So, I've never actually been to Pennsylvania, so my interpretation of geography might be slightly warped. Enjoy! Mistakes are my own, I'm a mess.
Regina rolled the windows down, as Emma liked it, as she drove out of the city limits. The tree line grew denser.
"Full disclosure, okay?" Emma began, turning from the scenery to face Regina. "This isn't you trying to take me out, right? Because if you're going to murder me, I have some standards."
Regina held back a chuckle. "Oh? Do tell."
"Wait, really?" Emma squirmed a tad.
"Yes of course." Regina replied. "Emma, I am not going to murder you, seriously? I would never get away with that." She finished with a smile.
"Right." Emma said through a baby-wide smile. "Anywho. First, it would have to be somewhere quiet and beautiful, lame, but I am not down to die in a fucking gutter, smelling like straight up rot."
"Understandably." Regina grinned.
"It would have to be painful, but not agonizingly so, like okay," She flipped her braid over her bare shoulder to emphasize her impending tale. "Throat slit, drowning, stuff like that would be.. pretty cool." Emma drew out the last word, nodding along. "Ooh! Bludgeoning!"
Regina laughed a breath, nodding as well as shaking her head. "But why?"
"Well I'm going to die. It'll be the last thing I'll ever feel, and I could deal with the pain knowing it'll be my last taste of it."
"Alright, I dig it." Regina smirked, turning on to a dirt road. "Roll up the window, please." Emma did so as bits of loose gravel hit the surface, Emma seemed entranced with the little nicks they would produce if she stared hard enough.
"Wow, they're beating up your car." She said in a small voice. "Doesn't that make you mad?"
"Yes, increasingly so." Regina joked.
"Did you know that there are hundreds of billions of universes and within those universes hundreds of billions of stars, and if you added it all up then compared it to all the grains of sand on all the beaches and deserts on Earth, the number of universes and stars would be greater." Emma went on, staring at the gravel, jumping back a little each time a pebble would hit the glass. "There's one now."
"That's quite the fun fact, I think I'm going to use that when I wish to fuck with somebody's sense of reality." Regina said, Emma turned slowly and looked at her with wide eyes. Regina looked to her and grinned before turning to the road and back again with furrowed brows. "What?"
"You said a swear." She whispered.
"Yes, you did as well." Regina said. "Fucking gutter." She repeated. "Do you want me to converse with you with the vocabulary of an urban nun?"
Emma laughed fully. "No, I just didn't expect it I thought you were so pure and innocent."
"Did you just call me innocent?" Regina chuckled. "Oh god, that one's going in the books." She laughed harder. "I love it."
"That was.. frightening." Emma mock shuddered, her grin taking over.
"Yes, quite." Regina sighed. "Bird! Peregrine falcon! Did you know that they kill their prey by severing the spinal column at the neck and they can reach dive speeds of up to 200 miles per hour." Regina listed as the gray colored aerial went on by unsuspecting of it's onlooker.
"How can you tell?"
"I know everything about birds, Emma." Regina said seriously.
"Why?" Emma giggled.
"Because I took a course in college and it became a bit of an obsession from there. The professor was a belligerent wad of semen, but he taught with a passion that I just loved."
"Belligerent wad of semen?" Emma iterated before laughing, Regina joining in.
"Yes! The one that stains your sheets, they never smell quite right after that."
"Uh, are we talking about sex?" Emma asked with a cringe in her tone.
"More the outcome of it." Regina retorted. "Why, are you uncomfortable with intercourse?" She teased.
"No! Just I don't want to know of your encounters!" Emma bit out with a blush creeping up on her, she moved her hands to massage her cheeks so the brunette wouldn't notice, but of course she did, and had to intensify it, of course.
"Am I that disgusting?" Regina put a hand to her chest, scoffing.
"No! What? Obviously not considering.." Emma began, covering her mouth. "Ha! No, no, I don't think so. You almost had me there." She clicked and pointed to Regina who wore a stoic expression.
"What ever do you mean, Miss Swan? I don't quite understand your ramblings."
"Stop." Emma groaned for a good ten seconds.
"I can't stop. I am unstoppable." Regina laughed. "I was going to sing Lady Gaga songs but I realized how ridiculous that would have been."
"I think in contrast it would have been as ridiculous as.. as.. fucking concrete."
"As fucking concrete." Regina repeated, as a barn came into view. "Yay!" She squealed. "I am so excited, Emma. I love goats." Regina gripped the wheel tighter and accelerated quickly and Emma was sent back into her seat with a smile. At Regina's racing speed they reached the distant building in record time, the woman offed the engine and jumped out of the car so quickly Emma hadn't even time to unbuckle her seat belt.
