CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Blackmail

They were kissing, Regina's arms lightly draped over the blonde's shoulders as Emma backed her up towards the door of the cabin. Impatient hands mapped the curves of her body, accenting a breathless desperation to get inside so they could fall into one other, touching and fucking and owning for one last time before they would be forced back into the reality where their façade of indifference prevailed over the truth.

Regina's back was flattened against the front door as one of Emma's hands reached blindly for the handle, the other already sliding through the folds of her dampened sex. Regina exhaled a sharp breath of air, but it was nothing to do with what Emma was doing to her. Hands finding well-muscles biceps, Regina pushed the woman atop her slightly backwards, a breathless request of, "Wait," falling from her lips as a bout of panic ripped through her by what she felt against her back.

"It's fine, we're almost inside—" Emma tried to convince her, the momentary lack of distraction making her able to finally push the door open. But Regina cut her off, turning around so sharply that she nearly knocked Emma backwards.

"No, it's…!" she began, but when her hands clasped around a piece of paper taped to their front door the words died in her throat. Ripping it from its place, Regina's hands began to tremble as an uncomfortable feeling of foreboding filled the pit of her stomach. Someone had been here.

"What is that?" Emma asked, the question coming out breathless as she was forcefully ripped from the haze of wanton lust that had previously sought to consume her whole. Regina didn't answer, her eyes scanning the hastily written words on the piece of paper that threatened to bring her on the verge of a full scale panic attack.

I'm sorry, I didn't have a choice. – SG

It was one simple sentence, and yet the reaction it provoked from Regina as it brutally ripped her façade of happiness in half completely blinded her to all sane reason. Anger spread through the brunette's body like a raging fire and the note crumbled in a tight fist. It was thrown to the ground, the apology deemed worthless as an overwhelming emotion ripped its way through Regina's veins. She was inside suddenly, a lamp that had previously found its way into her hand being smashed to pieces on the mahogany floor. Emma was yelling something to her but it fell on deaf ears as the overwhelming urge to tear the world to shreds consumed Regina's entire being.

She was shaking, seething as reality punched its way through the fantasy Emma and she had made together in this place. An unintelligible sound fell past her lips as an antique paperweight was thrown into the large mirror that accented the southern wall; Regina watched her reflection, broken and furious, shatter to pieces before her. Emma was still screaming, but the blood pumping in Regina's ears masked the sound, making it become nothing more than a mere whisper. The only thing she could hear was Sidney's words replaying over in her mind, taunting her to the point of insanity.

I'm sorry, I didn't have a choice.

Firm hands gripped her shoulders and Regina lashed out, not wanting to calm down. She knew who was behind this, the only person that would have enough leverage to make Sidney turn on her: Gold. Regina knew, she fucking knew this was going to happen, as there was only so long they could find comfort in a private fantasy before someone found a way to use it to their advantage. A part of her hated herself, for ever allowing something like this to come to pass. They should have been more careful, and they most definitely should have never come to this place together.

They had sunk too deep, and now they would drown for it.

"Regina, please! Listen to me!" Emma pleaded, grip locked tight to her biceps as she pushed Regina rather unceremoniously onto the couch, getting atop her in a desperate attempt to make the woman beneath her stop thrashing in rage. "We'll fix it, do you hear me? We'll fix it!"

"How?!" Regina screamed, her face flushed with anger, breathing shallowing as Emma's arms wrapped around her, cradling her in an attempt to make her feel safe from the reality that tore brutally through her mind. Regina shook in her arms, her fury giving way to panic as she collapsed against her chest, feeling more than hearing Emma's whispered hushes against her ear. Emma had her cheeks pressed between her hands, the warmth of her palms being stained by the first tears that fell from the brunette's eyes.

"Henry," Regina gasped out, her only thought being for him instead of what exposure of their relationship would do to her, to them. "He can't know. You don't understand, he's so… he's going through enough, I can't—I won't thrust something like this on him. He wouldn't know what to do with it, it's too complicated for him to understand, it's—!"

"Shh," Emma hushed her before pressing her mouth gently against a quivering bottom lip to halt her words. "Breathe," she encouraged lightly, her hands running down the brunette's back in a desperate attempt to get Regina rational enough to formulate a plan. "Please, just stop and breathe for me for a second. Can you do that…?"

