A/N: This chapter is just pure FFC. All mistakes made are mine. Hope you enjoy!
Twenty-four matches later, and Regina found herself in the spotlight, standing opposite her first opponent, Karen Matthews. Karen was an energetic twenty-five year old woman with six years of boxing experience and three National Collegiate Boxing Association regional championships under her belt. The woman was five feet three inches tall, and one-hundred and fifteen pounds of pure muscle. She was pretty, with her flawless caramel-colored skin, her bright, hazel eyes, and her neat, slicked back ponytail. Karen's black sports bra and matching spandex shorts left little to the imagination; the woman was absolutely ripped.
Regina could practically see her biceps quivering, and her abs looked like they were chiseled by the gods themselves. Regina looked down at her baggy tank top and gym shorts and suddenly felt very out of shape. Her arms were toned – for the most part – and so were her calves and thighs. But, that seemed to be the extent of her toned body parts.
Regina briefly looked toward the small group huddled near her ring and caught Emma's eye. Emma was set to fight in the next round and Regina couldn't wait to see her in action (mostly because she knew she wouldn't have to face Emma in the next round). With an encouraging smile on her face, the blonde winked at Regina and offered her a thumbs up. Her green eyes were bright and anxious and, if Regina didn't know any better, she could also spot a tinge of pride lingering in her gaze.
Regina smiled at Emma before turning back to face her opponent. Karen had been sweet and open when she and Regina had been paired together before the match, but now that sweetness was gone. Standing before Regina was a woman with a fire in her eyes that would surely set her aflame if she stared too long. Karen's body language was no longer open and inviting; it was aggressive and predatory, ready to strike at any given moment. She might as well have worked for American Red Cross, because she was out for blood.
Regina puffed out her chest and steeled her resolve; she was going to be that stubborn vein that refused to cooperate with the needle. She was going to put up one hell of a fight and, judging by the challenging glint in her opponent's eyes, she knew it, too. Karen wasn't going to get a drop of blood out of Regina, but she was going to make it hard for Regina to keep her blood inside her veins.
Before the ding of the bell, Regina heard a few excited hollers coming from nearby and looked out into the crowd, squinting against the bright lights. When her vision adjusted to the light, she saw Zelena and David whistling and cheering and screaming her name and – yup, Zelena was definitely holding up a small sign that read, "Kick ass, sis!" Regina rolled her eyes at her sister's antics. Where the hell had she even gotten that?
She almost felt eighteen again. When Zelena had first found out about her boxing hobby, she came to every single match and always brought homemade signs – one more outrageous than the last. Suffice to say, everyone in that college gymnasium knew who she was related to. She had no doubt that that was also the case now.
"Good luck," Regina heard a voice say near her ear.
Regina looked to the woman in front of her - noting her sincere eyes - and nodded, returning the sentiment. "You too."
The bell dinged, and round one began.
Regina brought her gloved fists up to her cheeks and allowed her feet to dance around the ring. Karen did the same and tracked Regina's every move with her eyes with a hawk-like stare. She was waiting for Regina to make the first move so that she could strike, but Regina refused to take the bait. Her opponent was getting antsy, and Regina waited for the woman's inevitable slip up. She was not disappointed.
Regina could see the twitch in Karen's left arm and the slight jolt in her right leg. She was gearing up to deliver a left hook to Regina's cheek, just waiting to catch Regina off-guard. That wasn't going to happen.
Just as Karen's hands moved a few inches away from their guarding position at her cheeks to take the shot, Regina found her opening. She delivered five subsequent, well-placed jabs to her opponent's abdomen. They were quick, like strikes of lightning, but they'd left a noticeable impact. The woman doubled over slightly and Regina pulled back, putting a few feet of distance between them as the woman caught her bearings.
When she recovered, she straightened to her full height, preparing to deliver a counterattack, but she never got the chance. Regina delivered a sharp uppercut to her chin that sent her sprawling onto the platform. After several moments of her opponent not making any move to stand back up – her gloved fists cradling her chin – the bell dinged, signaling the end of the first round.
The referee helped Karen up during the one minute break between rounds. Karen eyed Regina with an unreadable look as she got to her feet and moved her jaw around to rid it of its soreness. Headgear wasn't an option for the event, so Karen felt the full impact of the punch. Regina wasn't looking forward to what Karen would bring during round two. Her face was already screaming with pain and she hadn't even been hit yet.
A moment later, the bell dinged and round two began.
It didn't take long for Karen to attack. Regina had anticipated the aggressive movements, however, and sidestepped the woman's flying fists. She delivered a heavy cross to the side of Karen's face that caused her head to snap sideways. A small dribble of blood bubbled out of her mouth at the contact and Regina jumped back, just in time to dodge her opponent's oncoming punch.
The remaining minute of the round went by without another punch being thrown.
Regina took the minute break between rounds to catch her breath. She glanced down at Emma, who was standing closest to the ring, casually leaning against it and looking up at her.
"You're doing great, Regina. Just one more round and you'll move on to the next phase," Emma yelled up to her over the excited chatter of the crowd.
Regina smiled at her in response and rolled her neck and shoulders around, preparing for the final round.
