The Monster in my Bed

Chapter Nine: Sea and Sky, Oh My!

Feel the waves crashing
A new storm is building
If it catches land, I'll go under
- Island, Svrcina-

A/N: Warnings for some imagery of gore in the middle of the chapter.

As Emma free fell from dizzying and deadly heights, she thought, surely, it wouldn't have been too much to ask that she could have made it to next week so at least she could have celebrated her 17th birthday.

But noooo, bloody demons and their stupid ability to mess up a perfectly normal day.

And fuck Robin too, for bringing the purple octopus lady here to her and Regina's safe haven.

At least she got the sea witch in the eye. So score one for her.

A cloud of purple smoke enveloped her, cutting off her screaming mid cry and she was on the ground a second later with a harried looking Regina setting her down inside their house.

"Thank god," Emma mumbled out, raking a shaking hand through her hair. "I thought I was going to die there." She wobbled unsteadily before sinking down to the floor. She still held the skewer in her right hand and it was oozing with the purple demon's eye juice. Gross. She tossed it to the side.

"Stay here," Regina instructed Emma. "She's not after you, but me. So long as you stay out of the picture you'll be fine."

"Regina-" but the brunette was already gone in a plume of smoke. Emma swallowed down a lump in her throat. Regina had missed her entrance for a cutting and smug remark. In normal circumstances she would have corrected Emma- "Don't thank god, thank me." But she hadn't said that, which meant Regina was actually nervous about fighting whoever this demon was.

And Emma would be too, seeing how the woman's body was made up of more tentacles than should be ever found on any living creature ever. So Emma knew she couldn't sit still, couldn't wait idly for Regina to come back. Regina was going to need all the help she could get.

Emma clenched her fist tightly and summoned up the swirling energy under her skin. She was pleased to find out that her hand shone with a kind of white fire. Good, her energy was still here.

Over the course of Emma's stay here, she had discovered she had some sort of odd powers. Magic, sort of like Regina's but not exactly. Purer. More simple. It was driven by Emma's emotions. She could only conjure it up when feeling strongly about a certain matter.

She now knew that when she had flung Neal through the door it had been using her powers. And when she had done it again on the island after nearly drowning after a huge wave had swept her under, she had told Regina about it, to which the demon had looked momentarily uncomfortable at having to deal with.

"I'm not sure what this is. Perhaps my magic is rubbing off on you," Regina had uncharacteristically shrugged.

"But it doesn't feel like your magic. I've always felt it under my skin before..." Emma trailed off, eyes narrowed in thought. "Unless it was always my magic I felt...what can I do about this?"

"Contrary to popular belief, I do not know everything."

"Must have killed you to admit that." Emma used humor to diffuse the situation. "Can I get it on writing? So that I have documentation of you saying that?"

Regina playful swatted away the paper that Emma suddenly brought up, clearing her throat before speaking. "My best advice would be to ignore it. You've gone so many years without it before, you can surely do so now."

But Regina's advice had been strangely lacking, almost like she was afraid of Emma's powers, and the blonde made it a point to practice her powers but only in secret. Now, the practice would pay off, she hoped.

"I am going to make calamari out of you," Regina vowed as she sliced through a tentacle sent her way with her saber, only for another one to replace it. They were never ending. Black ink squirted from the severed ones onto her clothes as Ursula only laughed harder.

"Stop with these children's games. Let me see your true form Regina!"

"You don't deserve the effort of that!"

"Scared? Because you know that even in your true form, you won't be enough to fight me in my secondary form? Mommy's not here to help you out."

"I don't need my mother to help me with anything!" Regina slashed harder and in her fury, which blinded her at the mention of her mother's name, she missed the sneaking tentacle behind her. With a hard yank she was up in the air before getting slammed down really hard, over and over, her grunts of pain muffled by the smack of her body hitting sand. She dropped her saber in favor of conjuring magic fireballs into her hands and using that to sizzle right through Ursula's hold on her, dropped down onto her stomach inelegantly. Getting up to her feet she was greeted by a barrage of more tentacles, which sent her screaming as she ripped right through the ground, displacing trees and entire chunks of ground. She tried to rip and push back but failed to do so until she was forced into the water.

