AN: I rewrote this chapter like twice and I hope that you all like it. There is a decent amount of things going on in this chapter and like I said, we are barely getting half way through this story so...with that in mind Enjoy! Thank you for the reviews! -R.M
The air was light and merry as the two danced within the others loving embrace. Regina had her one arm around her lovers neck and the other held her hand firmly, finding a perfect fit within the woman's larger palm. They were in a perfect waltz with the many nobles around them, everyone dancing in tune as the music played through the large ballroom.
"You have gotten better." Regina smiled with a soft tone for only Emma to hear. Emma, her angelic saviour whom had rendered her a lighter better person than she had ever expected. Emma, the strong heroine whose shoulders were firm, hands were gentle, lips were loving, and heart was so pure. Regina's eyes gazed up at the woman's face who looked so adoringly at her and she felt like that young girl again.
"I had a good teacher." Emma's lips curled upwards in a light smirk, green eyes dancing with playfulness.
Regina hummed in return as she leaned her head forward to rest against Emma's strong chest, hearing the loving rhythm of the beautiful heart that she has so fallen for. "You've reminded me of something." Regina whispered as Emma held her body even closer to hers if possible; to one from afar off they looked like a perfect couple and far more regal than royals around them. They were so in tune with the other, each footstep fell into place with the other, every turn and dip was precise yet effortless, their body language screamed of love, and a light shone around them that was all their own. Regina whom donned a regal black dress with long lace sleeves that reached her wrists and that's bodice was jeweled in crystals, rubies, and onyx along with gold trim along the deep plunged neckline, then from the hips the gown fell with a slight poof and to the floor. Her hair was updone so beautifully in a curled bun with rubies in her hairpiece and makeup that was smoky but so beautiful. To Emma she was her dark queen that was truly so full of passion and light but was too scared to show this.
Emma grinned lovingly and placed a kiss to the soft curls of her queens head. "And what is that my love?" She asked softly.
"You reminded me…of what true unconditional love truly is…you remind me of who I was before I became a queen and when I was just Regina." She whispered so soft it barely reached the blondes ears.
Emma's arms tightened instinctively and she felt her eyes burn. "And loved you will always be, always remember that." Emma whispered with tears that so desperately wanted to fall.
"I know." Regina whispered with a hitch in her throat, she felt it tighten as she lightly squeezed her lovers hand and continued their waltz, feeling lost within the beat of her heart and drowning in the music that surrounded them. "Emma, will you love me in my twilight as you will in my sunrise?" She asked softly, already knowing the answer to the question she so insecurely asked.
Emma's chin rested gently upon the woman's head as she continued their dance, the memories of the past several weeks filled her mind and as she looked across the room she saw a certain imp and hooked man staring at them so intently, a smile curling upon the imps mouth that was so sickly sadistic it made Emma's stomach churn. What had he ever done to hurt her, why was Regina supposed to be subjected to this vindictive man who played her so perfectly it turned her harmony into a chaotic mess.
"I will love you just as much even more in the darkest twilight." Emma whispered. She saw the hurt etched across the hooked man's face as she recalls the kiss the two shared back in Neverland and how in a way she led the man on, but it was never him, it was never Neal…no…it was always that lost girl, it was always that brown eyed vixen, the beautiful chaos that was Regina Mills…the saviour was made to save everyone from the evil and she was made, she was destined to save the very woman who lost her way.
"You will forever be my beautiful chaos and we can forever be heathens among a world imprisoned by unjust humans calling themselves righteous….we will be those who are lost but so perfectly found by the other…we will be us." Emma whispered so tenderly that Regina could feel her body tremble in love, she felt so full and warm that she never wanted to feel any other way.
"You're so beautiful Emma, what did I ever do to deserve you." Regina whispered with an anguished soul that felt so bare and shattered.
"You always deserved more than what you were given. Regina, you deserve the most out of anyone I've ever known." She pulled back from their dance and looked down at the woman. "Can we go somewhere else?" Emma asked softly as she looked down into the bare brown eyes that she so loved, the eyes that used to be so guarded but now, god now they were so open and clear, they were so full of love and warmth that it would melt the strongest of metal.
"Mmn and what, miss the rest of the evening my love?" Emma asked with a hint of playfulness.
