A/N: Well, here is the next chapter for you. Sorry this one's kinda angsty till the end. But I think you'll be happy by the end of the chapter. Enjoy.
So, I realized that I misspelled Neal's name the first time I posted this (Thanks RavenclawGenius) I think I fixed all of them. That is the only change to this chapter. Sorry for any inconvenience.
Chapter 14
When Emma got home from her run, I couldn't tear my eyes from her sweat-dampened skin and damp curls. The sight had heat curling low in my belly and the thirst blazing in my throat. Seeing her looking so healthy and strong after her earlier head injury had my inner beast begging to claim her. But the brief frowning glance she spared me as she headed towards the shower sent a cold chill down my spine and effectively dowsed any lusty thoughts.
I sighed, poured myself a glass of scotch, and retreated to my study. I understood why she was upset with me, but I just couldn't bring myself to admit that I'd run from breakfast because I realized I was falling in love with her. It just wouldn't be fair to burden Emma with my feelings when our lives were already so tightly bound together that she had no hope of getting away from me. I spent the rest of the day staying out of her way. Through the blood bond, I could feel her moving around the house, but when she didn't seek me out, I knew she was still angry with me.
I waited until the early hours of the morning, when the entire house was still and silent, before I quietly climbed the stairs. Opening the door to my bedroom, I let out a relieved breath when I saw Emma's body sprawled under the covers. I quickly pulled off my clothes and slid into bed. Emma never moved and I felt both grateful and dejected. I had missed her presence since she left to run that afternoon, and I wanted to gather her in my arms and beg for her forgiveness. Instead, I let her sleep, staring up at the ceiling and listening to her soft breathing and steady heartbeat. I drifted off to sleep just as the sky began to turn grey with the sunrise.
A few hours later, I woke to the feeling of Emma's finger poking my side and her emotionless voice saying, "Regina, wake up."
Rolling to my side to face her, I opened my eyes and smiled at the stunning sight of sunlight playing in her golden curls. I had momentarily forgotten about our fight and the emotional distance I'd put between us, but when Emma didn't return the smile and just stared at me, it flooded back and my heart clenched with the crushing loneliness. "Good morning, Emma," I said softly.
Something flickered in her eyes, but the emotion was quickly replaced by a carefully guarded expression. Everything in me screamed for me to reach out to her and break down the walls she was placing between us, but her impassive words stopped me. "You need to feed."
I looked away, she was right, but I didn't want it to be like this, even though my fangs slid down in automatic response to the statement. I fought the urge to sink my teeth into her tender skin and said, "It can wait. I'm sorry about yesterday. I wasn't trying to shut you out, Emma. I just realized something at breakfast, and I'm not ready to talk about it yet." I was pleading and I just didn't care.
She was quiet for a long moment before she gently cupped my chin and brought me back to face her. A small spark of hope lit inside me when I saw compassion in her eyes. "Whatever it is, Regina, you can tell me. You know that right?" she asked, her voice trembling with emotion.
"I know, dear. I'm just not ready to share it. But when I am, I promise to tell you," I said, certain I'd never actually be able to say the words.
Emma sighed and dropped her hand, and I knew she had heard the lie behind my words. She sounded defeated as she said, "Alright, I said I wouldn't push. But you do need blood. With everything that happened yesterday, I think it would be a good idea for you to be fully fed."
"I know," I said softly, hating to see her looking so dejected.
"Okay, good," she said, forcing her voice into a lighter tone. When I still hesitated to move, Emma let out another sigh and pulled me up into a sitting position. She climbed into my lap and stared into my eyes. "Just bite me already, Regina. I know you want to, why are you waiting?"
I let out a sad sigh and brushed her hair off her neck. I leaned in and whispered, "I'm sorry," as I sank my throbbing fangs into her skin. It felt so wrong. Even as soft moans escaped Emma's lips and the raging burn in my throat eased, I felt so empty. Without the connection that we had built over the past several months, I couldn't enjoy the feeling of my mouth on her skin or her sweet blood on my tongue. I stopped as soon as the thirst was sated and closed the twin incisions, before I quickly retreated to the bathroom to shower and get ready to face the day.
Over the next few days, I could feel Emma pulling further away from me. It hurt, but I couldn't talk to her about it without admitting my own feelings. And with each day that passed, I became more certain that Emma would never and could never return my love. During those few days, we existed together in the same space, but even Henry could tell that something was wrong. And no matter how much he pushed, neither Emma nor I would admit to the problem.
Surprisingly, Storybrook remained quiet while the life I'd been building with Emma slowly fell apart. It seemed as though Snow had actually managed to refrain from spilling my secret for once. In fact the only thing of note that happened in the sleepy little town was that Belle moved out of Rumple's house and no one had seen the imp since Sunday. I couldn't help but feel maliciously happy with that news. For once it seemed as though Rumplestiltskin would finally be held accountable for his actions.
