dark red, particularly silky pair of boyshorts and closed the drawer. He ran the material through his fingers, then lifted it up to his nose but the only thing he could smell was the clean scent of Emma's laundry detergent. Still he felt himself getting hard at the thought of Emma wearing this — and only this — for him. His eyes fell on the laundry basket in the corner, then to the bed and back.
His smile grew.
o-o-o
Regina led Emma down a warmly lit hallway, pointing out rooms in a hushed tone. "This one's Henry's room," she whispered, stopping to rest her hand against the door. After a second, she walked on. "Across from him is Rosa's room. And next to that is the guestroom."
Emma automatically took a step towards that door but Regina pulled her to the door across from it. "Regina?"
Regina smiled as she opened the door in front of them. "And this is my room," she whispered, "which you're quite welcome to share tonight." She leaned in to kiss Emma firmly but gently, her actions tinged with regret over the way she had reacted earlier that night.
Emma fell into the kiss with ease, moving her lips eagerly against Regina's. She couldn't imagine anything better than curling up with Regina tonight — or even something more — but they weren't alone in the house and she didn't know the rules. "Are you sure?" she asked once they parted.
Regina nodded with a hum. "Emma, I'm so sorry about how I reacted at the diner," she gave voice to her regret, leaning into the other woman. "Let me make it up to you."
"There's nothing to make up for," Emma replied softly. "You didn't know, and I might have reacted the same way if the situation were the other way around. Remember how jealous I got over Henry on the weekend?" They both chuckled. "So there's really nothing to make up for … but I certainly wouldn't mind a third-date ending to our first date."
"Second base?" Regina asked, eyebrow spiked.
"Sliding into home," Emma purred with a smirk, "face first …"
Regina groaned at the image those words invoked. "Gods, Emma …"
Emma pulled back before she couldn't anymore. "But what about Henry? And Rosa?"
Regina smiled widely. "Henry could sleep through a tornado ripping through his room," she stated. "In fact, he slept through the last few hurricanes that came through here …" She smiled fondly at the memory of how upset he had been just this summer that he hadn't gotten to take photos of the way the trees had bent almost horizontally in the storm. "And Rosa? Well, let me put it like this: Rosa hasn't slept in her own room in many, many years, so you don't need to be worried about her."
Emma gaped at her and Regina laughed as she opened the door to her room and pulled Emma inside. "Come on," she whispered, closing the door behind them and pressing Emma against the door. Her voice sounded a little pressed as she started pulling on Emma's t-shirt to reveal a toned torso. "You're so beautiful," she murmured, pulling the shirt over Emma's head. "I'm so sorry I ran." Her lips trailed across Emma's neck and down to her collarbone, leaving a wet trail that slowly turned into goosebumps.
Emma pulled Regina into a searing kiss, all tongues and teeth, wet and hot. "Thank you for coming back to me," she panted between kisses and nips, tearing at Regina's clothes. "I want you," she rasped, a hint of sudden desperation in her voice.
Regina pulled back, trying to cool things down, to slow Emma down. "Are you sure? After everything that happened tonight … with him …?"
Emma nodded. "Especially after tonight, especially with … Please, I need to remember that I am in control of my own life, that … Regina, please make me forget about him, make me remember that my life is good, that what I have here is worth fighting for." She met Regina's eyes. "I don't want to run away again … I just got here."
Regina had a feeling Emma was speaking of more than just her recent move to Miami. "I won't let you run," she promised with a nod, while divesting Emma of the rest of her clothes and shedding her own. "I won't. He doesn't stand a chance against us."
It was the perfect thing to say in that moment, and Emma growled deep in her throat as she tackled Regina, pushing her back onto the bed.
o-o-o
Killian lay spread out in Emma's bed, naked, groaning as he stroked himself faster and faster with his good hand, the red pair of panties clutched tightly between his fingers. He took deep breaths, inhaling Emma's scent from the tank top he had taken from the laundry basket and put over his face. It wasn't exactly what he had hoped to find, the scent not intense enough, but it was better than nothing.
In his mind's eye Emma was there with him, stroking him, surrounding him with her scent and her voice, pleading for him to come all over her. His hips stuttered once, twice, then he groaned his release, catching it in red silk.
He grunted, then exhaled loudly before relaxing his tensed muscles with a satisfied smile on his face. He wasn't planning on sleeping — at least not for long — but he had set the alarm on his phone just in case, so he allowed himself the feeling of basking in the afterglow and getting the rest he needed, in his angel's bed and surrounded by her scent.
o-o-o
Emma pressed her head back into the pillow with a low groan, back arched tightly as another orgasm ripped through her body. Regina's fingers twisted once more, her lips tugged at the hood of her clit as the tip of her tongue flicked once, twice before Emma's overly sensitive body collapsed on the bed, completely spent from almost too much pleasure. Emma had lost count but Regina had taken her wish to forget everything to heart and had made her come again and again until Emma's body just couldn't come anymore. "I can't … no more," she croaked hoarsely, her hand weakly pulling on Regina's shoulder. "Need you up here … please."