Regina didn't believe so, yet tried nonetheless as what she was doing now had absolutely no fathomable gain.

Selfishness had always been a large factor in the reason Regina chose to hide what they were doing from the rest of the world. Yet when they were presented with the very real possibility of it actually happening, Regina realized, in a moment of blinding and unbridled clarity, that her image, her reputation, and her desire to live in a world that she probably wasn't meant to, meant nothing when put against the well-being of her son. It wasn't even the fact that he didn't want them to be friendly, let alone anything more than that; but when the inevitable acceptance of the situation came, as it surely would, Regina feared that her son would begin to hope for a family that neither of them believed they could truly become.

A child in the mix, a shared child no less, complicated matters to the point where Regina felt at an absolute loss about what to do. They had to think of him, of Henry, before they could take a moment to think about what this could do to them.

It took quite a while, but eventually Emma had her breathing regularly again. Regina furiously wiped at the tears that had fallen, staining her cheeks with evidence of her helplessness, angry that she had allowed that emotion to give way when it did nothing to help the situation at all. Tears were ridiculous, powerless things that did no more than release an emotion better kept ahold of; for when it was channeled correctly, it could become a rather powerful weapon, instead of controlling her to the point of utter uselessness.

"I don't understand," Emma said finally, looking at Regina like she couldn't fathom why the note came into being in the first place. "Why would Sidney even warn us? I thought he hated you; wouldn't it further his own agenda to plot with Gold?"

"No," Regina said quietly, her eyes closed as she tried to concentrate on the sound of Emma's heartbeat as she lay against the softness of her skin. It was the only thing that was keeping her calm at the moment, although she knew that feeling would be short lasting after her tentative admission. "He's in love with me; he has been for quite a long time now. He would never willingly betray me."

Emma stiffened at those words, though Regina was unsure if it was because he was now a threat to their relationship on another level, or because she realized they had been playing her for quite some time. Perhaps it was both. "What?"

"I'm sorry," Regina apologized, though with the full knowledge that her words were coming a little too late. She looked up at her, wanting Emma to see the truth in her eyes despite the fact that it would be of little comfort. "I should have told you the truth months ago when he brought the evidence of our relationship to my attention, but I…"

"Didn't want to burn that bridge just in case you felt the need to try to destroy my life again?" Emma answered for her, her tone low and dangerous as she pieced things together in her mind.

Regina often wondered if Emma liked to conveniently forget what it was that she had done to her ever since they met, or if the Sherriff just found herself struggling to push the past to the back of her mind so that she would be able to focus on the future without any regrets. However she dealt with it though, Regina was certain it wasn't healthy for her; but perhaps that was to be expected, as nothing about their relationship was really good for them, in any sense of the word. They had immersed themselves in a façade and it was beginning, rather abruptly and without any formidable warning, to crumble down around them.

"You really are a fucking piece of work sometimes, you know that?" Emma exclaimed, the veil she had placed over her eyes being lifted for a moment to expose the ugly truth beneath. "Jesus, Regina. There are other people, other things in this world besides you and your never-ending agenda."

"Emma…"

"No," she stopped her, not wishing to hear excuses at the moment. Honestly, Emma looked more furious with the fact that evidence of Regina's betrayal was brought up, more than the fact that it existed in the first place. "I don't want to deal with this now. I actually make a pretty strong point to not deal with shit like this ever, so can we just move on to focusing on the actual problem at hand?"

Regina let out a heavy sigh, being reminded, once again, why they would never truly work and why this relationship would eventually see its inevitable end. They ignored the truth in favor of a reality they built around prettier lies, both desperate for even the smallest chance at happiness that to get it, they had to wish the past out of existence. But they couldn't live in a world where the bad was consciously erased if there were other people around to constantly remind them of the truth they sought to hide. The fear of reality was, honestly, one of the biggest reasons why they had chosen to keep their relationship a secret, even after they realized they were bound to one another.

Second, at least, only to Henry.

"We need to give Gold whatever it is that he wants," Regina said finally, softly. It was by far the last thing she ever wanted to do, as she never wanted to bend her will to that manipulative bastard of a man if she could help it. He had done enough to her already and now, finally, she was strong enough to fight against it. But when it came to Henry, the rules changed rather drastically, and Regina couldn't allow her son to know something that had the chance to damage his already fractured psyche.