Emma laughed softly. " We will be back and see the rest of the night through my love I just…I just want to say something and I feel like it is more meaningful when it's just the two of us." She whispered and leaned down about to place a kiss upon those beautifully red plump lips but yet she did not, as she was afraid that those around them would speak ill of her queen further.
With a nod, Regina pulled back slightly and laced their fingers together and walked up the stairs that led out of the ballroom and as they shut the door the sound of a toast had begun, signifying the near end to the night that Emma felt was so perfect she could cry.
They walked down the halls and Emma found a pair of double doors that led out to a large balcony that overlooked a beautiful lake and the view was so mystic yet so breathtaking that it looked like a picturesque scene for a proposal.
"Emma, you're so quiet" Regina stated with a small smile as she looked up at the slight fear that etched across the woman's beautiful face. Emma reached in her pocket and pulled out a balm that she was assuming she got from her own palace and watched as she spread the wax across her lips and she smacked her lips a couple times before looking down at Regina with a small smile.
"I.…I just have a lot to say and I want you to know how much I love you Regina and I don't think I can stress that enough." She begun with a deep breath and a shaky release, Emma played with a lose strand of her hair and sighed a bit.
"You know that whatever it is that I will never think anything wrong of you." Regina stated with a soft smile and walked closer to Emma and cupped her cheek gently with such a loving expression it broke Emma's already breaking heart.
"Regina I- I'm not necessarily who you think I am." Emma swallowed and the look of confusion crossed Regina's beautiful face and it made Emma's stomach nearly feel sick. "That curse, that curse that you were going to steal from Maleficent you have to act on it Regina, you need to cast the dark curse, otherwise I will never exist." She whispered, her lips frowning further than it's natural pout expression and Regina shook her head and leaned back.
"Emma, I don't want to anymore…I I just want to be with you now. I don't want to cast it, can't we, can't we just love and live on? Isn't that what I should do….leave Snow White alone and…I want to love again and that's because I love you Emma." Regina shook her head. "If I did that I would have to kill you and I can't lose you!" Regina looked up at Emma with such a confused look she didn't know where any of this was coming from.
"Regina you have to otherwise I will never meet you like I'm supposed to…Regina…you have to curse everyone so that I can meet you." Emma bit her bottom lip and looked at Regina with a saddened expression. "I'm….I'm the child unborn…I accidently came back in time because someone threatened your town in the future and they unleashed a time portal and I went through by accident and…Regina I'm Snow White and Prince Charming's child….they put me in a cupboard and sent me all alone to another realm and I grew up alone and unloved but…I found you…you adopted my son and we have a son together in the future Regina. You will have to struggle, you will have a lot of things go on that will hurt you and I won't lie that you will definitely go through more than I feel you should but, if you didn't you wouldn't grow into such a beautifully fierce woman. We met on my birthday when I turned 28…our son Henry Daniel Mills brought me to you to save the people, but I really feel that he brought me to save you Regina.." She took Regina's trembling hands in her own and she saw the look of hurt etch across the woman's face.
"You used me!" Regina cried out and was about to pull back and Emma only pulled her body close as the woman's body shook against Emma's as tears fell from her beautiful eyes.
"Regina I never used you…in the future I always took your side…I went through a portal and saved you from a wraithe, I sided with you over my parents, and we co-parent a beautiful son who loves you so much and I need him to exist Regina…you need that boy to exist because they might call me the saviour but without Henry…we wouldn't be the women we turn out to be and god dammit on my birthday I wished I would never have to be alone anymore." Emma's eyes betrayed her as tears fell from her eyes. "And now I think my wish finally came true because I fell so far for you Regina….you, always you I always sacrificed myself for you back in Storybrooke and you did the same for me and I can't….I can't lose you. I need you to curse everyone so that I can exist like this and love you. I need you to curse everyone and do this one last thing of evil so that someday I can be born and grow up just like I did so that I can love you and protect you every day to come. I need to …. I need to have been broken again so that our son can find me and I can find my way back to you otherwise…I will not exist and I cannot be the woman I need to be for you Regina so please….do this last thing and I will be there for you I promise…." Emma whispered and tears and cries escaped the queen whose body went limp in her arms. Emma couldn't believe how broken this woman looks in her arms and she feels her own body tremble as tears continue to fall.