Once out of the car, she noticed a significantly greater chill in the air, and went to grab for her coat but it wasn't on her seat as she thought, or in the back. "Regina." She whined.
"Ah, what?" Regina turned, glowing in excitement.
"I left my jacket at the place, and it's freaking freezing." She told. Regina just scrunched her nose and removed her blazer tossing it to Emma, who nearly dropped it.
"Oh thank god." Regina released a breath she'd held since throwing the garment. "That was so expensive." She laughed.
'You could have always handed it to me like a normal person."
"Emma, I live life on the edge! Let's go-at." Regina grabbed Emma's hand and pulled, running in the direction of the barn, still laughing at her pun.
Once inside the off white colored doors, a single gate separated the outside from the in, where goats, pigs, and a few sheep could be seen roaming freely. The pastures outside could be accessed through a swinging double door that looked to be open just enough for any of the animal, except maybe the pigs, to slide through to the freshness beyond.
"Regina!" A man's voice sounded from behind the screen door, an office. When he emerged Emma saw he was nearly seven feet tall, and muscular but not fit or fat. She stared as she tried to place him; she concluded he was just big, but his aura was warm. His shaggy hair was tamed by a backwards trucker hat in navy, the same color as his polo.
"Aw, Emanuel, hello! I wasn't expecting to see you." She hugged the man tightly, he practically covered her with his arms, he made eye contact with Emma for the first time.
"Who's this?" He asked with a goofy grin, Emma just stood awkwardly.
"Emma, why're you so nervous?" Regina asked when Emma didn't speak up, she waved a hand. "This is Emma, I am taking her to the goats."
"She looks a bit young." He looked concerned.
"Ah, it's.. not that." Regina stuttered quietly hoping Emma wouldn't hear.
"I'm just pulling your chain, Regina, go on in. I'll get Karen, I'm sure she'll love to see you." He smiled and pat Regina on the back, she smiled and nodded before turning to Emma.
"Ready?" She gleamed, Emma smiled and nodded, Regina placed a hand on the small of her back as she directed her through the gate. Emma closed her eyes and inhaled, she was too happy to be touched in that moment and she made a face as she almost tripped over a goat.
"I'm sorry!" She apologized as the little mammal ran away. "Aw." She pouted. Regina grinned and grabbed a handful of alfalfa, motioning for Emma to do the same, and she did.
Regina practically pranced towards a little white goat with black freckles over the majority of it's face. "This is Sampson and I love him!" She declared, Emma let out a singular laugh and looked down to see a mop-esque sheep nibbling the grass in her hand, which she opened to give full access. She looked back up to see Regina smiling so wide her cheeks might tear, her hands clasped under her chin as she watched Sampson roll in the dirt.
Regina was on her way home around five-thirty, she'd completely lost track of time, almost totally blowing off her date. She'd rushed Emma home, smelling like the prairie, and was heading to her apartment with that stench settling in to her pores, as well as that of her car. Even with the window's rolled down she could not seem to rid of it, and eventually gave up, a shower could fix this.
Pulling into her parking space, she exited the car and locked it. Heels clicking against the smooth concrete quickly, echoing through the massive garage that resided under her building. When the elevator took too long for her liking, she trekked up the stairs at an incredible pace and slammed the door to her apartment just a violently as she'd flung it open. Regina then made it her soul purpose in life to take the most cleansing shower she could manage.
Thirty minutes later she emerged, scrubbed and smelling like a bag of wonderful beauty, but mostly her almond and honey body scrub, which worked wonders. Drying her hair took around five minutes and after she moved her party into her closet. Since she was only going to a festival she didn't want to dress too fancy, but not casual enough that she would blend in like a commoner, which she was not. So, she decided on a pair of dark wash denim shorts that were just barely long enough to call such, and a knit tank of white, yellow, green, and purple, and for the flare, a sky blue shawl cardigan that reached her mid-thigh. For shoes she went with her old pair of Birkenstock sandals, that she hadn't even looked at since college, but deemed appropriate to be going out with someone around that age.
"Oh god," Regina said as realization struck her like lightening between the eyes. "Is this a mid-life crisis?" She asked, but shook it off. She wasn't even thirty yet! After once-overing her self a final time she added a single coat of mascara and lip gloss, going for the natural look since she didn't really feel a need to over do it. Regina was passing by her mirror when she had second thoughts about her shoes. What if someone stepped on her toes? Nope, she shuddered and went back into the closet where she chose a pair of wedges, she was satisfied with this classy hooker look and after grabbing her purse, she was out the door once more, where she ran into Athena. The girl was clad in a white halter top, olive service coat, and high waisted shorts, Regina smiled.