"And what if we can't?" Emma asked her, the needed question posed delicately as she voiced a matter that Regina wished not to think about. "What if his demands are too much? The man hardly thinks in terms of 'small'."

"It doesn't matter," Regina said fiercely, a strong wave of motherly protection coursing through her blood. It was, perhaps, her only redeeming quality. "I would do anything to protect Henry, despite what he or anyone else may choose to believe, and this – whatever the hell it is we're doing – immersing ourselves in this silly little fantasy, is something he never needs to know about."

Emma swallowed, undoubtedly wary about what Gold would demand for his silence, but she nodded her head without hesitation. Despite how much they could disagree on things, they had always managed to come to an accord when their son was involved. "Yeah. I think it'll just mess the kid up, if he ends up getting caught up in the middle of our stupid need to… fuck, play 'house', or whatever it was that we were trying to do in this place."

Play house. That really was what they were doing, wasn't it? Sleeping in the same bed, eating meals together, laughing and forgetting the truth so that they could allow themselves, for once, to smile and pretend they lived a life that reality would ultimately deprive them of ever having. A happy ending, for either of them, seemed to never really fit into the picture of their lives; they were far too damaged, and what they were doing was just as foolish as the blind leading the blind, yet they insisted upon indulging in it all the same.

Emma exhaled a shuddered breath, knowing the time of foolish fantasies was over, a realization that looked like it could very well crush her. She leaned her forehead against Regina's, breathing in the air that sought to fill her with a life they could never live, and whispered her gratitude for the lies. "Thank you, though; for… pretending with me." Emma smiled at her, but it was filled with a sense of overwhelming sadness. "It was nice while it lasted."

"Yeah," Regina softly agreed, wishing more than anything that it didn't have to come to an end. It was the only thing in quite a long time that had made her feel like she was worth something; that her existence, for once, was meant for something more than just pain. "It really was…"

[x]

Although reality had torn its way through their beautiful façade, it didn't necessarily mean that things had to end between them; it merely meant that they had to sit down and actually talk about what they wanted to do. Neither woman was particularly good at that, which made Regina glad that they opted to go to Gold's shop first.

Still, the anxiety that was creeping up her spine as they two women walked into the pawn shop wasn't all to do with the confrontation they were about to have. If truth were told, Regina was worried that they wouldn't be able to find a way that would allow them to continue their relationship in a healthy manner. What they were doing now – pretending the rest of the world, the past, didn't exist when they were together – obviously wasn't working, nor did it allow for the stability that any true relationship needed.

It was strange, to think about wanting something like that with Emma, but the comfortable routine they had fallen into while they were away had made Regina unfathomably happy. It was nice, to just be able to be with someone, outside of just the physical; to just touch and smile and laugh. It had been so long since Regina had felt happiness like that that she had almost believed herself incapable of it. But just because she enjoyed it, didn't mean that it would work out. If they wanted to stay together they needed to start addressing some things, and Regina was unsure if either of them even could. They weren't exactly the most functional of people when it came to partnership.

Yet at the same time, they had grown so attached to each other's company that it didn't seem like they could fathom letting go of it either. They had suddenly found themselves trapped between what they wanted and what they needed, and Regina had no idea how to proceed.

But there were other things that needed to be addressed first, so when the chime above the door made Gold aware of their presence, Regina's face darkened at she laid eyes on the man who sought to destroy the only damn good thing she had.

"Ah. Mayor Mills, Sherriff Swan," Gold greeted, a smug look passing over his face as he took in the angry expression of his visitors. "I'd say this is a surprise, but then, I'd be lying. Please, make yourselves comfortable…"

His feigned politeness did nothing to sate Emma's aggravation and she slammed her hands on the counter, demanding, "Where are they?" Regina's hand curled around the blonde's forearm, a silent warning not to do anything foolish. Gold was a very powerful man, and though it pained Regina to have to be the one to think logically for once, she knew one of them had to and it seemed Emma had already made a point to throw rationality out the window. She looked like she wanted to strangle him where he stood.

"Temper, dearie; you wouldn't want to make me do anything rash, now would you?" Gold reminded her, the threat in his words clear. Regina lightly pulled Emma back to stand next to her, deciding it'd probably be better if she put more space between her and Gold. Emma seethed, but relented to Regina's silent plea.