Ursula retreated her appendages and cackled. "Weak, weak, WEAK! Living with that human willy nilly has made you weak! You are a shame to the name of the Evil Queen. You don't deserve the title. I do!"

Regina sat up, spitting salt water. There was no way she could win this. Not without at least resorting to her second form. In a fluid transformation, her casual vacation look melted into something darker. A leather corset hugged her figure and leather pants clung to her thighs. Her long laced up boots stabbed into the sand violently with each stride forwards. And on her head was a crown made of pure gold, intertwined in such a way that it seemed to come up from her hair, which was now made of long flowing locks that tapered off into little mouths full of sharp teeth and which chattered unintelligibly, gnashing their teeth in hunger.

"Still sore about the fact that I outrank you as a demon? Still sore about the fact I stole that Ariel girl away from you?" Regina cracked her neck, feeling more confident in this form. It had been awhile since she had to wear it. She raised her hands flat and the skies above her turned gray before turning black, the island swiftly descending into darkness. A cold breeze came in, wind ruffling the palm trees. The sound of thunder began to rumble in the air, fueled by the queen's powers.

"Finally, a real challenge! It would have been a shame to beat you so easily!" Ursula raised her own hands up, eyes glowing darkly. The waters around the island began to swirl and bubble, frothing incessantly. "And it wasn't just about Ariel and in stealing my title! You stole away my future, my chance to be queen of the merfolk when you destroyed the trident!"

"It was a shame I didn't destroy you too," Regina added and lighting began to rain down all over the makeshift battlefield.

Emma was halfway to Regina when the sky above her darkened and the land began to shake. "Shit, shit, shit," she cursed out. "What the fuck is going on now?" Was a storm approaching? Fear coiled in her belly and she wanted to retreat under a rock and hide. But she couldn't. Not when Regina was in danger. Not when her demon was actually scared.

"Emma!"

The blonde turned to see that Robin was calling out to her, face distressed as he crawled out from where he had been hiding under one of their tents. "Emma, please you need to help me. I've fucked up. Badly. And I can't-I don't know-"

Emma's first instinct would be to kick his ass for being so dumb as to send a demon on them. But she realized he could be useful. He was the only one who could really stop Ursula.

"Come with me. I know a way you can fix this."

A fat bolt of lightening struck true. Light arched along Ursula's form and she screeched out in pain before she exploded, raining fat glop's of black mass everywhere. Regina erected a shield to avoid getting sprayed, but she shouldn't have worried. The flesh disappeared into thin air. That wasn't good. It meant the witch was still alive.

A tremendous roar from behind Regina alerted her to the fact that there was now a wave of sixty feet coming towards her tiny island. On it, the makeshift face of Ursula, giant watery mouth open to swallow enemies to their doom.

Emma! Concern for the blonde flashed in her mind. She had to get her out of here! She teleported to the house where she had last left her only to find the blonde wasn't there. Where the fuck could she have gone?! Without the locator spell of the tattoo, it would take Regina longer to find her. She summoned up the yellow rope that she had used to find Neal and followed it hastily as it began to unwind.

But there wasn't enough time. She had only made it two feet from out the house, cursing Emma's impudence, when the wave struck. She put up a shield to keep from getting swept away, the giant watery walls ripping away the house behind her.

No, no, no!

Emma surely was dead after that wave. She had to be.

All that time...all that effort...all those memories and special moments...and it was all gone...

Regina felt like screaming. Like destroying everything with her bare hands. Ripping up ground, hearts, crushing bone and breath under her heel.

Her heart felt like it was bleeding and she couldn't seem to catch her breath as her vision wobbled in the aftershock of loss, before she regained her senses and let them be taken over by a more familiar emotion to her.

Rage filled every crevice of Regina's body. She was going to KILL Ursula for taking Emma way from her! She was going to rip her apart cell by cell!