Tuesday afternoon, everything changed. I was sitting in my office, staring out the window and wondering how long I could actually manage to put off feeding because I didn't want a repeat of the heartbreaking emotionless feed from Sunday morning. My thoughts were interrupted when I saw Rumple's car stop in the middle of the road and a man, whom I had never seen before, jumped out and ran after someone coming down the sidewalk; someone with long blond hair and a red jacket, someone who was mine.
A vicious snarl filled my office as I watched the man grab Emma's arm and spin her around. I could easily see the shock register on her face as she recognized the man. When she angrily shrugged off his touch, I couldn't stay still any longer and I rushed out of my office to find out what was going on.
As soon as I got outside I could hear Emma's furious voice yell, "You're Rumplestiltskin's son!? Did you know the whole time?" Those words had fear and fury warring within me and I raced towards Emma.
"Emma, look, I can explain," the man said, holding up placating hands in an effort to calm her down.
"Did you play me? Was this some sick plan between you and your father? I want to know, did you even care about me at all?" she screeched.
Coming up behind Emma, I forced my voice to remain level as I asked, "What is the meaning of this?"
Emma jerked in shock, obviously having no idea that I had joined her. She spun to face me, her eyes wide and panicked. "Regina, I—he, uh…" she stammered.
I reached out and put a comforting hand on her arm, uncertain as to whether she would welcome the touch. When some of the panic left her eyes, I shifted to glare at the unknown man and asked, "What seems to be the problem here?"
"Look, lady, this is really between me and Emma," he said defensively.
"If that were the case, then you wouldn't have come into my town and caused a scene in the middle of the street with my Sheriff," I replied, feeling anger boil up within me.
"Regina—" Emma started to say.
The man cut her off and said, "Fine, we'll take this somewhere more private. There are things Emma and I need to talk about."
"Neal, I'm not going anywhere with you, not until you tell me the truth. Did you know who I was?" Emma asked, her voice laced with desperation.
I didn't hear the reply as rage washed over me. As soon as Emma said his name, I knew who he was and what he'd done to her. Emma had told me about him one night after our son was in bed. And now he was here, trying to get my Emma alone. I was going to lose her. This was Henry's father, Emma's first love, the first person who made her feel safe, and I was going to lose her. I fought a vicious battle with my inner beast, and was on the verge of completely losing control when Emma's incredulous voice broke through my thoughts.
"You let me go to prison because Pinocchio told you to? I loved you," she said, her voice breaking on the admission.
My heart clenched painfully in my chest at her words, but before I could respond, Neal said sadly, "I was trying to help you."
"By letting me go to jail?" she asked brokenly.
"By helping you get here, get home," he replied.
I couldn't stand to hear any more. All of the insecurities bred from a lifetime of never being good enough overwhelmed the possessive instincts of my inner beast and I fled. I ignored the desperate sound of Emma's voice calling after me as I ran away from the heartbreak I was certain would come. I didn't stop until I was safely barricaded in my study. I picked up the nearest vase and threw it against the wall, where it shattered into hundreds of shards. Not feeling satisfied, I let out a primal scream and sank to my knees on the carpet as tears began to pour down my cheeks.
Sometime later, the front door slammed shut and Emma's voice echoed within the house. "Regina!"
I slowly stood, wiping the tears from my face and absently smoothing my clothes. Feeling oddly detached from the situation, I made my way out to the foyer and flatly said, "I really wish you wouldn't yell in the house, dear."
"Regina," she said, relief evident in her voice.
It confused me, why would she be relieved to see me? "Yes, Miss Swan?" I asked, soundly mildly curious.
Anger flashed in her eyes and she snapped, "Don't do that. Don't get all formal with me."
I wanted to buckle under the weight of her anger and beg her to forgive me and tell her I loved her and never wanted her to leave. Instead, I brushed past her and poured myself a scotch from the sidebar in the sitting room. "I'm surprised to see you," I remarked coldly, taking a sip of the drink.
She eyes me warily and asked, "Why?"
I lifted an eyebrow at her and said, "I assumed you'd be with Neal. I'm sure you have much to discuss."
The fury was back and she snarled, "I don't want to be with Neal. I want—".
When she didn't continue, I sneered, "What? What is it that you want, Miss Swan?"
She slumped, "Never mind. It doesn't matter. I should be getting back to work. I'll see you later, Regina." When she was gone, I managed, barely, to prevent myself from throwing my drink against the wall. Instead, I finished it in one long gulp and went to clean up the mess in my study.
That evening, I was surprised when Emma came home with Henry in tow. I had spent all afternoon sitting and waiting for the moment when she didn't return and my world crumbled around me. So, when she walked in the front door I was so stunned that I was unable to hide my shock when she found me in the sitting room. Henry raced up the stairs obviously wanted to get as far away from us and the tension in the room as he could.
"Hey," Emma said with a small half-smile.
"Hello," I said, still too surprised to think of a better response.
We were frozen in that awkward moment for what felt like eternity before it was broken by the sound of a fist pounding on the front door. "Emma! Come on, Emma, open up!" Neal's shouting voice sounded a second later.