"Are we cute?" She asked. Athena grinned, picking up her keys which she'd dropped in their collision.
"The cutest, and you smell great, bath and body works?" She asked.
"Yes, it's heaven, thank you. Shall we?" She asked, crooking her arm, which the girl slipped through as they headed towards the elevator. "So tell me, what did you do today?"
Athena groaned, which turned into a short laugh. "I had to drive around my sister all day, after school she had soccer then shopping for class events, which apparently required me taking her to eight different stores. All in good fun, and she paid for dinner."
"She's going to do great things in life." Regina said. "Sounds like fun, at least you keep busy."
"This is true. What about you?"
"I went to work, then was excused from work to have a personal day halfway in. It was nice, we went to see goats."
"Ooh, goats? I love it, super rustic."
Regina was already white-girl-wasted by the time the last set was being played. That's what four bottomless margaritas tend to do to a person. After the first she was already feeling the buzz, and decided it would be a good idea to get her date equally drunk, underage or not, and bought her two drinks that she 'had to finish.'
"I swear I'm not trying to get you drunk I just I just hate drinking alone. Unless I'm sad, but I am not!" Regina grinned, halfway through her third drink.
"What?" Athena blurted, her eyes focused on the band. "Oh my god! I know him! Yes, Regina, let's dance!" She suggested.
"Ah!" Regina squealed. "Heels! They, goodbye." She kicked off her wedges and took Athena's hand, pulling her into the crowd. The pair danced and laughed at the sheer ridiculousness of their actions for a good twenty minutes, then Regina fell. The sight in it's own was hilarious, and Athena couldn't help but laugh incredibly loud before attempting to help her up, but tripping over the woman's foot.
"We are a mess!" Regina cried, trying to speak over the music still blasting.
"I know! I'm, I can't, what is this? Foot!" She ogled over Regina's bare foot pressed against her thigh. Regina curled her toes into her leg, causing her to jump away at the tickling sensation. "No! No, no." She laughed. Regina smiled and stood, she followed the girl back to the table they'd left their cups and discarded shoes in Regina's case.
"I want beer, do you want beer?" Athena nodded and collapsed into the chair, almost tipping it over. "Ha! Okay, beer it is, dear. Ooh! I rhymed." She laughed and headed to the vendor of alcoholics, plucking two Corona's from the cooler, paying, and heading back to the table.
"Thank you." Athena drew out, taking the sweaty drink. Regina watched as she attempted to pop the cap off on the table, failing each time, but she did not look to be giving up anytime soon. She huffed and after one last attempt, threw the offender to the grass. Regina chuckled, opening hers with her teeth in one swift move. "What the heck?"
"Hand me yours." She said, the girl did so and Regina repeated the action. "You loosened it up, no worries." She winked.
"I am weak, my weakness." She slurred, swigging into the beer.
"What are those words?" Regina asked, furrowing her brows.
"Oh my God! Regina," The words lasted too long for Regina's liking. "Wait, I lost it."
"Let me know when it flies back in." Regina smiled.
Athena nodded and took a long drink before her eyes lit up. "Right! Driving, I can't do that." She shook her head.
"Oh, yeah." Regina whispered. "We can walk? No, far, where are you?"
"I'm here."
"No, where you, do you, you live?" Regina made out.
"Oh!" Athena laughed for a good minute. "Wow, I am, no. I live far, really far, by this factory. Dorms. Shitty."
"Hm." Regina contemplated, or tried. "Bus? No. I hate those, cab!"
"Ahha!" Athena pointed to the sky. "Yes, but my car? Precious car, too good for this world, too pure."
Regina did't answer as her eyes raked up the girl's form, her thighs toned and pale, the seemed to glow in the moonlight. Just under her tilted jawline, she had a freckle and Regina's intoxicated pupil's could not look away. Athena had let her head loll back as she took in the righteous wave of confusion that washed over her, but she popped back after a minute, or was it five? Only to see Regina blatantly staring at her and she flustered with an awkward grin.
"Do I look that drunk?" She asked.
"No, you are just very beautiful." Regina kneeled into the grass, her head resting on the thighs of her date, she nibbled on the skin that smelled of peaches and grass. Athena, on the other hand was trying not to giggle at the tickling sensation. "Alright?"
"Huh?" She laughed. "I'm yes, great. Ticklish, sorry." She stumbled, Regina stood with surprising grace and took her hand.
"Come with me." She whispered, and without direction led the girl back to her car, it only took a few minutes, and the certainly didn't remember that by the time they arrived.