The weight of the water pressed on Regina's shield's before the levels began to recede back into the ocean. Ursula was rebuilding her form. Water turned black, than solid, taking on the shape of her second form.

As soon as her ugly purple mug was reconstructed, Regina lowered her shields. Letting two bolts of lightening strike directly into her palms, she used that to fuel her next hit on Ursula as she redirected the bolts at her. The witch screamed and exploded again, Regina not even bothering to wipe away the slime that hit her cheek. "Ursula!" she roared, her voice deep and sounding more monster than woman. In that one utterance pain beyond imagination was promised.

"Is that the best you've got. I would think the death of your little human pet would enrage you more, seeing how you cared for her." Ursula was already reforming, turning into yet another wave. This one even bigger. "Pathetic. You have become weak, Regina. I will have your title for that!"

Regina rushed right at the wave, not caring that by doing so, she was entering the sea witch's territory. Ursula's smirk only widened. She had Regina exactly where she wanted her.

"Emma. Emma!"

Emma could hear someone calling her name, and she tried to open her eyes to see who it was. Harsh hands on her chest pressed water out of her lungs and air into them instead.

"Emma, can you hear me?"

Ugh, it was that annoying Robin guy. Why wouldn't he just let her sleep?

"Shut up," she mumbled out.

"I'm going to give you mouth to mouth. Is that okay?"

At this Emma's eyes shot wide open and she decked him hard in his chiseled chin before he could do anything. "No!"

"Ouch, okay. I got it, shit," he grabbed his jaw and scrambled back from her.

Emma sat up slowly, feeling a tremendous pounding in her head. "What happened?" she asked looking around and noted that the island she had once called her home now looked more like a wet pile of sand, more water than land.

"There was a tsunami. And then you saved us." Robin was looking at her with awe. "Did the demonic contract give you those powers? Can I use them too?"

Emma looked at the palms of her hands. They were slightly red. She remembered the giant wall of water, the panic as she realized that they were all fucked. She cried out for Regina but she knew the demon wouldn't be able to come to rescue her a second time. So she'd gathered up all her energies and created a bubble around her and Robin. She remembered the strain of holding the wall up, of the tears that pricked at her eyes. And only when the water had finally drifted away did she collapse to the ground, entirely spent.

"How long was I out?"

"I don't know," Robin massaged his still throbbing chin. "Ten minutes maybe."

"Shit." Emma scrambled to her feet, feeling a spell of dizziness hit her. She hadn't recovered yet, but she didn't have time to lay around any longer. "We need to get there and fast before they tear this island apart completely."

It was too quiet. That was never a good sign.

She was drowning.

Drowning, drowning, drowning.

In the water.

In agony.

In her own blood.

She was tossed out of the water like a fish, slapping the hard sand onto her back. Good thing, because she had lost every inch of skin from her neck to her pelvis, the torn edges of the skin still flapping in the breeze and if she had landed onto her front, all of her insides would have spilled out like marbles from a bag. Blood oozed out of the many punctures Ursula's water had given her on her organs, and arms and legs, and one eyeball was missing. Chiseled into spikes, they had gone right through her and now blood was everywhere and it was coming up her throat and her nose and she couldn't recall a time when she had seen so much of her own blood before, it spilling and covering her like a carpet.

Was it always this dark red?

She coughed and winced at the pain it caused her. She had been foolish to step into the water. To walk right into Ursula's domain. She didn't stand a chance there.

Ursula tiptoed her fingers along the exposed ribs poking out as she lounged by Regina, head propped up one hand. She was back in her human form, looking like she was out for a night of clubbing and not killing. "You have such nice ribs. Shame if someone broke them." Then she ripped one rib completely and violently out.

Regina had been expecting that, so she didn't scream in pain. Merely shot the sea witch an evil glare before coughing up more blood.

Ursula looked disappointed by that. "Too defeated to even scream?" she stabbed and pinned Regina's shoulder down with her own rib, stabbing right through the bone, and still Regina did not scream.

"I'm never too defeated," she growled out. Whatever inane retort Ursula was going to say was cut off by a pained cry.

