So it's good to be back:) Thank you all for the warm and loving reviews and for welcoming me back so generously.
This next chapter is a little fluffier than the others and less plot-driven, so ye be warned. I hope you enjoy it anyway. Work has been hectic so I apologise if the editing is a little off.
xoxo
...
Emma half-carried, half-dragged Archie up to the Mill. It was a long journey, and though she was strong it was still exhausting. At the pathway leading up to the doors of the Mill she thought about setting him on the ground and going for help but nixed the idea almost immediately. You couldn't take too many chances, not in a treacherous place like this, so she readjusted his weight and, panting, started the long walk up to Regina's front door. There was a moment of resistance, a light wind that brushed against her and made her exposed skin tingle, but Emma shook her head and chalked it up to fatigue. Feet throbbing, her whole body aching, she finally made it to the door and knocked.
Searing heat and a light bright as the sun blinded her, forcing her backward. Archie slipped from her grasp and fell hard to the ground, crying out in pain, and Emma threw her arms up in a futile attempt to protect herself from the waves of fire coursing over her. She was dead, she knew.
And yet... And yet it was taking an awfully long time to die. Blinking, she looked around. Archie was behind her; she shielded him with her body, thinking to protect him from the fire. But the flames were streaming around them. The heat was unbearable but they were alive.
And then the flames were gone. Blinking, Emma crouched on the ground, looking up at Regina, who was standing in the doorway and looking down at them imperiously. "You really shouldn't mess with warding magic," she said coldly. And then her lip twitched and she rolled her eyes. "You fool. Did you think I would leave my bar unprotected? Come in here. Who's that with you?"
"If you'd stop talking I'll tell you," Emma said, a bit of a grumble in her voice. After all, she'd almost been set on fire. She held her hand out and Regina took it, pulling Emma to her feet. They stopped for a moment, looking into each other's eyes, and Emma opened her mouth to say something, anything, to confess, to tell Regina everything, to tell her to get out of town, go to Boston. Then she dropped her gaze and looked at Archie, still on the ground but a little more conscious now. Regina's eyes were still on her and Emma felt hotter than when surrounded by flames.
"It's Archie, he needs help," Emma said, bending down and scooping him into her tired arms. Regina put a hand on her shoulder to stop her, waved her hand, and Archie floated upward as though carried by an invisible stretcher.
"Come in, quickly," Regina said, her dark eyes scanning the darkness beyond for danger. Emma didn't need telling twice. She ducked inside the bar and turned, watching Archie's eerily floating form come after her, and then Regina came, closing the door behind her and locking it with a heavy iron bar. "Henry, put two tables together."
Emma turned and watched the little boy jump to his feet and hasten to obey his mother, pushing two of the bar tables together so Regina could lay Archie's body down. "That's Doctor Hopper!" Henry said, stepping back and watching with solemn eyes as Archie floated down to rest. "What's the matter with him?"
Regina was already bent over him, her brow furrowed, her dark eyes looking over Archie's face. She took his pulse, pressed the back of her hand to his sweating forehead, and then closed her eyes as though concentrating. Granny Lucas came out of the kitchen carrying a large knife and a bag of potatoes, her crossbow strapped onto her back and a dark look on her face. She started to speak but Emma shook her head, indicating Regina needed silence.
"He's been poisoned," Regina said finally, stepping back and looking down at Archie with a dark, almost menacing look on her face. "Slowly, painfully... He needs medicine."
"But... who would poison Doctor Hopper?" Henry said, taking a few steps closer to his friend.
"It's not just any poison, it's magic." Regina rested her hands on the table and pursed her lip, thinking hard. Her eyes went from Archie's face to Emma's. "Where did you find him?"
"In his office. I went to go talk to him." Emma tried to be discreet about what she knew. Lying came so easily to her; telling the truth did not. She didn't believe Regina was the monster she'd been led to believe but Emma did think she was dangerous, or had the potential to be, especially if she knew she was being spied on.
"And you found him like this?"
Emma nodded.
"So you brought him here?"
"I thought you could protect him, help him. Everyone in this town is against me now because they all think I'm friends with you, I didn't have anywhere else to turn. He probably would have died if I didn't do something." Emma didn't like the way Regina's eyes seemed to pierce right through her. Emma might have been an expert liar but she didn't feel like it when Regina looked at her like that, like a cat staring down a mouse.
