Chapter ten
As Emma drove, Regina remained solemnly quiet.
Her mother had plans for her after graduation – plans she was happy with until she got to know Emma Swan. Now she hated the idea of leaving the country – she hated the idea of leaving town. Moving to a different continent felt like a nightmare.
Her mother had been awfully quiet about her going to prom – wearing the expensive clothes tailored for her – with Emma Swan. Katherine's words gave Regina a bad feeling of calm before the storm.
So, if her mother was going to make her think it was alright and then later she would make sure her life became a living hell… Then Regina was going to make sure Emma Swan was her first.
In case she was forced to marry Robin, in case she was forced to marry anyone… No one would ever be able to take that one sweet memory from her.
Emma looked nervous on the driver's seat.
Not because she didn't have experience or anything – because, hell, she did – but because it had never been especial like this.
She was absolutely head over heels for Regina Mills, and now it was easy to admit. And she was terrified of letting Regina down, or being unfit for her.
As if reading her thoughts, Regina placed her hand on Emma's thigh.
"I was supposed to be nervous, not you," she said with a smirk. It made Emma laugh.
"I wouldn't be, but… It's… you."
Regina smiled in silence, and by the way her heart warmed up inside her chest, she was sure she made the right decision.
"I wish we could run away."
"I would never run away in these clothes," Emma scoffed, but her heart skipped a beat with that statement. "You could at least let me grab jeans and boots," she added, looking at Regina like she meant it.
"Or we could graduate first, and then disappear. I didn't study this hard for us to skip town without a certificate."
Emma grinned, squeezing her hand gently. "Dweeb."
She parked in front of her house and sighed deeply. Then she turned to Regina.
"Don't ask me if I'm sure," Regina said before Emma could formulate a coherent thought. "The reason why I'm not inviting you to my room is because I'm afraid my mother will hear us and ruin it, and I don't want to be disturbed tonight."
Emma nodded with her mouth agape. "Yes… ma'am."
They entered her house in silence, kicking their shoes, and kept all the lights out, even though Ingrid was not there. Emma turned on the lamp on her fish tank, kicking a few scattered items under the bed, glad that it was dark enough to conceal her habitual mess.
Not that she thought Regina minded it all that much – she could spend hours in Emma's room after school, reading on her bed, listening to good music and eventually ditching Emma for Ingrid's more mature company in the kitchen.
Emma had loved to watch them, talking about her. It felt intimate. It felt like Regina was a part of the family…
She shook her head when she noticed Regina staring. Now it looked like she was waiting for instructions, and Emma could swear she was trying to hide the obvious nervousness. Regina Mills was always ahead of other students, she always knew the subject before handed, but this…
This was absolutely new.
Emma gave her a reassuring smile as she turned the stereo on and "Faithfully" started to play. Regina chuckled.
"I had no idea you liked Journey."
"MM does."
The brunette frowned, expecting the rest of Emma's logic.
She sighed. "I forced her to teach me how to dance," Emma confessed, taking a step forwards and taking Regina's hands. "So she forced me to practice with this."
"It's a great song," Regina breathed against the curve of Emma's neck, smiling softly even though her heart was hammering with the proximity.
They spun around clumsily at first, but then somehow they just let go, like they belonged together, like they had done that all their lives. When the song was over, Emma interrupted the soft pacing.
Regina looked up. "Show me what else you know," she muttered, her voice a hoarse, barely audible whisper.
Emma swallowed when the brunette's hand flew to the neckline of her blouse and her fingers started to work the buttons. By the time the blouse parted open and slid down Regina's shoulders, Emma's heart was thumping inside her ears and she could barely listen to anything other than her erratic breathing.
Upon noticing how shaky Regina was, Emma decided to take the lead for her. Without breaking eye contact for a second, the blonde reached out for the zipper of Regina's skirt; the cluster of fabric fell down slowly, pooling around Regina's feet.
Then she tried to control her poor heart, because in case she made any brusque move, she would freak Regina out. The sight of the brunette in her underwear felt like a delicious blow to the stomach – if that was even possible – and Emma used the tips of her fingers to get her rid of the rest.
