10.

"I always thought storm-season was during the fall, not early spring," Emma groused as she tugged the drenched hood of her cloak back down again.

Wet tendrils of hair clung to her cheeks and the clammy fabric of the hood resting across her forehead wasn't doing much for her body temperature either. But it was still better than the bitterly cold raindrops driving themselves into her eyes like tiny little knives, making it impossible for her to see anything of their surroundings.

"We should ride to the woods up ahead to find shelter and continue our search when the storm has died down somewhat," Regina suggested with a raised voice.

Emma winced as the sound of a loud thunderclap blocked out the howling winds and the torrential downpour for a moment. Bending her body slightly forward, she repositioned herself in the saddle. It made her smaller, but she wasn't under any illusions it would help protect her from the storm they were travelling through. Though she hoped huddling down like this would at least help her hold onto some of the body heat that remained, especially with her fingers already feeling like icicles the way they were wrapped around the reins in a deathgrasp.

"In what world is sheltering near some trees while you're in the middle of a lightning-storm, a good idea?"

"Would you prefer staying out here and freezing to death, dear?"

"Whatever happened to option three?" Emma grumbled. Then she sighed, "I guess the woods it is."

She wiped away some stray drops from her face and surveyed their surroundings. The woods definitely were the closest to them in terms of shelter, though it would take them quite a distance away from the river they had been following for the past hour or so. Then again, she mused as she stared at the ripples created on the water's surface along the riverbank, they hadn't made all that much progress to begin with. It didn't help that they were only able to catch some glimpses of one side of the river, most of it was obscured by the torrential downpour.

While they had known they would be travelling into the storm after descending down the other side of the mountain, they had severely underestimated how bad the weather would get. They had assumed they would've been able to locate the fleet they had seen the previous night rather easily, before having to bear the brunt of the storm. But that outlook had changed the moment they had been pelted by a neverending downpour of icy rain. Emma wasn't even sure where they were right now, and they still hadn't seen any signs of the fleet of ships either. Though Regina had been attempting to reassure her over the past couple of hours that they would stumble upon the fleet soon enough. Especially since it was highly likely the fleet had needed to get into a proper formation first before sailing down the river at full speed. But with the need to find some shelter now her worries arose anew whether or not they would actually be able to locate the fleet and acquire the much-needed information as to what their destination was.

"You think those ships will stop to wait out the storm as well?"

"Still worried they are sailing much further south from here, are we?"

"That didn't answer my question." Emma frowned. "I think?" She followed after Regina as they found a decent path for their horses to travel on, and a little sigh of relief escaped her as she realized they were crossing the last part of the valley.

"The fleet we saw was large enough to take hours to navigate along these narrow bends, Emma. The storm won't make it any easier for them either. So to answer your question, I think it's fine if we wait until the weather clears before continuing. Even if they would have already sailed further south again, we'll at least be able to see something."

Emma snorted as she attempted to flex the fingers of her free hand. "Yeah it would be nice to be able to actually see where we're travelling." Holding the hood down, she tilted her head skywards and groaned at seeing nothing but a blanket of dark grey clouds and the occasional lightning strike illuminating everything in sight.

They reached the first patches of trees some ten minutes later and slowed down their horses to orientate themselves. Emma was shivering uncontrollably by now, her teeth chattering without her consent and her eyes darted around wildly to find some good place to make camp. The sooner she was out of her heavy rain-soaked coat the better.

She knew Regina had cottoned on to her early onset of hypothermia by the worried glances cast her way.

"This way," Regina spoke up and Emma merely nodded tiredly in response, nudging Pyrois in that direction.

She was barely able to feel her feet anymore and the slight drowsiness she was feeling didn't bode very well either. She knew Regina likely wasn't as affected by the cold because she wore more layers of clothes than Emma, and she once again cursed her decision to pack lightly for this trip.

"If you can, remove the bedrolls and the extra clothing from the horses, I'll take care of the rest," Regina said. And though there was a spark of defiance flaring as it sounded like an order, Emma didn't act on it and dismounted Pyrois wordlessly.

They were in the middle of a small patch of trees growing in a half circle. The ground was covered in rain-soaked moss, and Emma wondered how they would manage to warm their bodies up when their already wet bedrolls would get drenched the moment she laid them down. But then she saw Regina make a few gestures with her hands towards the tree branches stretching out overhead and she understood what she was trying to do.

Her own gestures were lazy and uncoordinated, and she didn't even know if it worked properly. But barely a minute later there was a large canopy of intertwined branches and leaves above their heads and she cracked the faintest of smiles at the sight of it.

"Think you can manage a few more spells?" Regina asked gently, and Emma felt her heart do flips at the clear concern shining in Regina's eyes as they focused on her.

"Y-yes," she croaked out. A hand came to rest on her arm and turned her towards Regina and she rose an eyebrow up in silent question.

"Remove the cloak Emma, it's useless, and the sooner we both get rid of our wet clothes the better."

"R-r-right."