"Regina-!"

Regina recognized that voice anywhere; but she didn't recognize the emotion that laced through it.

It was Emma.

But no, it couldn't be.

Emma had died in that wave. There was no way she could have survived even if she was...unless...Regina was suddenly glad that the girl had been practicing her magic.

Because Emma was alive.

The relief that flooded Regina's bruised body soothed some of the pain. Emma was safe. Which was good, uh, right, because of the need for the plans to succeed and not because of anything else. Not because Regina actually cared about the blonde as a companion. Not at all.

"The little human survived," Ursula murmured in disbelief before she was flung away from Regina's body in a blast of white magic.

"Get away from her!" That surge of magic made white dots dance in front of Emma's eyes but she continued walking, not wanting the other demon to see weakness.

Ursula snarled and rose to her feet, ready to blast that pesky annoyance away.

"Magic! She has magic?!" Something wasn't adding up. No human had magic.

"Stop that! Stay put!" Robin ordered and still snarling, Ursula acquiesced to his orders. "We are leaving. And you are never to harm Regina ever again. Or Emma."

Emma had quickly given Robin a run through on how much power he had over his demon and he was using it now, making sure she was effectively caged. "If there is anything you need help with-" he turned green when he saw the state Regina was in, Emma kneeling by her, the blonde making a great effort to keep the contents of her stomach in.

The blonde was trying hard not to look at all the exposed organs and blood but it was just...everywhere. If she ever had wanted to learn about anatomy of the human body, this here was a prime opportunity. "You've done enough damage as it is. And we don't trust Ursula to heal Regina properly. You should just go," Emma said. And was that a rib sticking out of Regina's shoulder? How did that get there?

"Okay." Robin's voice was small. "I'm truly sorry."

"Just break the contract with her before she takes your soul," Emma offered.

But as Robin looked at the hatred burning in Ursula's eyes he knew he couldn't. Because she would only come back after Regina. As long as he was the master, he could forbid her from doing that. He left without another word, him and his demon poofing away in black smoke.

Regina tried to sit up, but Emma pushed her back down. "Stay still. I'm going to heal you." She had never done such a thing before. Didn't even know if she could do it, but it felt right. She felt confident in that for some reason.

"I don't need your magic. I'll heal by myself."

"I can't stand sitting around and watching that happen." Emma shook her head and raised her hands over Regina's body, closing her eyes as she felt energy radiate from the core of her body to her hands. Regina let out a soft content sigh as her body began to heal. The blood stopped pooling, the ribs reformed, and the gashes on all her limbs shut closed. Some natural color began to come back into her cheeks. Emma was losing color on the other hand, sweat dripping down her forehead.

The land under them gave a huge jolt, almost severing Emma's concentration.

"Emma, we need to go. I'm fine now. But the island is falling apart. The bedrock has been compromised by the fight!"

A huge fissure cracked open right next to Regina's head and salt water began to spray upwards from it, as the chunk of land they were on began to tilt down.

"Emma!"

The blonde opened her eyes. She was done healing Regina. The demon looked as good as new, even her blood stains gone. How had Emma done that? That was so sick!

But her elation at her success was cut short by dancing white lights in her eyes. She slumped forwards feeling weak and nauseous. Regina caught her and tugged her up.

"We're leaving." And not a moment too soon as a giant wave engulfed the land they had just been on and greedily sucked it under the sea. There was not a single sign of the island they had lived on.

Emma drifted in and out of consciousness for several days after that, dreaming of water and blood and Robin's leering face trying to kiss her. On the third day she woke, sweat making her shirt cling to her back. "Regina!" tore out of her throat. Was the demon okay? Was she-

"Right here. I'm right here," the demon came in, a wet towel in her hand. She sat down on the bed and gently wiped away at Emma's forehead, rubbing circles on her shaking back.

"I was worried," she finally let out.

"I know. But I'm fine. And I would have been okay without you healing me."

Emma shook her head at this, trying to dislodge memories of all that blood and gore and- she squeezed her eyes tight. "Don't think about it," Regina whispered to her.