Bra first, and then her panties.
She swallowed again.
"I would fall from a thousand rooftops for this," Emma mumbled, looking down at Regina and then back into her dark eyes.
XXX
The feeling of skin burning never felt more real than this.
Every inch touched by the tip of Emma's fingers burned like fire, at the same time that her warm breathing made her pores stand on end with goosebumps.
Regina felt lightheaded, a little dizzy, and she only came back from this short reverie when Emma removed her hands from her body to take off her own clothes. She did it clumsily, and even though Regina felt the urge to reach out and help, she wanted to enjoy it and just watch.
Regina stared up and down the blonde several times; she looked exactly like Regina had imagined many times when she was alone in her bedroom. She had always created stupid scenarios of Emma climbing her window, and then her brain created hot scenarios of what would come next.
Now she was living, breathing it. Emma was thin and strong at the same time, muscular even. There was something boyish about her long arms and small hips, but Regina fell in love with that body, and she fell in love even more because Emma was making sure to be as exposed as she was.
"Why don't you-?" Emma whispered, pointing her small bed.
The bedsheets felt cold against Regina's back when she lay down, and her heart started to race again. Her palms felt sweaty and she was panting a little. She let out a shaky breath when Emma sat down on the mattress placing one gentle, warm hand on her trembling thigh.
"Are you okay?" she whispered, and Regina nodded, swallowing hard.
She had read about it. She had listened to Katherine babbling about it for two hours last year. Pain was expected, normal. She squeezed her eyes shut when she felt Emma's hands on her knees, spreading them apart…
The she felt a warm body nestling on top of hers, between her weak legs, and she opened her eyes, only to find a grinning Emma Swan hovering over her face.
"Seriously, Mills," she chuckled. "Relax."
Regina smiled awkwardly. "Sorry."
Next thing she knew, she was engulfed into a hot kiss that made her lose track of time. She felt her body tense up and then relax when Emma started to massage her breasts. It felt so good…
Her body stiffened again when Emma lowered her own body and stopped with her torso between Regina's knees.
Regina looked down at her. Emma was serious, asking permission. As scared as she was, the throbbing was also bothering her, so she nodded.
"I'm not gonna hurt you," Emma whispered.
Regina closed her eyes again, and when she thought she was about to feel pain, she cringed. However, she only felt something warm and soft and wet that sent instant waves of pleasure from her toes to her head.
And when she opened her eyes and only saw the top of Emma's blonde head she understood – that was her mouth. On her. There.
And Oh Dear God, that was too…
"Oh, Emma-!"
Emma grinned against moist flesh. That strangled, shaky moan was the best sound in the world, and she loved it when Regina started to gasp and desperately grasp handfuls of her bedsheet.
She came fast, trying to stifle her ragged breaths with her hands as her hips trembled and rocked violently against Emma's lips.
Emma took advantage of the moment's distraction and slid her fingers inside Regina, who gasped in surprised and cringed a little.
"Does it hurt?" she asked softly, sliding in and out torturously slow.
Regina hissed and then moaned. "Don't stop-"
XXX
Regina woke up around two a.m. in Emma's bedroom. She inhaled the scent of Emma's hair as her brain acknowledged she was wrapped around the blonde. The fish tank light was still on, and the stereo was producing a soft pulsing tone, indicating the needle had reached the end of the disc.
Regina tried to lift her upper body, but her legs were weak and she was slightly sore. Emma stirred next to her, pulling her closer again.
"I need to go home or my mother will kill me."
"Let's just run away without a high school certificate," Emma grunted, refusing to open her eyes.
"Emma."
The blonde opened her eyes, offering a sleepy smile that melted Regina's heart. For a second, she almost decided to flee with Emma before the sun rose.
"Fine," she muttered, sitting up and searching for regular clothes under her bed. She was dressed in less than a minute, with sweatpants and a large t-shirt. "Can I offer you something to eat-?"
Regina was staring at her with that face again, like Emma was the most perfect person in the world.