Regina followed the command willingly and with a satisfied smirk despite the throbbing ache between her own legs. Her focus had been entirely on Emma, on giving her pleasure, on making her forget, on giving her something to fight for, and now she was so close to orgasm herself that she knew it only needed a short, swift touch and she would come.
Emma noticed the way Regina pressed her wetness against her thigh, and the way Regina's hips seemed to undulate and press against her almost without conscious thought. "Allow me," she rasped as her hand moved down Regina's back and between her legs. She felt satiated and sleepy but not so much that she couldn't take care of Regina first. Her fingers slipped into Regina from behind as her hips surged up to press against a swollen clit. "Jesus, you're so wet … so hot."
Regina gasped at the sudden stimulation. "Please, please," she almost sobbed in relief. "I need you … please … I'm so close …"
"I've got you," Emma rumbled, adding another finger and pushing harder, deeper. "Let go … come for me."
And with one more hard push of Emma's fingers, Regina came with a loud groan, mouth pressed into Emma's shoulder so as not to be too loud. She felt as if her orgasm lasted forever, much longer than it should have given the embarrassing rapidity with which it had been achieved but finally her body sagged bonelessly into Emma's waiting arms.
"Can't move," Regina muttered after several minutes when she became conscious of the fact that she was probably suffocating Emma.
"Then don't," Emma replied, sounding relaxed and sleepy. She ran her hands up and down Regina's back. "I like you just where you are."
"Squishing you." Regina's voice was muffled by a yawn but she sluggishly rolled herself onto her back next to Emma who immediately curled against her.
"Thank you for tonight," Emma breathed, already half asleep, and a few more seconds later Regina could hear her breathing deepen and even out completely in sleep.
"Sweet dreams." Tenderly, Regina pushed a lock of blond hair behind Emma's ear and pressed a kiss into her hair. She studied Emma's relaxed face for a long moment before reaching over to the bedside table to turn off the light. Even in the darkness, her eyes went back to Emma's face although it was almost impossible to see anything. There was a lump in her throat when she thought of the trust that Emma had shown her tonight despite her own stupid behavior, and her heart swelled. She closed her eyes with a sigh.
"You scare me to death, Emma Swan," she breathed into the night, her words barely a whisper. Regina wasn't ready to utter these thoughts in the light of day, and especially not in Emma's presence or when she was awake. And even here, under cover of night, with Emma sleeping peacefully beside her, she didn't dare utter the next thought out loud. I think I might be falling in love with you.
In the darkness, Emma smiled in her sleep.
o-o-o
Myka wasn't quite sure what woke her up at first but then she felt Helena twitch in her arms just as she let out a small groan. Before she could even think about doing anything to calm her wife, Helena shot up in bed with a gasp, panting, eyes wide open.
Myka rested a hand in the middle of Helena's back, like she often did during and after her wife's nightmares. "Bad one?" she murmured, having given up on asking what they were about. Helena never told her anyway, no matter how often she asked.
"I don't … I'm not sure." Helena swallowed and switched on her bedside lamp, causing Myka to blink. "Sorry," Helena whispered when she noticed. "Just needed …" She broke off, pointing at the warm light surrounding them.
"''S'okay," Myka rumbled and moved her fingers on H.G.'s back in soft, slow circles. She checked the alarm clock on her side of the bed. "Want me to make you some tea?" Helena was a coffee addict like herself but when she woke up from nightmares, she often enjoyed a nice cup of herbal tea.
"It wasn't one of the normal ones," Helena said haltingly, surprising Myka so much her hand stilled on H.G.'s back. "I just … Regina was there and some guy … and there was blood … we were at work, I think … Emma was screaming … I don't know." The look she gave Myka was helpless. "It was strange."
"It was just a dream, honey," Myka said softly as she sat up and pulled Helena into her arms. "One of the cases we had this week probably triggered it. It was just a patient and Regina taking care of him like she does."
"Maybe," H.G. murmured as she tried to relax in Myka's arms. It wasn't like she ever had premonitions, so Myma was probably right and there was no reason to worry … but still, the few fragments of the dream she could remember refused to leave her mind, not even when Myka softly sang to her while stroking her hair.
There was no more sleep for Helena that night.
o-o-o
The alarm woke him from his deep slumber. He raised his head to squint around the darkness, a smile forming on his face when he remembered where he was. His hand still clutched the red silk, stained and sticky with the evidence of his earlier activities and he barely managed to resist the urge to do it again, although he was already getting hard again.
He rolled out of bed, leaving it just the way it had been when he had arrived and got dressed. He put the tank top back in the laundry basket and the soiled pair of panties in the pocket of his black jeans. His trophy, and one he was planning on using again. Soon.
He checked around the room and the apartment, only leaving when he couldn't see any trace of his presence. For a moment he was sad that he had no gift to leave behind for Emma, but if she should return here with that woman, it would be better not to alert Regina Mills that he had been here and that he and Emma were working together to free Emma from her clutches.
He pulled the door close behind himself and walked to his car in the pre-dawn darkness.
Time to go to work.
TBC in Episode 6