Emma thought she was used to gore, given all the adventures and crimes she and Regina had committed across the years. But no, it was different when Regina was on the receiving end.

"I want to check," because Emma still didn't trust she had done a good enough job. "Please."

Regina sighed and obliged, knowing it would be futile to argue back, and unbuttoned her white button down shirt.

Tan smooth skin greeted Emma and she let her fingers trace over where the wounds had once been. She circled gently over the abdomen, the skin firm and taunt under her touch, glad to feel the press of perfect ribs under her palms. She let her fingers tickle over the swell of Regina's bra clad breasts, feeling the steady strumming of her heart, no longer a red organ exposed. She ghosted her hands over the no longer broken and jutting out collarbone. Then she pushed down the shirt, exposing Regina's shoulders to the air. She had to check there too. Had to make sure there really was no trace of harm left behind.

Regina watched the human at her task and she couldn't help her lids from lowering halfway. The soft touches were nice. They spoke volumes of how Emma cared for her. One wasn't supposed to care for a demon but Emma did, and it was lovely. Which was why Regina couldn't have it. Didn't deserve it.

She grabbed Emma's wandering hands and placed them over her breasts, forcing her hands to squeeze hard. "Do you want to check under here too?" she asked flirtatiously, hoping it would ruin the sweet intensity of this moment. That Emma would fluster and jump back.

But she didn't. "Show me then." Emma still recalled the glint of lungs, of insides too red but not red enough peeking out from the safe cover of skin. The whole of Regina's front had been devastated.

Regina felt her heart skip a beat and no, no she could not be doing this. She had to be in control here. She was the demon. She bonked her head against Emma's forehead. "Emma, dear, I was joking. I am hundred percent put together. If your magic didn't heal me all the way than my magic did the rest."

Emma blinked herself back to reality, finally seeing that Regina was whole in front of her. Beautiful and whole. A flush settled onto her cheeks and she peeled her hands away where they had been resting on the demon's ample cleavage.

"Uh, sorry." She didn't know what had come over her.

"That's quite alright," Regina sat back and buttoned up her shirt. "How about we get you a nice bath? You could use one."

"Sure." Anything to spare Emma the embarrassment of how she had nearly been fondling Regina.

For three weeks following the affair on the island, Emma and Regina traveled the globe. They never stayed in one spot too long, afraid to garner the attentions of some other demons. So they went from America, to South America, to Africa, until they ended up in Tibet, taking up the ways of Buddhism and living up in the mountains.

Emma found Buddhism very relaxing. She would meditate hours on end and live a life of no excess, such a far cry from what she used to do as a young teen. For Emma was now 17 and she wasn't quite as mean as she once was. She felt like she had repaid the world for their injustices done to her in kind. Now all she wanted was to be left alone, to enjoy her solitude with her demon until it was time for Regina to claim her soul.

Additionally, she had a greater appreciation for life now. Facing off against multiple demons could do that to a person. They scared her more than death itself, and she'd met him once or twice when he'd come to collect the souls of those they had murdered. Nice guy when not pissed off, but very grim and morbid. Could use some color in his clothing and life (unlife?) and less interest in her soul.

And Regina followed wherever Emma went, even donning Buddhist robes despite how much she reviled them. "They are simple atrocious and unflattering!" Regina had tried to tailor hers to fit better but no matter the cut, they still did not look nice.

Emma would have mentioned that any article of clothing looked good on Regina, but she didn't. Those were dangerous thoughts. Thoughts that kept her up late at night, itching to touch herself.

But she didn't do anything about it because it was wrong.

She distracted herself with meditation- though half the time she ended up meditating about Regina's ass- and with practicing her magic. Regina had given up trying to forbid Emma from using it, only because she knew the blonde wouldn't listen anyways.

"I suppose it would do if you knew some magic," Regina had conceded when Emma asked the demon to teach her how to use it. It had kept her alive on the island and Regina couldn't begrudge that. She had almost lost Emma, and that had knocked her confidence in keeping the blonde safe down several pegs. She wanted Emma to know how to protect herself even if exposing her to the world of magic was risky.