She got rid of the cloak almost instantly, not caring if it got dirty or if it absorbed even more of the rainwater from the wet ground. At least it would stop the rest of her armor and under clothes from getting even more soaked through. And her movements were easier since she was no longer bogged down by the heavy saturated cloak. From the corners of her eyes she registered Regina removing her own cloak and hanging it across one of the lower branches.

"Follow my lead."

She thought she could remember this spell, though she couldn't recall if she had read up on it in one of Regina's books, or if it had been something Regina had attempted to teach her at some point. But she did recognize the gestures and the waves of bright magic as they passed across the ground and how it dried any surface the spell touched.

Moments later Regina was making a small campfire, using another touch of magic to dry the branches and moss. A small fireball appeared in her outstretched palm and lit the campfire up and Emma sighed as she sank down on the forest floor, as close to the fire as she was able to.

She could hear Regina working on placing packs down and removing other things from the horses but she didn't bother to actually check what was going on. The warmth of the fire licked along her skin and she felt the earlier sense of drowsiness return in full force.

"Emma."

Dark glittering eyes regarded her quietly, and she wasn't able to pull her eyes away from the depth of the emotion that shone within them. She looked tired, Emma thought, and she wondered if it was just from the day's events or if it had something to do with their fight and the conversations that followed on the heels of it.

Vaguely she registered half of a loaf of bread that was extended to her, and a strip of dried meat that followed. She mumbled a 'thank you' around a bite of the bread and expected Regina to find something to eat herself as well. Instead, Regina kneeled down in front of her and moved one of her hands to her forehead. She mumbled something under her breath that Emma couldn't understand and then started to undo the knots of the laces on her boots.

"You know I-I'm perfectly capable of undressing myself," Emma muttered, though she made no attempts to stop Regina. A few witty remarks were on the tip of her tongue, but she decided against them and wolfed down her food. Something in Regina's eyes as they continued to glance up at her face made her think this wasn't the time for jokes. "I'm..I'm fine, you know?" She said instead. She placed a hand on Regina's knee as she spoke and smiled sweetly when Regina's eyes finally rose and met her own.

"I wouldn't call your current state fine," Regina whispered, the hints of worry lacing through her words. She finished untying both of the boots before undoing the fastenings on the belt that held up Emma's scabbard and sword.

"Maybe not," Emma conceded, "b-but I'm not in any danger either." She received no answer in return, and she could only watch on surprised as Regina continued removing her gear and clothes. "Regina," she tried again a few seconds later, wishing she could figure out what had Regina in such a weird mood. Because she was fairly sure it wasn't just the fact she was suffering from the effects of a really bad downpour. "What's wrong?"

"Everything?" It sounded like a question more so than an answer and Emma didn't understand. Much like she didn't understand the way Regina avoided eye-contact as she spoke, or the expression on her face that made it seem as if she was in pain. She didn't understand and she didn't know how to ask Regina to make her understand.

"I've been thinking. Mostly about our altercation before. About what I..said." She could make out from the expression on Regina's face; the way her hands stopped toying with the bracers on Emma's arms and curled to loose fists at her sides, that she was having difficulties explaining herself.

"It's okay, we talked it…"

"Did we?" Regina interjected, her voice small and barely there. "When we talked about my mother, about the ways she.." There was a hitch in her voice and it was all Emma was able to to do to stop Regina from continuing. But something told her this was important and she waited while she continued to slowly peel her armor away from her clammy skin

"I trusted you with that information. I trusted you to never use it against me."

Suddenly she understood where Regina was going with this, and she attempted to stop her from doing so, by placing her fingers across Regina's lips. "I know, okay? I know what you're trying to say. I already told you I forgive you."

A hand came up and curled around her wrist, gently pushing to make her fingers slide away again.

"I know you do." Regina smiled as she stood up and Emma could only frown in confusion. "But I still betrayed that trust that we had built up between us. I still.. I didn't realize the true impact of what I had done until I saw that look in your eyes."

"Don't…" Emma mumbled as she threw a pleading look Regina's way. She didn't think she could handle this again. The wounds were still too fresh. They always seemed too fresh, and she wondered if the pain associated with them would ever really go away.

"I shouldn't have called you damaged goods."

And Emma just took shuddery breaths after that, willing the tears that welled up in her eyes to go away again. She swallowed and closed her eyes, but the hot burning liquid in them spilled over the edges anyway.

"Emma," she could hear whispered near her ears, and she sensed Regina was standing somewhere behind her. A single hand came to rest on her shoulders, another brushed away some stray damp locks of hair from her neck and Emma was unable to get out any word to ask what Regina was doing.

"When I decided to adopt I did some research. I..I don't remember what prompted me to do so anymore, but I looked up what happened to the children who grew up in the system. And I.." Regina sighed audibly, and the hand that had been hovering near Emma's neck moved downwards to stroke her cheeks before settling on her chin to tilt it upwards. "I know, Emma. I know, and I shouldn't have called you that. I never should've called you that."

"And yet, isn't it the truth?" Emma stated bitterly, as she attempted to wrench away the fingers curled around her chin.