"What do you want?" Regina asked flatly, getting to the point. There was no need to dance around the issue, after all.

Gold, however, seemed not to have the same mindset. "It's interesting," he mused as he gathered up a mess of papers into his hands to clear the counter space, "that two people who seem so adamant about keeping their relationship a secret would be so foolish as to come here together. Don't you think people will find it a little strange, that you both seemed to have come back to town at the same time?"

That made the two women noticeably pause; they had been so consumed with anger that they hadn't thought about that. Emma's bright yellow bug drew enough attention as it was, and at the moment it was parked directly behind Regina's car in front of the shop.

"Luckily for you, however, I only require dealings with one of you," Gold continued, the self-satisfied smirk on his face making Regina internally twitch. She would love nothing more than to break his nose, not to mention a wide variety of other body parts. Emma looked to be on the same wave length.

"Which one?" Regina asked impatiently, not in the mood for his needless show of dramatics. But it was Emma who answered her.

"You." Regina turned to look at her, surprise coloring her face at Emma's assurance. The blonde shrugged, trying to make it seem as though it didn't matter even though Regina could tell that it bothered her. "I already owe him a favor. Now I guess it's your turn."

"And we have a winner," Gold exclaimed, smiling at them in a way that looked far more cruel than pleasant. "So why don't you run along now, dearie; let the Mayor and I have a little chat." Emma's face darkened at being dismissed.

"I'm not leaving her with you," she snarled, but Regina just slid her hand further down Emma's arm to lace their fingers together briefly, turning the woman's attention to her.

"No, he's right about how suspicious this looks; we can't both be here," Regina reminded her gently, not wanting to further Emma's aggravation; as it was already, she looked positively livid about having to wait on the sidelines during all of this, as it effected her as well. So to try and keep her distracted, Regina suggested, "While I'm dealing with this, could you do me the favor of picking up Henry at Kathryn's for me? Just tell her I called and said I was running late and that you could have him for the evening; or whatever you feel is a good explanation, okay? Take him to my house and I'll meet you there later."

Emma's lips turned down into a frown. "Are you sure?" she asked, side glancing Gold with mistrust. Regina gave her a small smile meant to comfort her, though she doubted it did much good in the long run; Emma was still going to be on edge until she knew for sure what was happening.

"Of course, dear. Don't worry, I'll be fine; there's nothing this man can do to truly harm me," Regina answered before leaning in, giving the woman a chaste kiss on the cheek. Emma looked surprised by the gesture, but there was no point in hiding it seeing as Gold was already more than aware of their relationship. "Now go on, I'll see you soon."

"Fine," Emma struggled with relenting, but as she shot Gold a furious look she added, "But if I don't see you in an hour I'm coming back here and breaking both his kneecaps."

"I'd say those are perfectly acceptable terms, wouldn't you?" Regina answered, giving Gold a sarcastic smile that was only met with a bored look. Finally it seemed he wished to get on with it, and Emma hanging around was only prolonging the discussion further.

After the door chimed once more, an indication of Emma's exit, Regina turned to him, the dark look immediately settling back across her features. "Alright, she's gone. Now get to your damn point before she comes back with a baseball bat, because I really don't think you're going to fair well at the end of that confrontation."

Gold merely smiled at her, in that irritating little way that he always did that set Regina's nerves on end. "What an adorable love story," he mentioned as he turned around, gathering up what no doubt was the evidence of their affairs into his hands. "The Evil Queen and her White Knight; why, it almost writes itself, wouldn't you say?"

Regina didn't bother suppressing her eye roll. Taunting her with it was just boringly tedious, as it seemed Gold didn't know as much as he thought he did. "If you actually believe I love her, you'd be sorely mistaken. I enjoy her company; that is all. Not that the state of our relationship is any of your business, but then, you do have an annoying little habit of sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong, don't you?"

"I've made it my business, dearie," Gold reminded her before slapping a photo down on the counter, revealing a picture of the two women in the water. Though the lake shielded the explicit aspects of their nudity, it was still fairly obvious they weren't wearing any clothing. Emma's back was to the camera, Regina's arms draped around her shoulders while she smiled widely at her, as if nothing else existed in the world in that moment but Emma Swan. Fury ran through Regina's body, but she suppressed it in favor of acting indifferent. She merely raised an eyebrow at him.