Regina pushed the girl flush against the car, she had the height advantage and leaned down to take her lips within hers, where she bit and pulled. To Regina's great surprise, Athena pulled back.
"Regina, I can't." She said, her eyes wide and doe. "This isn't right."
"What do you mean?"
"It just feels wrong, I'm sorry." Athena admitted. "It's not- I don't know, is that okay?"
Regina was more surprised than upset. "You're right. I shouldn't have tried to take advantage." She straightened. "I am sorry, Athena." Regina said, not breaking eye contact.
Athena gave an apologetic smile and nodded, pulling out her phone, tucking a ringlet behind her ear as she attempted to type. Regina gave a small smile and took it from her, calling the cab company, a number which she had memorized by heart, she called for two cabs, they'd arrive within fifteen to thirty minutes. The women sat in silence as they waited, neither knowing quite what to say, or what to say that wouldn't add any further tension. Regina, though, didn't care at this point and prepped to ask the question she'd been waiting to since the moment she met the girl.
"Are you straight?" She asked. "Wait, that came out, just wrong, but I don't get the impression that you are interested in women."
Athena straightened up on the hood of her car and scrunched her nose in thought. "I don't." She admitted. "I just, thought I could or did."
"Why?"
"It kind of hit me that I've never had an orgasm, with the guys I'd been with, it was really pissing me off. So I thought that another woman would understand and be able to, give me that." She motioned with her hands. "It's fucking stupid, I don't even know why I called you, why I even had your number still, but I did. I don't even, don't even know."
"I see." Regina said, feeling bad for the girl, clearly confused and frustrated. "You could have just told me that to begin with. Save this," She sighed heavily. "complication and we could have resolved your issue quite simply."
"Not exactly the way I prefer starting my conversations." She laughed dryly.
"I had told you from the beginning I am not here to judge you, did you believe that?"
"I know you believed that." Athena answered, staring straight ahead.
"I did, because it's true." Regina stared at the girl's profile, waiting for her to look her way. "However, that wasn't my question."
"That was my answer, I didn't know what to believe I don't know why I called you, or went to your house, or told you all of this, I don't know why we're here right now!"
"Yes you do." Regina sighed. "These words you are saying have no meaning, I know that, so do you. Come on, we don't have endless time."
Athena looked at Regina a mix of defeat and fire in her eyes. "I believed you, I wanted to have mind blowing and kinky sex with you, I still do, but just that. Is that bad?"
Regina smirked in satisfaction. "That's wonderful. Because that I can do."
Upon her return, she found the house to be devoid of residents. Emma shrugged and headed straight up to the shower, sick of the smell that still lingered in her clothes, her hair, just everywhere. Peeling off her loose garments she turned on a cold spray, she'd picked up a habit of beginning her shower off cold and gradually turning the knob for the warmer as she went on. After a few long minutes of standing and swaying along with the ever steady pitter of the stream as it hit the porcelain of the tub, she heard the door slam, and was pulled from her trance, only now beginning the process of washing her hair and body.
Emma stepped out after a few minutes, the sway that once compelled her didn't take on the same affect as it previously had when she tried to fall under a second time. After having such a lovely day, she couldn't reason how her mood had fallen in solemn contempt just stepping foot in the house. She tried to shrug it off, but like a bad smell it was adamant to stick with her for however long it would. Slipping into a pair of navy and white cotton plaid shorts and a red, white, and black poncho hoodie that she had picked up at a flea market a few days prior with Lily, who got the same but in a yellow, green, and white mixture. Now comfortable, Emma debated whether or not to go downstairs, holding on to the golden knob fiercely. She laughed weakly and shook her head, she was being ridiculous, these people were her family, right?
Downstairs it was dark, artificial light was kept to a minimum as the last remnants on sunlight dripped in through the shutters. Emma followed the path to the kitchen, the apparent hotspot preferred by the clan, she found it to be empty, and the same results came when searching the entirety of the downstairs. Confused, she thought she must have been hearing things, until the floorboards above her creaked under the pressure of feet.
Emma sighed, and headed upstairs where she stood by the door to the master bedroom, her hand pressed against it as she decided against knocking, snooping was always a fun alternative! Muffled voices could be heard, and she recognized them as Mary and David, not knowing who else she expected, and they didn't sound entirely chipper.
"David, you can't be serious, I thought we were going to wait!" Came Mary Margret's scolding tone.
"Why would we wait? It'll never be easier." He said, sounding defeated. "Snow, you know that it's best to tell her, don't you trust her? It's not like she going to run away, she can't!"