"Emma...why….why…." She cried and rubbed her face against the red sash that was draped across the woman's body and she looked up with a slightly puffy face that was red in anguish.
"I'm so sorry my love….please…"
"But how...I would have to kill you." She whispered and gripped onto the front of Emma's black dress shirt that was so perfect and fitting.
Emma shook her head das she gently held the woman's hips. "No…because I don't exist in this time…so you wouldn't, Regina….I have one last thing to give you." She reached in her pocket and pulled out a parchment and handed it to Regina. "Open it later, it's a reminder for you ok." Emma smiled softly. "This was true to me and I love you Regina…I will find you ok." She whispered and cupped her lovers cheeks, thumbs tenderly brushing the woman's tears away.
"I'm going to forget aren't I?" Regina whispered with a choked sob.
"You will remember when I kiss you on the other side…ok…I promise." Emma whispered. "This was the best night of my life….and I promise we will have more together to come. " Emma leaned in and was about to kiss her love.
"Emma...even at that…this was the best night in my life…you will forever be my white knight." Regina whispered and she closed the gap and kissed her lover with so much love that she could cry and she could feel every memory fade and every place she was with Emma, that beautiful blonde had disappeared and everything felt so empty and it was like a fate worse than death. She felt so utterly alone and as she pulled back and opened her eyes, she was left there with confused eyes and felt a crinkle of paper in her hand and no one around her.
She felt the cold wind against her face and she frowned a bit. "Why am I out here?" She asked and opened the parchment. " 10 23 11, ES True Love, Keep this paper for later." She tilted her head and put the paper up her sleeve and looked around in utter confusion before walking back inside the castle with her usual regal bravado.
Emma watched from the rooftop with Rumplestiltskin and Hook who stood beside her. "Good job dearie, she does not remember you or even really what's going on. Ah and look who came to crash the celebration?" He giggled as the image of her mother came scaling the wall to her fathers room and she had a sad smile.
"Love, it's time to go back." Hook said while gently grabbing the blondes arm and she slightly pulled from his grasp.
"Don't, let's just go. Rumple what do you want us to pay in order to go back?" She asked and before he answered they left the castle in a plume of smoke and re appeared in a place that was so unfamiliar to the two of them.
The imp walked around and giggled while looking through random items rather meticulously. "Do for me, no Miss Swan you have done quite enough. You broke my little queen in a way that I could not and you also ended up with my son and I have a lineage. I also find my boy, so there is nothing more I could want now consider this a thank you to the future." He giggled and handed a peculiar looking wand to Emma and looked at her, clapping his hands rather childishly. "So now think of where you want to go, and go!" He took out the vial he was supposed to take and watched as Emma looked at the wand in utter conviction.
"I want to go home." She whispered as she recalled all of the past and future events she had with Regina and she felt her heart ache. "I'm coming for you." She whispered and Hook looked at her with a defeated expression and shook his head. He sighed softly and as moments passed there was a bright red and yellow vortex in front of them and Rumple's eyes went wide at the fact that this girl did it.
"You have potential saviour, now I bid you farewell." He pushed the two of them through and took the vial and swigged it as the building around him shook violently and then the vortex vanished and he looked around in confusion.
"What the hell am I doing down here?" He shrugged and walked out of the room.
Emma landed with a thud back in the barnyard, wearing the same clothes she did to the ball and beside her on the ground was Hook who was groaning.
"Bloody hell, no more damn portals." He grunted and slowly stood to a sitting position, feeling like the air was knocked from his lungs. The man's deep blue eyes looked to Emma, the woman who looked so defeated. "Love, was that really real?" He asked her in slight hopefulness. "Or…"
She shook her head and she slowly stood up, her leather boots finding footing in the earth below and she looked at the traces of the transfiguration circle in the earth below her and she then looked at the door. "I need to go and do what I promised…I'm sorry Killian, but it was always her."
He smiled sadly and shook his head, standing up and patting her shoulder. "I know…I knew back then it was and well…. I guess goodluck Swan and I will always be here." He sighed and shook his head. "Go get your queen." He stuck his hand in his leather coat and watched the back of the woman he loved disappear before him and out the large barnyard doors.
"Thank you Killian" She called behind her and he could only chuckle sadly as he stood there with a sad look in his eyes, swallowing thickly.
"Goodbye Swan." He whispered and left as well, going towards the docks.