The bell rang and Karen stood back, her fists guarding her face. She wasn't attacking first this time, so Regina assumed that she'd finally learned her lesson. Regina wondered how she'd managed to win three NCBA championships. She wasn't a bad boxer per se, she was just overly aggressive and impatient in the ring. Her movements were urged and sloppy and lacked the skill Regina would have associated with a three time NCBA champion. Karen was an 'attack first, worry about technique later' type of girl and Regina would have admired it, had she actually managed to land a punch on her.
Karen's hands moved an inch away from her cheeks, leaving them slightly exposed. Regina took her shot. Delivering another heavy cross to her opponent's face, Regina watched the woman stumble sideways, before regaining her balance. Karen narrowed her eyes at Regina, looking for an opening. She didn't find one.
The bell rang, signaling the end of the match, and the referee walked onto the platform, raising Regina's arm in the air. She'd won.
She heard piercing whistles coming from the crowd and squinted against the lights to see David and Zelena with their fingers in their mouth, trying to out-whistle one another. Zelena caught her eye and waved the small sign in her free hand. Regina rolled her eyes and brought her attention to the blonde she knew was standing nearby. Emma looked up at her in awe as the referee signaled for them to get off the platform so the next participants could take their place. Regina stretched out the ropes and climbed through them, jumping from the platform to land beside Emma.
"Dude, you were incredible," Emma breathed out the moment Regina's feet touched the ground.
Regina blushed, her face flushed with exertion from the fight. "Thanks."
"If you keep fighting like that, we'll end up meeting in the ring," Emma said jokingly, though her expression was completely serious.
"Scared?" Regina teased.
Emma shrugged. "Yeah."
The next participants were called to enter their respective rings. Emma offered Regina a lopsided grin as she laid her stomach and legs on the platform and rolled under the lowest rope to enter the ring. With a confused expression, Regina watched Emma rise to her feet and put on her gloves.
Wait, what?
Watching Emma fight was an experience unlike any other. The woman was agile, quick, and powerful, making it obvious to spectators that she was the one in charge. Emma had a sixth sense for predicting movements; before her opponent had even moved, Emma was on them, delivering sharp jabs that left them gasping for air. She dodged their attacks with a gracefulness one would attribute to a ballerina, not a boxer. Watching Emma fight was like watching a big stage production of Swan Lake; you couldn't help but be mesmerized by the performance.
The bell signaling the end of the match dinged and Emma's arm was raised in victory. She held out her hand to her opponent, who took it with trembling hands, and a jerky handshake followed.
"She's amazing, isn't she?" said David, who was standing beside her.
"Yeah," Regina breathed out in awe.
"I sure hope you don't have to face her, little sister. You'd be doomed," Zelena quipped, a teasing smile on her face.
"You're so encouraging," Regina deadpanned.
"That's what I'm here for."
Several matches later and it was down to the final four. Regina had been paired with a woman named Andrea Fuentes and Emma had been paired with a man named Phil Simon. Regina's opponent, Andrea, had ten years of boxing experience, but she'd never competed in a league; like Emma, boxing was just a fun side hobby for her. Regina had watched her compete in earlier rounds and she was impressed with what she saw. This woman was going to give her a run for her money.
Regina stretched out her arms and legs and watched as Andrea did the same. The woman was five feet six inches tall, thirty years old, and wore a loose tank top and shorts similar to Regina's. Her shoes and gloves were well-worn and her stance was guarded. Unlike Karen, and her last two opponents, this woman was prepared. Regina could see the gears turning in her head as she planned her moves in advance. The match hadn't even begun yet and she was already looking for a strategy. Regina would be lying if she said she wasn't the least bit nervous.
Regina put on her gloves and tightened the string to secure them. She glanced over at the neighboring and saw Emma doing the same, while she conversed with her opponent. They both had smiles on their faces as they stretched their limbs and adjusted their gloves. The man looked at Emma with kindness and respect, and Regina felt herself warm at the look. Emma had everyone wrapped around her finger, including Regina.
(Especially Regina).
"Is she your girlfriend?"
Regina's attention shifted away from Emma, to the woman standing in front of her. The knowing smile on her face made Regina uneasy.
Regina cleared her throat. "She's not my girlfriend. We're just friends."
Andrea's smile widened as she looked at something behind Regina. "Well, if I looked at all of my friends the way you two look at each other, I'm sure everyone around me would have many questions."
Regina felt her cheeks flush at the observation and averted her gaze to her scuffed up shoes. Luckily, the awkward silence that followed was cut short as the referee came onto the platform and signaled for the match to begin. At the sound of the bell, the two women began their dance around the ring, their eyes staring critically at one another. Regina kept her face and abdomen guarded and watched Andrea assess her every move. Unlike her previous opponents, Andrea wasn't hasty in her attacks. She didn't attack just for the sake of getting a hit, she attacked for the sake of winning the match.
Regina wasn't sure how it had happened, but the next thing she knew, she was doubled over with a slight pain stabbing at her abdomen. Andrea had jabbed her ten times in under five seconds and she hadn't even anticipated it. She didn't see her coming. It was the left hook to her cheek that did her in, though. Regina felt her head whip to the side of its own accord and could already feel the pain beginning to well up in her cheek. Before Andrea could attack again, the round was over.