"It's not her I don't trust David, it's us. Me." Her voice cracked. "I was her mother and I gave her up. Imagine what she must think of me, she'll hate me and I can't blame her, I can never make up for this."
"We gave her up." David assured. Emma stood by the door with furrowed brows, not knowing what to make of the situation unfolding before her. Sure she could read between the lines, but what she was inferring seemed to far fetched, she didn't want to stick around to catch the outcome.
Running probably wasn't the best idea, but it was the only one that made sense, she wasn't ready to have the conversation that would await if her inferences proved true. Emma tiptoed to her room and snatched up her bag, filling it with clothing for the night and next day, quickly shoving it in and zipping it shut, rather violently in her haste. She felt a looming presence before she could even turn around, when she did she saw Mary, leaning against the doorway with red rimmed eyes, her face hardly visible through the dark, and the only light lay behind her in the hall.
"Where you going?" She asked weakly.
Emma's eyes widened slightly but she realized she had a slight upper hand, not that she was going to play it against the woman, her mother? "I am going to go to Lily's." She said quietly. "No drugs this time." She said.
A small fight lit up the woman's eyes and as she opened her mouth the detest, she nodded instead. "Okay." She agreed. "Need a ride?"
Emma shook her head, the thought of a car ride with the brunette sounded just as appealing as eating a roadkill pigeon with a side of tartar sauce. "No thanks, I can, um," She fixed her hair behind her ear. "walk, it's a nice evening." She choked out.
"Emma," She began, she could tell something was up and she knew exactly what. So the truth comes out after all. "I'm sorry."
"I'll see you tomorrow." Emma brushed past her and tried her best not to bolt down the stairs, but the house was suffocating her, her lungs felt about to implode and as she flung open the door she broke into a dead sprint. The chill of the air had intensified with the growing, and now almost complete darkness, and it nipped at her bare legs, reddened her cheeks. Not that she minded, the bite of the cold seemed to be bringing her new life and perspective, forgotten was her life of misery, her self loathing. Somehow in this moment she had reached a point of extreme clarity, she realized that this was her life, and she could start over, she wouldn't be that orphan girl who everyone pitied. Pitied for something that she had no say in, pitied for something that was out of her control, and pitied for a title that she didn't want, the title that was embroidered into her skin, until now.
Now, she could be Emma, and with this new sense of self she could do whatever she wanted with this title, she was a blank slate.
After almost getting run over in her haste, she reached Lily's house, and knocked loudly in no apparent patter. A minute later, it crept open to reveal the girl herself, who wore a frown until she recognized her friend and swung the door open to reveal herself in her poncho and a pair of spandex.
"Look at us, fucking soul mates." She said proudly and moved aside so Emma could enter. "What's up? You look like a cherry." She pinched Emma's cheek, Emma huffed.
"I ran here. Felt nice." She said the last bit with a bit of an exasperated sigh.
"Sounds fun, so I have news." Lily began. "Did you get my text?" Emma just looked confused. "Come on, I messaged you like seven times!"
"I'm sorry! I was busy, I don't even think my phone is charged." Emma pat her pocket, to find her cellular not in such place. "Okay, well, whatever, tell me!"
"Ugh!" She let out. "So my freaking mother has been having visions about an old friend of hers, and she thinks she in some kind of 'peril' and I haven't seen her all day."
"Does she do this often?"
"Enough that to the point where I'm no longer surprised, but she's never just disappeared on my like this, I've called her like, fucking thirty times, and nothing."
"So you don't know where she went?" Emma asked, not surprised, Mal was, a character, to say the least.
Lily ran her fingers through her hair, which hung loose. "Some festival, I don't know, it's downtown." She thought about it. "Maybe we can get there."
As the others, the specter came as soon as it was gone with hardly enough time to make out what was happening, but she understood. Mal came back to the lucid world and took a sip of her tea, it helped to appease her, she wanted to ignore this, but she knew she couldn't. Having the visions was her gift and with this gift came the responsibility to help those who needed it. And now, that her friend was in true danger she couldn't sit back and let the opportunity to change fate slip through her grasp as it had before.
So, she stood and walked in soul determination up the stairs to Lily's room, where she was just getting ready to wake for the day.
"Lilith." She said gravely, with a hint of fear. The girl stirred and turned away from her. "Lily. I need to go. A-a friend of mine is in great danger and I am going to help this time." She told, before kissing her child on the temple.
SO. I'm sorry for this delay and I don't know what's wrong with me but I lost a bit of touch in this chapter, I blame Athena, good thing she's gone! Next update things will start picking up and it will all be dandy!