Finally Regina exhaled and looked over at Henry, giving him a tired smile. "Why don't you go in the kitchen and help Granny Lucas make dinner?"
He rolled his eyes and gave her an impatient sigh. "Come on, mom, I'm old enough to hear this."
"No, you're not," Regina said, rounding the table and putting an arm around Henry's shoulders to steer him toward the kitchen. The way they spoke it sounded like an old argument.
"I'm just going to eavesdrop," he told her. Emma couldn't help smiling but luckily Regina had her back turned.
"Then I'm just going to have to cast a spell against eavesdroppers." He narrowed his eyes at her and Regina bent down, looking him in the eyes with tenderness. "Look, Henry, I need you to do this for me. It's important. Go in the kitchen with Granny and stay there until I come and get you. This isn't going to be pleasant to witness."
He sighed, accepting his fate, and turned toward the kitchen doors, which Granny Lucas was holding open. Regina gave her a look that said 'keep an eye on him' and Granny nodded before letting the doors swing shut. Regina then turned back into the room and walked toward Archie, her face dark. She looked briefly at Emma and smiled.
"What are you going to do?" Emma said, taking a few steps toward her, glancing nervously from Regina to Archie and back. It was hot, she noticed, and took off her jacket and then opened a couple shirt buttons. Regina watched her and the cleared her throat, looking quickly away, her cheeks a little darker than before.
"I'm going to try and draw the poison out but it'll be difficult and probably a little dangerous. If I had some idea what Archie was using... Poor man." She looked down at him sadly and then quickly back to Emma, who was pulling something out of her pocket. Tiny bottles, small envelopes, the kind sorcerers used for spell ingredients.
Emma held them out to Regina, who looked over them carefully, touching them lightly with her fingertips, occasionally grazing Emma' skin and sending the familiar tingle through her body. Regina selected a bottle and held it to the nearest light, pulling the cork out and taking in the scent. "Dark magic. It seems familiar but I can't quite..." She was scowling, and then she shrugged. "There are more important things right now. Put those down on the bar before you get hurt."
Emma hesitated, her lips quirking a bit at Regina's imperious tone, and then did as she was told, returning to Archie but this time standing next to Regina. "So what are you going to do?"
Regina opened her mouth to answer and then a curious look came over her face, and turning her head to look at Emma, she had an almost playful spark in her eyes and her lips were turning into a smile. Emma narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "I'm not going to do a thing."
"What? But if you don't help him he could die."
"No, Emma, you misunderstand. I'm not going to do anything. You are."
Emma blinked. "What? How am I supposed to help him?"
"With your magic."
Emma shook her head as though Regina was being adorably dense. "We went over this."
Regina gave Emma a look that let her know she was just dense, no 'adorably' attached. "How do you think you managed to survive my warding magic? Do you think anyone could just waltz up here and manage to avoid that attack? No. You deflected it. It should have killed you. Or seriously maimed you, one or the other."
"You aren't kidding around with that stuff, are you?" Emma said, a little uneasily.
"No, because there are people in this town trying to kill me and they'll use my son against me if they can." Regina took a breath and regained her composure. "Now, stand next to Archie, take a deep breath, and close your eyes."
Emma remained still, looking at Regina, who looked back unblinkingly, her face set, almost severe. Once again, Emma did as she was bidden. "When do I get to boss you around?" she asked, shooting Regina a dark look before closing her eyes, though not before catching the other woman's smirk.
She heard Regina move next to her, smelled her scent, a mixture of apples and something dark and spicy. "Now, concentrate Emma. Magic is ruled by emotion so find whatever it is in yourself that makes the magic work."
"But I don't know what- "
"Shh! Archie's going to die unless you help him. Concentrate. Find the magic in yourself. What made you dispel my warding magic? Was it anger at being attacked? Fear, maybe?"
"Fear," Emma said. "I was afraid I'd be a roast chicken." She looked at Regina, grinning, but Regina didn't seem to find her little joke funny, quite the opposite.
"Focus," Regina said coolly. Emma cleared her throat and closed her eyes again, trying hard to do as Regina asked. She was good at hunting down illegal sorcerers and magic dealers, werewolves and other bogeymen, so this shouldn't be a problem. All she had to do was find the magic in herself.