"That's the best you have?" Regina asked, forcing her tone to come off as bored as she stared at him like he must be an idiot for starting a confrontation when he didn't even have anything horribly explicit.

"Of course not, but I find that this is the picture that proves my point the best," Gold answered. "Believe me, I have seen far more of you and our beloved Sherriff than I ever wanted to. Perhaps you both should find a better place to consummate your little relationship than outdoors. But, then, it's only a suggestion…"

Regina's face flushed in anger and embarrassment, a snarl forming on her lips as she forced herself not to throttle the man senseless. It was a rather difficult urge to suppress. "And what point does this picture prove, exactly?"

"Isn't it obvious, dearie?" Gold responded, although quite rhetorically as he continued with far too much glee than the situation really called for, "True love."

Regina burst out laughing. She couldn't help it; it was just so ridiculous. Emma being her one True Love? The man must have tripped over his cane and fallen on his head if he believed that.

"You honestly think—?"

"I'm not in the business of guessing, Your Majesty," Gold told her strongly, as if it was insulting that she would even believe so. "I know what True Love looks like, and that," he continued, pushing the picture towards her even further, "is it."

"You're even stupider than you look," Regina snapped, the amusement giving way to aggravation that Gold would assume such a foolish thing. "My True Love died, if you don't remember. It's not exactly a 'second chances' kind of deal."

"Correction," Gold responded sharply, "Your first love died. They are not one in the same." Regina merely scoffed at the implication, but Gold wasn't finished. "You can choose to believe what I have to say or not; in the end, it really has no bearing on my terms of the release of any and all incriminating evidence I have against the two of you."

Regina's patience was nearing the end of its rope; she just wanted this over with. "And what are your terms, exactly?"

"The deal I'm proposing is this," Gold began, gathering the picture back up in his hand to place it back with the others. Regina had half a mind to just break in here later and get them, but Gold wasn't stupid; he probably had made copies. "In exchange for the photographs, all I ask in return is that when the time comes when you both realize the extent of your feelings, you do not shy away from making that one… final… kiss."

Gold's needless dramatics irritated her and Regina made no effort to hide her eye roll. "Please, you really think that will break the Curse? Even if we do happen to fall in love with one another, I can guarantee you that it won't be strong enough. She is not my destiny."

"Says you," Gold replied with a little smirk. But then a thought occurred to him and he mentioned, "Oh and, don't get it wrong, dearie; even if you both do decide to start telling people, I do have a much higher threat to hold over you. Because, you see, I don't think it would look very good if a politician had compromising photos of her and her lover released to the public, do you? And believe me when I tell you, I have pictures that could sell for some very high prices."

Regina colored in anger once more. "So what, I won't get the pictures until True Love's kiss breaks the Curse? Is that what you're saying? Because it is not going to happen and I will not stand here and allow you to hold this over me for the rest of my damn life, Gold!"

"I won't ever ask for anything more, cross my heart," Gold responded, shooting her a smile that was in no way comforting. "If you really don't believe it'll happen, then why are you so hesitant to agree? If nothing happens, as you believe, then you have nothing to worry about. The pictures will never see the light of day and your precious little Curse will stay intact. It's a win/win, if you ask me…"

Regina fumed as she exclaimed heatedly, "Fine, you have a deal. But I swear to you, if you try to do anything more, I will—"

"I always honor my deals, Your Majesty," Gold interrupted, giving her a dramatic little bow as a show of good faith. Regina scoffed at the gesture. "Or, don't you know that about me?"

He did have a point. As spineless and manipulative as he was, Gold did always stick by the deals he made. Still, it was of little comfort as Regina did not like the thought of those photos being in his possession. It made her terribly uneasy. But as there was nothing she could do about it at the moment, she merely scowled at him.

"We're finished here."

Regina slammed the door open with the flat of her hands as she exited the shop, the fury inside of her thankfully preventing her from breaking down on the sidewalk. She didn't believe for a second that Emma was her True Love, but that didn't mean she hated being blackmailed any less. What was worse was that Emma was expecting some kind of explanation and Regina knew she could not give her one, as she still believed the Curse was all part of Henry's delusion.

Regina felt utterly trapped, and the feeling stood to suffocate her. She didn't know what to do.

TBC…