One thought circled my mind, 'She didn't take Henry and leave, she came home to me', and as Emma turned to the door with a scowl, I pushed past her to get to the door first. Emma was mine and I was going to fight for her. I pulled open the door and leveled a glare at the man on my door step. "What can I do for you, Mr…?"
He stared blankly at me for a moment before supplying, "Uh, Cassidy. Look, I need to talk to Emma."
"I'm afraid Emma is unavailable right now, Mr. Cassidy," I said with a smirk that would have made the peasants run in fear if we were still in the Enchanted Forest.
"It's really important and I know she's here," he said, trying to push past me and into the house.
I braced my arm against the door frame to block his path. "Well, if it's really that urgent, you can tell me and I will pass on the message," I said coldly.
Emma came up behind me and put a hand on my shoulder, "It's alright, Regina. He won't leave until he talks to me."
I turned to snarl at her, "Emma I don't want him in our home."
She smiled, and I relaxed slightly. It was the first real smile she'd given me since I'd refused to answer her on Saturday. Her hand tightened on my shoulder and she nodded in agreement. Everything about her tensed and hardened when she turned back to our unwanted guest and flatly asked, "What do you want, Neal?"
He gaped at us for a moment, before he shook his head and asked, "Do I have a kid?"
A low warning growl rumbled out from my chest and Emma jumped in to say, "He's Regina's kid." It calmed me enough to retain control of my inner beast which was demanding I protect my humans.
aNeil's eye's narrowed and he said, "My father says that she adopted your kid. Is he mine?"
"No, you have no right to him. You sent me to prison to cover your own ass. You don't get to call anything that happened after that any part of you," Emma snapped out.
"So, he is mine. I want to meet my son!" Neal yelled.
Those words snapped the last of my control and the beast rose to the surface. My fangs extended and I let out a vicious snarl. "He is mine! Leave now and never bother my Emma or my son ever again or I will rip out your throat!" I growled taking slow prowling steps towards the man.
His eyes widened in fear and he muttered, "Whoa, what the hell are you?"
"Ask your father," I said ominously.
Neal stumbled in his haste to get away from me. I watched him with narrowed eyes until he was out of sight. Then I slowly turned and stalked back inside. The second the door shut behind me, Emma pressed me against it, locking her lips to mine in a hungry, needy kiss. I growled, pushing my tongue past her lips to claim her mouth. It was a desperate kiss filled with the anger, frustration and fear that had plagued me over the last several days.
I flipped our positions, breaking the kiss to snarl out a possessive, "Mine!"
"Yours," Emma gasped.
I didn't wait and plunged my fangs into her throat. We both moaned as I fed desperately on her sweet blood. I immediately reached for her mind even as my hands worked desperately at the fly of her jeans. I needed to claim all of her in that moment.
"Mine!" I purred in her mind.
"I'm yours, Gina," she replied.
I shoved my hand down the front of her pants, pushing two fingers into her waiting heat. She shuddered against me and I matched the pace of my thrusts to the movements of my mouth on her neck. Her head fell back against the door, giving me more access to her throat. I shifted and pulled one of her legs up to loop around my waist to give me a better angle to plunge into her.
I could taste and feel her mounting desire and when she was on the edge of her release, I mentally demanded, "Come for me, Emma."
She groaned, shuddering through her orgasm. As she rode out the waves of pleasure, I pulled my fangs out and closed the wounds in her neck. When the last tremor faded, I slipped my hand from her pants and licked my fingers clean. My eyes fluttered shut as the taste of her arousal mixed with her blood on my tongue.
When I opened my eyes again, Emma was staring at me with a lazy, contended smile. "Hi," she said happily.
I chuckled, "Hello, dear. I've missed you."
She sobered and softly said, "I've missed you, too. I'm sorry I—".
"I love you." The words were out of my mouth before I was ever aware that I wanted to say them.
Emma froze, blinking at me from wide, surprised eyes. "W-What?" she stuttered.
I took a step back and looked away, certain she was about to reject me. "That's what I was afraid to tell you the other day," I said softly. When she didn't immediately respond, I added, "I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have said anything. It's completely unfair to you. And everything I love is inevitably taken from me. I shouldn't even be able to—"
My rambling words were cut off when Emma lunged forward and slammed her lips against mine. I stumbled back a step before I could catch my balance. Once I did, I wrapped my arms around the blonde and kissed her back.
"Say it again," Emma demanded, pulling back to search my eyes.
I smiled and said, "I love you, Emma Swan."
She grinned, "I love you, too."
I pulled her back in for another kiss. The instant our lips met, a pulse of magic surged through us and out over the town.
A/N: I really didn't expect to get to this point in the story so quickly, but apparently my muse just doesn't like me writing too much angst between our lovely ladies. That being said, this story is far from over, and I apologize for the cliffhanger. Please take a moment and let me know what you think. Has the curse broken? Is Regina human again?