"Hold your hands over him," Regina said. Emma was nervous. A man's life rested in her hands and she had to trust in the power Regina said she possessed. "Not like that," Regina said, a bit of edge to her voice, but when she took Emma's hand and turned it palm down her touch was gentle and lingered just a little too long. Emma opened her eyes and looked at Regina, surprised but not upset. "Eyes closed, Ms. Swan," Regina chided gently. Feeling warm, Emma closed her eyes. "I'll help you through this, Emma. Now, concentrate. Find the emotion. You said it was fear? Find it in yourself, find the magic and bring it forward."
It wasn't going to be easy. Emma hunted magical things; she didn't belong in their community. But as the first thread of fear wound through her she felt the spark of something inside.
"Good... good. You have power. But I think you need just a bit of help." She moved behind Emma and Emma started, her heart pounding, and the chord of magic humming through her wavered and almost snapped. Regina put her hands over Emma's; her sweet, spicy scent filled Emma's nostrils and Regina's lips near her ear made her weak.
"I'm not going to do it for you but I will direct the magic, keep it from lashing out. You have plenty of power, Emma. Let's see if you have talent, too."
Emma felt like turning around and showing Regina just how talented she was, and would have done if not for Archie. She bit her tongue, smiling, enjoying the warm press of Regina's body against her own.
"You need to draw the poison out of Archie's body, the dark magic."
"And how do I do that?" Emma said.
"You should be able to sense it. Just let it come to you."
Emma bit her lip, scrunching up her face and trying hard to 'sense' the dark magic poisoning Archie's body. She stood for a long while, trying to focus on anything other than Regina's breasts pressing against her back.
"Focus," Regina said, her breath moving a few strands of hair by Emma's ear. Emma's hands trembled and Regina tightened her hold on them. Emma cleared her throat, concentrating hard, because if Emma was nothing else she was a determined woman. She took a deep breath and thought of Archie's life, hanging in the balance. The magic came easier this time. It was a strange sensation she couldn't easily explain, a tingling in her mind, like having her brain submerged in a whirl of colour and sound. Something caught her attention, a dark, smoky presence - Regina.
"Find the dark magic and heal Archie," Regina said. Her voice was silky. Was she speaking aloud or in Emma's mind?
Emma did as she was told, reaching out toward Archie. It was easy to find the dark energy; it radiated out from his body like an illness. Emma hesitated, unsure what to do now.
"Draw it out," Regina said.
"How?" Did she say the word or just think it?
"Draw it out," Regina said again.
Emma supposed that meant she would have to it out on her own. Again, she directed her thoughts to the dark energy. Draw it out. Draw it out. Draw it out... Her thoughts ran freely and the magic inside her responded accordingly, ripping the magic out of Archie's poisoned body. the dark, smoky presence - Regina's presence - came forward, steadying Emma's flow of power, taking it down to a slow pull. The magic passed through her, was cleansed, and then dispelled.
Emma opened her eyes and sighed heavily, exhausted. There was sweat on her forehead, she felt like she'd run for miles. She clutched the table and leaned forward, away from Regina.
"You did really well," she said, resting her hands on Emma's hips briefly before moving away. "Take a seat, I'll get you a drink." She smiled at Emma and moved to the bar, pouring a couple of drinks.
"Is he ok now?" Emma asked. As tired as she felt Archie looked much worse, although the unhealthy grey tinge was gone from his face.
Regina returned and handed the drink to Emma. Whiskey, strong-smelling, smoky, with just a hint of apples and cinnamon. Emma smiled and took a sip. It was good stuff that burned all the way down and left a surprisingly sweet aftertaste.
"He'll be ok," Regina said, looking at Archie with a concerned frown on her face. "I'd like to know who's been doing this to him."
"I hear there's a magic dealer in town," Emma said, and sipped at the whiskey.
Regina looked at her sharply. "What do you mean?"
Emma shrugged. "Just rumours and gossip I heard. And now Archie's taking this dark stuff, which is addictive..."
Regina sighed and rolled her eyes in frustration. "You make magic illegal and people will find a way to get it, and if they have to turn to the dangerous stuff they will. Poor Archie." She smoothed back his hair, sighed heavily, and turned toward the kitchen. "Henry," she called, and as though he'd been waiting for it, Henry burst through the kitchen doors. Bight-eyed, face eager, he went to Regina, looking past her at Archie.