"No, thank you."
"Alright," Emma nodded. "I'll just wash my face-"
When she left, Regina started to pick her clothes on the floor. She shoved her underwear inside her purse and sat on Emma's bed again, cringing slightly with the soreness. She looked at her surroundings.
The fish tank light and low rumble of water bubbles, the stereo soft pulse, the scent of woods, cigarettes and something else that was essentially Emma – she loved that room, and she was hating the idea of leaving it to stay in her big, impersonal and cold bedroom.
It was chilly outside, so Emma placed a denim jacket on Regina's shoulders. It smelled like Emma's room, and Regina held onto it as Emma drove her home.
When they turned the corner to Mifflin Street, Emma turned off the car's engine, taking advantage of the slight inclination on the pavement; the car moved softly towards 108 in silence. Emma pulled the handbrake and turned to Regina.
"Thank you," the brunette whispered, leaning for a kiss, sighing deeply when Emma took her lips.
"Sleep well, Mills," Emma muttered.
"See you later in school-"
"Are you going to class-?"
Regina grinned. "Bye, Emma." And then she spun on her heels, hurrying to get inside before her mother saw them on the front drive.
XXX
"I suspect our parents hate us," Killian said with a thick voice, stifling a yawn.
They had been indulged one more hour of sleep, meaning they could skip the first class, as long as they went to school for the rest of the period.
"At least we're not on that smelly bus," MM shrugged, wearing sunglasses to mask her first hangover. It looked like she had an interesting night with her Prince Charming.
"If I wasn't about to barf with the car's rattling and the alcohol in my stomach," Ruby hiccupped, nestling her body between the front seats "I'd write a sticker note to your foreheads. Your faces scream MORNING AFTER, and I think a sticker might make it less obvious-"
"Shut up, Ruby," Emma grunted, yawning as she made a turn and stopped on a red light.
Regina looked cranky as well. Maybe going to school was a terrible idea, after all. What was she thinking? They were practically out of Storybrooke High…
When Emma parked on the usual spot, everyone cringed. The regular noise of students seemed incredibly louder.
"Hey, Regina!"
The five of them turned. Robin was leaning against his Corvette surrounded by Zelena and his gang of idiots.
"We heard the news," he went on with a sarcastic smirk. "Congratulations."
The others just laughed, and Emma went to the other side of the car and pulled her by the hand, flipping them as they moved. "Ignore them-"
"Was that the finger you used, Swan?" one of Robin's henchmen, Will Scarlet, barked.
"Well, it's bigger than Robin's dick anyway-" Another one said, and more laughter and rustle echoed as they walked away.
Emma and Regina exchanged looks. Something wasn't right. How could they possibly-?
If Emma suspected shit was going to hit the fan, spot David Nolan hurrying to meet them with a funeral face confirmed her worst fears.
"We don't know who did this…" he panted, reaching out for Mary as he addressed the group. "The whole school is talking about it, and Gold is furious…"
As they entered the building, all heads turned to them. Some people looked surprised, but greatest part of the students was laughing at them. Regina felt Emma squeeze her hand in reassurance, but the brunette dropped it immediately when she saw the wall at the end of the corridor.
Someone had used purple and red graffiti on the white wall, and the words reflected horribly on the linoleum.
HAIL SWAN FINGER
GTI QUEEN'S RAVISHER
GO SWAN!
Regina looked at the scribbling with a mix of anger and humiliation. She looked at Emma.
"What… Who… Why did you-?"
"Wait, what?" Emma whispered, just as shocked. "Are you suggesting-?"
"Nobody knew about that besides you and me," Regina spat. "I didn't do it. So-"
Emma scoffed. Her throat was burning with indignation, and her heart was hammering her chest.
"You think I did it? We left before prom even started! Anyone could have guessed what we did-"
"Please, yell louder," Regina blurted out, her eyes growing red and puffy with unshed tears. "The people on the parking lot can't hear you properly, Swan-!"