"Fuck," Regina hissed under breath as she went to her corner of the ring. She slipped off her right glove, touched her bare hand to her cheek, and hissed at the pain the slight pressure brought about. That was going to bruise.
"Kick her ass, Regina!" was shouted from a few feet away and that familiar British accent could only belong to one person. Regina ignored her, slipped her glove back on - tightening the string with her teeth - and got back into position.
The second round went much like the first one, with Andrea landing jab after jab against her abdomen. Regina managed to deliver a few jabs of her own, but that barely deterred the other woman. The round ended with both of them still standing, only slightly more bruised.
"You got me," Andrea joked as they stretched out their limbs. "You better bring it for the last round. Don't go so easy on me this time."
Regina chuckled. "Trust me when I say that I'm going to give it everything."
Andrea grinned. "You better. Good luck, Regina."
"Yeah, you too."
Luck wasn't on her side this time. The referee counted the punches thrown and Andrea beat her by ten. The two shook hands and exchanged pleasantries, and then Regina jumped from the platform to approach her sister and David.
"You did good, kid," David praised as he threw an arm over her shoulder and pulled her into his side. "You made it to the final four during your first ever FFC. Not many people can say that."
Zelena took the gloves from her grasp and tied the laces of them together so she could hang them over her shoulder. She, then, offered Regina a wide, genuine smile. "This tournament brought me back to your college competitions. For someone who hasn't boxed in over ten years, you've still got it."
Regina flushed at the compliment and shrugged. "I was okay."
"Look at it this way, at least you won't have to fight your future girlfriend."
Regina rolled her eyes at that and looked toward the center ring, which Emma and Andrea had now occupied. Emma hadn't managed to knock out her opponent, Phil, but she had managed to land more punches on him, making her the winner of the match. The man was standing to the side of the ring with who Regina assumed to be his girlfriend. The man looked completely unbothered by the fact that he had just lost to a woman, and looked rather proud of himself for making it this far. Regina didn't know him, but she liked that about him. She'd seen four men lose their matches to women earlier in the tournament and none of them had taken it well. It was nice to see a different reaction.
"Ladies and gentlemen, it is the moment we have all been waiting for," announced August from the center of the platform, a cordless microphone in his hand. "Our final fight will be between Andrea Fuentes and our undefeated champion, Emma Swan." The crowd roared with excitement, and August smiled down at them with a giddy grin. "This is it, you guys. Let the fight begin!"
The round began and Regina's eyes immediately sought out Emma. The blonde gracefully danced around the ring, her fists in front of her face. She and Andrea studied each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. After two minutes going by with no move being made, Andrea bit the bullet and took a shot at Emma, only for her fist to be blocked by Emma's. With her free hand, Emma swung at Andrea's exposed cheek and delivered a sharp right hook. Andrea fell sideways into the ropes, and tried to catch her bearings. Before she could, the bell signally the end of the round dinged.
Both women retreated to their corners to recuperate. Regina watched Emma take a few deep breaths before her eyes danced around the crowd and landed on her. She felt her heart stutter in her chest when Emma's eyes locked with hers. A shy smile appeared on her face at the eye contact and Regina could feel her lips mirroring the smile. She had it bad.
"You guys are adorably gross," Zelena drawled.
Regina ignored her and focused on Emma. Tonight, after this match, she was going to ask her out. She was ready.
K.O.
Andrea went down and never got back up. She was officially knocked unconscious and Emma had won. Again. The woman's victory was met with thunderous applause, rowdy cheers, and just overall excitement. August awarded her with a customized championship belt, a t-shirt, and two-hundred dollars in cash. Emma smiled shyly at all of the attention she was getting and graciously thanked her best friend. She held on to her winnings and walked down the steps leading to the ground. Men and women patted her on the back as she passed and offered their congratulations. Emma nodded politely at them and made her way through the crowd, toward Regina.
Regina waited for her to approach with bated breath and gave herself a mental pep talk as Emma grew nearer.
You're ready for this, Regina, she thought to herself. You can do this.
"Hey," Emma greeted, sounding slightly out of breath as she approached her.
"Hey," Regina said back. "Congratulations on remaining undefeated."
Emma smiled bashfully. "Congratulations on making it to the top four. That's not an easy feat for any first-timer."
Regina shrugged. "Yeah."
"Where's David? And your sister?"
"They're waiting for me outside."
Truth is, Regina made them leave while she waited for Emma. She didn't need them making it any harder for her to ask her out. They embarrassed her enough today; she deserved a break.
"Oh," Emma mumbled, before nervously rambling out, "I was wondering if you wanted to get dinner tomorrow night."
Regina blinked. Had she heard right?
"I'm sorry?"
"A date," Emma clarified. "Would you like to go on a date with me tomorrow night?" She asked again, her voice now unwavering and confident.
Regina paused. Well, her timing was impeccable. Instead of bringing up the fact that Emma had completely hijacked her plan, Regina simply said…
"Yes. I'd love to."