She hated this; the self-loathing that came with these memories. The thoughts of the moments when she was sent back. When she wondered what was so wrong with her that she was returned like a discarded item that was no longer of any use to someone. What was so wrong with her, that it continued to happen over and over again. And she tried, the first few times. She tried to be perfect, to be outgoing, to be a happy carefree child that enjoyed everything the family did for her. But it hadn't been enough. And she stopped trying. She stopped trusting. She stopped hoping.

She started to believe the words. She started to accept them as the truth.

"No. It is not." The words were said softly but with an underlying tenderness that rendered Emma speechless. She stared up into Regina's gentle brown eyes, that almost looked as if they were glowing along with the light cast by the campfire. "And I'm sorry," Regina said, her voice breaking. She averted her eyes that were shimmering now, and stood up abruptly.

Emma shivered anew as sudden chill ran across her back with the loss of Regina's body heat behind her. When she turned to find Regina, she found her walking back from where the horses were tied down. She had their bedrolls in her hands and rolled them out next to the fire, and Emma moved to lie down on the one that belonged to her with a grateful flash of a smile Regina's way.

Regina had both of their fur coats in her hands next and Emma couldn't help the no doubt puzzled look that appeared on her face at what she might be up to. A few simple gestures with her free hand and a shimmer of magic enveloped both of the coats hanging across Regina's arm. Then she looked at Emma again, a wicked little smirk curving her lips upwards that had Emma's mouth run dry at the implications behind it. She knew from experience whenever Regina had that expression on her face, it never amounted to much good.

Instead of giving her any explanations however, Regina laid down on her own bedroll, placed right next to Emma's own. But before she could mention that there was plenty of space on the other side of the fire, Regina placed the fur coats over her body, and the next thing Emma knew she could feel a gust of wind blowing across her damp skin. Her damp naked skin. Her eyes went huge as saucers when she noticed the two piles of clothes a few feet away from where they were lying, and she quickly pulled the fur cloak further across her body.

"Seriously Regina?"

"It was taking too long, and you were wearing leather dear," Regina remarked somewhat haughtily. "Wet leather. This was a far easier solution."

"Could've given me a warning at least," Emma muttered, though she had to admit to herself at least she was relieved to be free of the wet leather clinging to her skin. A soft humming sound was all the response she got in return and Emma rolled her eyes, flicking them from the magically intertwined web of branches overhead to the woman lying next to her.

"Thank you though."

"You're welcome." She caught the furtive glances her way right after Regina's response, and Emma wondered what else she meant to say. "Emma?"

"Yeah?"

"You once told me that whatever happened in the past, it doesn't define us."

She did remember that. The moment in one of the castle's gardens. Late at night, under the starlight while they were both a little tipsy from the red wine they had been drinking. Regina's mentions that she had been so afraid, and still was sometimes, that she would end up being like her mother. And she remembered being unable to find the right words to assure her at first. And she remembered thinking of her own past, and how she had been so determined to rise above all of the crap thrown at her during her childhood.

"I remember," Emma said, turning her head to look at Regina. Her hair was dark and slightly wet where it clung to her skin, and what she could see of her body was bathed in the golden glow cast by the campfire. "And I know. Thank you," she repeated.

Her eyes flicked to Regina's lips without meaning to, and she so badly wished right there and then that they were at this point already. Where she could just lean in and kiss Regina sweetly on the lips without needing to deepen the contact. Just a soft affirming brush of lips against lips, and she could feel her heart hammer in her chest as she imagined it.

"Emma?"

"Hm?" She blinked and blushed slightly when she noticed Regina studying her intently. "You said something? Sorry I uhm.. I was kind of..thinking about something."

"Thinking of?" The question was a breathless exhale and was she imagining it or were Regina's eyes dipping to her own lips ever so often?

"Kissing you," Emma blurted out, heat suffusing her cheeks upon realizing the full extend of what she had just revealed. "I just..I really want to but…" She left the sentence hang with a little huff of frustration and was about to turn on her other side when she heard the rustling of fabric. The tips of Regina's fingers trailed across her cheek and jaw and then before she could even process the movement, Regina leaned in and pressed their lips together. She pulled slightly backwards again afterwards, something unreadable in her eyes, and then she leaned in again and repeated the previous kiss. The contact always remained light, exploratory, sometimes punctuated with a soft flick of a tongue or the gentle capturing of one of her lips between teeth.

When Regina eventually withdrew completely, and Emma opened her eyes to look at her, she was treated to the sight of one of the most beautiful smiles she had ever witnessed.

"You still terrify me," Regina said, though the tone she used gave away the playfulness of the statement.

"Sure? Well your ability to get me naked in less than a second flat terrifies me as well."

Regina's response was a soft laugh, a sound which made Emma feel the warmth spreading across her cheeks "I'm sure it will be useful in the future."

Emma's mouth sagged open at the comment, but then she shook her head, a wry grin of amusement plastered across her face as she burrowed further into her bedroll and the fur cloaks stacked across both of their bodies. "Once we're back home I intend to hold you to that."

"Indeed. Good night Emma."

-x-x-x-