Emma tried to hold her back, but Regina pulled her arm violently out of her reach and disappeared among a crowd that cheered and called her names that made Emma want to cry. The blonde tried to go after her, but someone touched her shoulder.
She wiped the tears from her eyes furiously with the back of her hand and turned around.
Mr. Gold was looking at her with disapproval, but it was Cora Mills' face that made her heart sink. She let herself be dragged to the Principal's Office, like in a very bad dream. Miss Blue was there already, waiting for them.
Everyone took a seat, except for Emma, who only snapped back to reality when Ingrid hurried inside the office, flustered looking, still on her uniform as this was the end of her shift.
"What the hell happened?"
"Your manners, clearly," Cora said arrogantly. "Or lack thereof. I don't blame your daughter for being such a delinquent."
"Please, Mrs. Mills," Miss Blue looked sternly at her and turned to Ingrid. "There was an incident."
"Not an incident, a scandal!" Cora meddled again, pointing her finger at Ingrid. "As if it wasn't bad enough that your daughter took my daughter to prom like a man… She also had to brag about her prowess. She's disgracing my daughter's reputation on her last week before graduation!"
Ingrid looked at Mr. Gold. She hated him, and the look on his face gave her the chills. He owned her house and was constantly reminding her that she was doing a poor job with Emma, but now he looked simply ready to believe whatever bullshit Cora said.
She turned to Emma, who looked pale and helpless. "Did you do it, sweetie?" she asked quietly.
Emma shook her head. No.
That was enough for Ingrid. She turned desperately to the others. "She didn't do anything!"
"Stop protecting her, Mrs. Swan. You know her track record is not the best, and you know it will be impossible to convince the Board that she's innocent on this one," Cora hissed.
"Emma?" Miss Blue called out. "Do you have any way to prove that you have only been to prom yesterday and that you just arrived in school?"
"Yes, sweetie," Cora said unpleasantly, smirking at Emma. "Can Mommy certify us that you were home, or was she too busy working at night while she should be watching you?"
Emma advanced on Cora like an angry animal, and if it wasn't for Ingrid and Miss Blue, she would have probably punched Regina's mother.
"Do not talk about my mom," Emma hissed, growing red on the face. "Evil Bitch-"
"I'm afraid this is not helping, and as a member of the students' council, I can say this is going to be frowned upon," Mr. Gold finally spoke. He looked too calm, as if he had already planned what to say. "Emma does not possess the best record in this school, and she was, indeed, one transgression away from facing expulsion-"
"What?" Ingrid barked.
"I'll be frank with you, dear," he looked at the blonde, indignant woman. "Your daughter is the worst student that has passed by our hands, and now we can't tolerate her actions anymore. This will go to council for voting, but let me tell you in advance what is going to happen. Your daughter will be expelled, and we will not grant her graduation certificate. Let's leave things like this and Cora will kindly keep her word and leave the police out of this."
"Kindly?" Ingrid spat. "My daughter didn't do anything wrong, how dare you-?"
"I suggest you leave before I call Social Service, too," Cora muttered. "They will not appreciate the way you raise her, and the lack of attention and care might be associated with her awful behavior and grades-"
Ingrid was about to retort, when a shaky hand fell on her shoulder. "Let's go home, mom," Emma mumbled. "I'm sick of this school and these people…"
"No, I will not let them do this to us, Emma!"
"Mom, please."
Her voice was low. Beaten.
Ingrid hated herself for what was happening to her baby, but she was not going to expose her anymore to those horrible people. She passed one arm around Emma's shoulders and took her out of the room.
Emma heard MM, Killian and Ruby calling out for her, but she just ignored them and kept moving, feeling oddly protected under her mother's arm…
XXX
"I still can't believe they did this to you!" Mary said, and she sounded at the verge of tears again. Ingrid passed by the door, wearing casual jeans and a white t-shirt, carrying a basket of dirty clothes. She waved hello to the small cluster of people in her daughter's bedroom.
David, Killian and Ruby waved back, all of them dressed in their black gowns. It was Graduation day, and they were hesitant about attending it without Emma.