"Is he ok, mom?" he asked.
"He will be. Right now he needs rest, so we'll put him in your bedroom and you can sleep with me."
"What about Emma, is she staying the night too?"
"Oh no. No, it's ok, I'm fine, really -"
Regina looked at her and smiled gently. "I'm afraid that since you've sided with me you've made yourself something of a fugitive in this town."
Emma bit her lip, uncertain, and the small Mills family looked at her, waiting for her reply. "All right," she said. After all, the inn would be empty, dark, and cold. Here at least there was light and warmth and the warm glow in Regina's eyes, similar to the one on her son's face.
"You can stay in the spare room," Regina said, her voice warm and cheerful. "And Granny Lucas -"
"I'll stay right here, thank you. The nice armchair by the fire will do me well enough." The woman in question pushed through the kitchen's swing door while Regina was speaking. She carried a tray in her hands laden with four steaming bowls of soup. "Come on Henry, get the bread and cheese." He scurried off to do as she asked and Granny Lucas set the tray on one of the empty tables and then, hands on hips, looked over at Archie's still form. "You can't leave a sick man lying on the table, Regina, it's unsanitary."
Emma raised her eyebrows at Regina and then set her glass down to carry Archie upstairs. "Sit," Regina said, putting a hand on Emma's shoulder. "I'll take care of this." She waved her hand and once again Archie's body rose upward, supported by an invisible stretcher. Regina guided him up the stairs and out of sight.
"This table isn't going to set itself, you know," Granny Lucas said, taking a moment to cast a slightly accusatory look in Emma's direction. Emma looked at her with raised eyebrows and then stood. She was tired and her body ached from carrying Archie all the way here. Granny's soup smelled delicious and her stomach rumbled when she passed by.
In the kitchen Henry was standing on a stool and cutting up a loaf of bread and arranging the slices neatly on a plate. Emma eyed him carefully as she walked past and he looked up at her and smiled brightly. "Mom says you have magic."
"Does your mom tell you everything?" Emma asked.
"No, I have to find out a lot of things for myself."
Emma smiled. "Granny sent me in here to get spoons and stuff."
"They're in the drawer over there," Henry said, pointing with the bread knife. "How's your detective work going? What are you investigating, anyway?"
She opened the drawer and took out four spoons and four butter knives. "I told you, kid, I'm not doing any detective work."
"Right," he said, and she could tell by the tone of his voice that he didn't believe her. Emma rolled her eyes.
"You need any help?"
"No, I'm ok." He'd moved from cutting bread to slicing cheese. Emma leaned on the counter next to him, looking at his small round face and smiling.
"It must get lonely, just you and your mom here."
He shrugged. "I guess. Archie visits a lot. He's my friend. Do you think he'll be ok?" He stopped what he was doing to look at her and there was worry in his eyes and a frown tugging at the corners of his lips. Emma did her best to look positive.
"He's got your mom looking after him, doesn't he?"
He nodded and went back to work but his movements were slower. "Things are getting kinda scary." His voice was soft and Emma could tell that he hadn't voiced this thought to anyone else and that it was something she should keep just between the two of them.
"I know. Just do your best to stay out of it, okay? I -" She stopped talking. She didn't want to make him any promises. His mother was in the middle of some dangerous business and there was a strong possibility Henry could end up motherless and taken into government care, put in an orphanage and lost forever.
Emma cleared her throat and grabbed the plate of bread and cheese in her other hand. "C'mon, that's enough for now. I'm hungry, aren't you?"
"Yeah," he said, and set down the knife and jumped down from the stool.
"Henry," Emma said before they both walked through the door. He looked up at her and Emma knew she shouldn't be asking this question but she couldn't stop herself. "Do you know who your dad is? Is he - is he around at all?"
Henry shook his head. "Nope. I mean, I think about it sometimes but I have mom and Ruby and Doctor Hopper comes by a lot. What's your dad like?"
"I don't have one. I'm an orphan. C'mon, let's eat, we don't want to keep your mom and Granny waiting."
"You know, Emma, I bet you'd make a great mom," Henry said, smiling up at her before he pushed through the kitchen doors. Emma waited a moment, looking at his small form, and then followed, smiling.