So they trained, though their magic types did not match up at all. Regina's magic was made for hurting, whereas Emma's was for protection and healing. Whatever Regina tried to teach her how to do, Emma's magic either wouldn't comply or it would go about it a different way.

"This is no good," Regina had huffed out on more than one occasion. "I cannot train you because our magic is not compatible."

"Then just teach me the basics. Like how to control it, how to replenish it, that sort of stuff."

So Regina did.

The stay in Tibet was simple though filled with physical labor. And not just magic training but helping gather food for the village. Emma had never been a part of a community before and it felt nice, though she was wary. She would eat communal meals with them, play games, work on local projects, and hold conversations with them thanks to a spell Regina cast that allowed the both of them to speak and understand the language. The villagers called Emma the Sētō svāna or 'White Swan' for her long graceful limbs and stunning bright hair, and they called Regina the Gāḍhā ēka or 'Dark One' for her caramel skin and dark, dark eyes.

Of course something simple and sweet like this could not remain and it was in the middle of the night that Regina strode into Emma's small bedroom in a huff. "Get up. We have to leave."

Emma was awake in an instant. "What? What's wrong?"

"Demons. I scented two of them. Coming over the mountains through the village."

"What are they doing here? Are they after me?"

"Possibly."

"What kind of demon are they?"

"Low class. They aren't worth the trifle. But still it would be best if we left."

In the quiet of the mountains Emma could make out the beginnings of screams. She bolted up in her bed. "That's them. They must be attacking the villagers!"

Emma rushed out of the house. She couldn't let those demons kill innocents. They were here for her, others shouldn't have to suffer because of that.

"Emma, no! Leave them be! If we leave than the demons won't have reason to stay here!"

But Emma was already out the door and running down the precipice to the village.

"Fuck!" Regina clenched her fists tightly. This wasn't good. Emma was regaining her moral compass. All those years of trying to corrupt her soul and it hadn't worked. All of it reverting day by day until Emma's soul would be as pure as snow and utterly unusable to the demons.

Regina couldn't lose heart. She would have to try a different tactic later on. For now, she had to make sure that Emma didn't get hurt.

They made short work of the demons. They were stupid and dumb and didn't even have a human form. Regina didn't even break a sweat and Emma didn't get injured. After that was all over, the villagers were in awe of the two foreigners. Calling them gods and such. Regina snorted at their naivety. Emma loved it.

The both of them had to leave by morning, because they could no longer stay in this village. Packing up their bags they teleported back to the US, hoping it would be safe to stay there once more.

"Atlanta?" Emma wrinkled up her nose. "Really? This of all places?"

"Got something against the south?" Regina quirked up her brow as she used magic to decorate the new apartment, frames jumping up to walls, couches materializing on the floors, and curtains appearing on windows.

"No, it's just..." Emma shrugged. "The place seems uninteresting?"

"That's good. Less attention and less expectation that someone like us would be found here."

"But did you really have to pick a place in the middle of nowhere? This is miles from the downtown area."

"We can teleport anywhere. Are you really going to complain over distance?"

"Yes," Emma pouted, flopping down onto the couch and flicking the TV on. Once Upon a Crime was playing and she quickly turned it back off. It hurt too much to see what trash the show had become now that they were both gone from the scenes.

Regina only knew Emma was being petulant because she actually missed the mountains and the solitude yet communal sense that had been there. Alone but not really. Emma missed finally being a part of a community and Regina wished they hadn't had to go, but they did, because Emma was becoming good again and that was something Regina could not have. Thus, Atlanta. It seemed a safe option. Western world where not a lot of community happened and where she hadn't heard news of demons passing by in decades. The south was too religious for that.

It would be their new start for the billionth time yet, and would give Regina ample opportunity to enact her plan B.

She had seen it; had seen the way Emma looked at her. She would have had to been blind to not notice it. And she was going to use that and her Satan given body to aid in her plan.

Seducing Emma Swan to the dark side once again.