"For the last time, will you relax?" Emma rolled her eyes, dragging her cigarette as she put food in the fish tank. "I'm not cut out for stupid formalities anyway. This school is lame and I'm better off without it-"
They watched her quietly. Emma was far more aggressive and grumpier lately, and they knew it was barely related to the expulsion.
Except for Ruby, they all had secretly tried to talk to Regina, but she was usually escorted by her mother on her way in and out of school, and between classes Katherine would be all over her, sending away anyone who tried to insult or merely talk to her.
David was the only one who made a bit of progress – and that was because Katherine had a tiny crush on him - but when he mentioned Emma's name, Regina stood up and left.
"We could just hang here," David said, checking Emma's records. "Wow, you're a Door's groupie, Swan-"
She flipped him. "I don't want you to hang here. Get out. It's Graduation Day, and these gowns are making me sick. Go. Piss off. Come back later in regular clothes and you can pay me a burger, Nolan."
XXX
They couldn't simply leave Storybrooke High without giving Mr. Gold a final stroke – almost literally. After the speeches, the certificate handling and the class picture, everyone scattered for pictures with friends and family.
"Ah, what a nice group," Sidney Glass, the biggest Mills-Ass-Licker and freelance reporter in Storybrooke, addressed them. "Would you pose for a picture?"
David, Mary, Killian and Ruby exchanged devilish looks and then nodded.
They made a serious pose at first, but when Sidney hid his face behind the camera and clicked the button, they all turned around and bent over, displaying four naked asses, each one with a letter, forming the name EMMA.
Ruby was the only one who ran fast enough to avoid the Principal and other scandalized parents. She was hiding behind a few bushes when she spotted Regina Mills on a not so distant bench by the water fountains.
Regina had lost weight over the last two weeks, and she looked sad as hell. She was still wearing her gown, holding her cap on her lap, and as Ruby approached her, she looked up defiantly, but stood her ground.
"If you came here to call me a slut-"
"I came here to call you an idiot."
Regina blinked. She knew Ruby hated her, but she never thought she'd be so blunt about it.
"You know Emma didn't do that."
"I kind of do, now."
"It's not too late to apologize."
"I'm pretty sure she already hates me, Ruby," Regina confessed with a sad smile.
"You are very stupid for someone with top grades," the taller girl shook her head. "She loves you, dweeb. She's miserable and heartbroken and… You're so lucky-"
Ruby's voice sounded thick with tears, but she never let a single one run down her face, at least not in front of Regina.
"Talk to her, okay?" she sighed, standing up as she patted Regina's shoulder. "See you around, GTI Queen."
It was weird how it did not sound offensive coming from Ruby Lucas...
XXX
"If you don't put on your clothes and stop sulking this second, I'll punch you!"
Emma folded her arms defiantly at Ruby, but then she decided to listen to her friend. She had been oddly miserable, and she missed Regina, no matter how angry she was for being accused by her like that for something she didn't do.
Henry Mills had just being elected Mayor, and there would be a small rally in front of the Clock Tower, an event that would be obviously attended by his wife and daughter.
It was Emma's chance to talk to her without Cora making a scene – she wouldn't be crazy to insult Emma in front of her husband's electors.
Most of Storybrooke inhabitants was there. Henry Mills was a kind man, and everyone was gathering in front of his podium, where he had already started his acknowledgement speech.
Ruby and Emma were on tiptoes; they saw the Evil Bitch, but there was no sign of Regina.
"She's in Europe, dykes."
They turned around and saw Katherine smirking at them.
"What?" Emma hissed.
"She went to Oxford this morning. Everyone in town is talking about her having an affair with the filthiest lesbo, and Cora wanted the dust to settle a bit. Did you come here to say goodbye, Swan? Were you in love with her too?" Katherine laughed. "Loser."
Emma was too stunned to react, but Ruby smacked the blonde girl on the face, making several people from the audience turn around.
"That felt great," Ruby panted, holding Emma's wrist and pulling her to a run. "Let's get out of here."
END OF PART ONE.
Until next chapter.