Emma ran, oh god did she run as fast as the wind itself with her feet beating harshly against the ground and towards Grannies where everyone would be gathered for her brothers naming ceremony.
As she ran down main street and she saw that everything was the same, she saw that there was nothing out of place as of yet and she sighed happily to herself and she stopped running as she was a block away. She stood for a moment, catching her breath as she fixed her red sash and the dark knight pendants that littered across the top of the sash and she continued walking towards the diner that was growing closer with each stride. She felt her hands grow clammy and her heart race.
What if this didn't work out, what if the kiss doesn't work and she is better off with Robin. But, but she promised she would come back for her, she promised that she would find Regina again in this world so she would never be alone again.
As she walked up those few steps up to the door of Grannies and opened the door, the small bell at the top chimed and everyones head turned towards the blonde as a series of gasps filled the room and her mother who looked like a bug just went down her throat looked at Emma like she was some sort of anomaly.
"Emma?" Her fathers deep voice came and he walked up to his daughter with a frown. "I tried calling you a million times and….wait why are you wearing that?" He asked confused as he shook his head. "Never mind…take a seat we are announcing your brothers name." He then whispered softer to his daughter who only nodded but failed to notice the burning gaze of brown eyes that followed the blonde in utter confusion.
"As we were saying…we have decided to name our son after a hero, someone who saved us and gave his life protecting his family and I can think of no better name for our son as a strong man as he and so…everyone welcome Neal Leopold Nolan to our town." Snow White smiled and everyone cheered for the little boy who was swaddled in his mothers arms, who was looking at everyone with such bright blue eyes that matched his fathers.
Emma smiled sadly at the scene and sighed, leaning back in her seat as she took off her leather gloves. Her eyes went to the floor before she saw a pair of Jimmy Choo stilettoes in front of her leather boots and she slowly looked up and locked eyes with beautiful brown eyes that felt so familiar yet so foreign as she didn't remember.
"Miss Swan...what happened." Regina whispered as she pulled a chair up to sit beside the blonde and Emma shook her head.
"Meet me in your vault tonight ok…" Emma whispered and looked at the confused woman with a small smile. "I promise I will tell you what happened ok? Hey where's Robin?" She asked and looked around and Regina looked utterly confused.
"Robin?" She tilted her head and Emma shook her head quickly. 'I must have changed some things. "Oh he's still at the campsite with the merrymen…those filthy imbeciles…" Regina rolled her eyes and she tightly clung her hands together before Henry came over with a bright smile.
"I like the clothes Ma, hey Mom can I have one more glass of hot coco? Please?" He asked with a childish smile that was so similar to Emma's it made his mother sigh.
"One more and then that's it Henry Mills." Regina sighed and patted her sons arm. "Also we will go home after that ok, please no arguments?" She asked with a tired smile and her son nodded before taking his seat with his grandfather.
"Hey Regina.…" Emma whispered and looked at Regina who looked so weary. "Are you ok?" She asked with a tenderness.
"I...yeah I'm fine Miss Swan, but don't be late….after Henry goes to sleep at 10 I will be at the vault ok." Regina whispered and stood up, walking towards the back bathroom and left a conflicted Emma.
The chattering echoed Grannies small diner as cheering and talks of the enchanted forest continued on, Emma sat and drank a beer, still wearing her clothes that she treasured among all else as it was a reminder that the things of the past did indeed happen and apparently it changed Robin and Regina's relationship in some way.
Emma's fingers thrummed against the table slightly as she continued to sip her beer slowly while gazing at her parents who continually doted over the newest member of the charming family and by god they had the audacity to name it after one man who they forget abandoned her and henry in prison while the other was a greedy self righteous man who took a young girls virginity. It made Emma slightly livid that they did such a thing and yet they were standing there in all righteousness and she then realized how easy it was for Regina to get so irritated by the two people that she called her parents. They really were dense, never knowing how their actions could potentially affect others.
"Emma!" Snow yelled excitedly while sliding across her daughter in the booth with a million watt smile. She was holding a quiet Neal who was looking up at his mother with round blue eyes and a small yawn that pulled his lips in a small 'o'.
Her green eyes looked at the babe and sighed softly. "Hey Mary Margaret." Emma forced a smile and held her half a glass of beer up and leaned back in her seat.
"So where were you? We were stalling and these people are so difficult to stall." She whispered. "You're wearing a dark night regalia too….but of higher ranks." She tilted her head with furrowed brows and Emma sighed while shaking her head.
"It's been a long night… can we talk about this maybe tomorrow or something. Anyway, is there anything else that happened while I was gone?" Emma asked while pushing back a stray hair that Regina was playing with just moments ago.
"Emma.…" Snow said in a low voice that sounded like she was trying to be stern but it didn't even faze the older blonde.
"Mary Margaret...not here and not now." Emma said in an equally low voice.
"What's going on here?" Perfect, Charming was standing right behind his wife and Emma knew that this would be an interrogation by her parents.
"I'm just asking our daughter why she would be wearing A Dark Kingdom noble outfit with pendants of rank across her sash and she is not answering me." Snow stated and Charming looked with furrowed brows.
"Emma, what happened…why didn't you pick up my calls?" Charming asked and Emma groaned, taking a full gulp of her beer and slammed the glass firmly on the table so that it caused it to shake.
"I'm not in the mood to talk, hell I'm not in the mood to hear more stories over a man who put me in prison for over a year for a crime that wasn't mine while pregnant with his child that he knowingly gave away and decided to come and play hero. But hell all heroes fuck up right and it's ok because they are heroes." Emma said sardonically with a slight snarl. She shook her head and walked towards the door.
"Emma you don't walk out on us that way, we are your parents." David now said with his firm voice that she was sure he would use to dictate his Kingdom.
"And I am the saviour that you also gave away. Now if you don't mind I'm going home, I stayed for my brothers name reveal and I am now going." She bowed in a manner that she was taught before turning on her heel and walked out the door and shut it with a firm pull, causing the bell to chime atleast thrice before releasing a groan. She shouldn't have made a scene, much less in front of Henry about a father he didn't really know, but fuck her parent's always did things without much thought and this was one of those moments. She sighed and looked at the main street and decided she wouldn't be going home and instead she would stay the night at the station. She couldn't be cooped up in such a small place with those two and the apartment was much too small for her parents and Neal for her to stay there as well.
She sighed and began to walk down the main street and towards the graveyard, figuring that she would get a head start instead of being around people she couldn't stand.
"So all those months didn't even cause any time to really pass here…" She whispered and looked up at the sky that was beginning to darken further. The horizon being painted with soft blues that slowly turned navy. Her heart felt heavy and she felt like everything was so wrong, she missed the enchanted forest, she missed the fire beside Regina's bed, the furs and silken blankets, the warmth of the body beside her, the love she felt, and though it was only the two of them it was enough. Her heart felt so incomplete and so out of sort that she no longer felt at home here in Storybrooke, but then again once you have lived in a paradise it's hard to find solace anywhere else.
Her feet felt heavy against the paved roads and soon she heard slow tires pulling up next to her and she turned to see familiar confused brown eyes.
"Miss Swan what was that?" her tone was sharp and it caused a slight smile to pull at the blondes lips.
"Like you would love to point out, I have a hard time dealing with my parents bull headed self righteous ideas and it rubbed me the wrong way." She shrugged her shoulders and kicked a small pebble that was on the floor.
"Just.…Henry is staying with your parents as he wanted to spend time with his new uncle and I figured…well that we should talk." Regina cleared her throat and leaned over and unlocked the other door before sighing. "Now are you coming or not?" She asked with slight impatience slipping with each word.
Emma held back a smirk and walked towards the car and opened the door before doing a proper bow and looked up at Regina. "Anything for you, your majesty." She chuckled and got in before Regina looked at her incredulously.
"You have a lot of explanations Miss Swan but….like you said the vault would be the safest place and if needed it can take a lot of magical abuse." Regina sighed and began to drive and with each block that was driven, Emma felt her body tremble with slight anxiety. She knew that this would be a long night and was unsure of the outcome.
The barnyard was left silent and yet, there was a slight chill to the air as a blue liquid filled each line of Zelena's spell and a figure emerged in a liquid ascension from the center of the circle as ice stained the earth. With each second, the liquid grew higher and higher until the figure was able to be made out to a female form and then the liquid melted, but the figure remained and a woman turned to the door with ice blue eyes and a pale complexion.
"Where are you?"