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"How long have you been drinking?" Regina's dark eyes fill with concern as they coast over Emma's features. She watches her wife shrug then glance away before swallowing a couple of aspirin and sitting down on the sofa. "Emma .. "
"How long have you been sleeping with Robin?" The question is soft, quiet as it fills the stillness in the room. Emma's voice has lost it's edge as she continues to sober up and if Regina didn't know any better, she'd say her wife's voice almost sounds defeated.
She pushes her shoulder off from the doorframe it had been leaning against and takes a few tentative steps into the makeshift study. "I told you, it's not - "
"The mirror - "
"Lied! It was a cruel hoax, Emma! God, you really think I would - " Regina stalks forward and kneels down in front of the woman she loves beyond any realms possible. She looks up into her wife's eyes and quickly slips her hands around Emma's, squeezing her fingers tight. "Have you been .. have you been sleeping with the Pirate?"
Emma watches as brown eyes darken and then lighten as unshed tears glimmer inside of them and she quickly mumbles, "No." before looking away. Regina exhales a breath and squeezes Emma's hands again. "I could never sleep with him, Regina .. he isn't you."
"Well, then .. there you go because that is the exact reason why I didn't sleep with Robin." She slips a hand up to caress Emma's cheek and closes her eyes when she feels her wife lean into her palm. Her eyes open once more as Emma's lips kiss her own and a familiar rush of magic pulses through her. They hadn't shared magical kisses since their Storybrooke days and she can't help but melt into her wife. Their kisses become languid, each savoring the other's sweet taste as both women stand. Regina feels Emma's hands travel a familiar path slowly down her sides before fingers tickle around her hips; drawing her close. She cups Emma's face, holding it softly before she pulls her in for a deeper kiss.
When they pull away Emma can't help but chuckle despite the seriousness of their situation. "Did I just jumpstart your magic?"
Regina rolls her eyes. "I'll have you know that I already conjured a fireball while you were sleeping but as for the full throttle of my magic? Yes, that kiss did the trick, darling. How did you come to have magic here, light magic no less?"
Emma shrugs and takes a step back. "Not really sure. It just came to me one day. How long has it been in your time since I .. you know?"
"One year. So, time isn't measured here?"
"It just doesn't exist. I'm not really sure if it's because this is a death realm, so in a sense, Time is dead so to speak." Emma shrugs again before walking toward the table and taking a few more gulps from a bottled water.
Regina studies her wife and tries to figure out how to approach this next question. She decides to just rip the band aid off and just ask, "Why did you magic the inside of the mansion to look like - "
"Home?" Emma's gaze finds hers and she nods softly before Emma continues, "It made me feel .. loved I guess. Not so alone being around familiar things. I couldn't manifest the outside though, I tried but I guess because Storybrooke is what makes up this version of Hades Underworld .. I guess despite all the light magic, I can't change the outer laying's."
"But the door? It's black not white."
"That happened after the images appeared in the mirror. Hook says it's like my own personal mood ring. Sometimes the door is a dark red or a midnight blue. It usually depends on how drunk I get." Emma shrugs and refuses to meet Regina's sharp gaze as she takes another drink of water.
Regina lets her eyes roam over the study again and it does instantly make her think of home. Miss it fiercely, actually. She can only imagine the pain Emma must have been in, having all those self doubts and long range of emotions coursing through her each day, each night. With no time to really measure any of it by or hope to hold onto that things will get better. She let's out a breath and an idea springs to life in her mind as she takes a step forward and magic's a silver framed mirror onto a wall.
Emma's eyes widen as she glances at Regina. "What are you doing?"
Regina comes to stand next to her and grabs her hand; clasping it tightly in her own. "Showing you a piece .. a real piece of home. Mirror, mirror on the wall; show us the ones we love most of all." Emma's bright eyes widen even further as white smoke begins to swirl inside the trapped glass and then Gracie's laughter and soft features come into view. Her dark brown hair is longer now but her bright green eyes still light up the darkened bedroom. She takes a step back and Regina steadies her, resting a palm along the small of her back.
"I miss her so much." The tears run a hot path down her cheeks as she whispers, "Henry." She watches as his tall frame comes into focus as he leans inside Gracie's doorway. She smiles and quickly wipes the tears away; clearing her blurred vision as the mirror catches him trying to apply a stern face at his little sister.
"Okay, little one .. time for sleep."
"But, Hen-ry, I's not tired." She wiggles her feet out from underneath the blanket and shoots him a pout. "Can we watch Elliot .. please?!" She sends him her cutest smile.
"As charming as that smile is, Gracie .. it's still bedtime and as soon as you fall asleep then the quicker it will be morning, right? And then you can watch Pete's Dragon."
"Yay! Elliot! Henry, do you think Elliot is real? Do you think he could be here with me right now but I's can't see him cause he's in .. in .. what's that word again?"
"In-vi-si-ble." He says it slowly so she can follow the syllables as she whispers it under her breath. He smiles to himself as he makes his way to his little sister and tucks her in once more. He brushes a quick kiss along her forehead before saying, "I think Elliot could very well be in this room, watching over you, Gracie. Yes. In fact, I bet he's tired and he's just waiting for you to fall asleep so he can too. You wouldn't want to keep him up would you? He's probably very tired from all the flying around he did all day."
"Nice try, Henry. I wasn't born yesterday."
Emma laughs as she continues to wipe the tears from her eyes and Regina slips an arm around her waist. She leans into her wife's soft body, a reassuring warmth she has missed fiercely as her eyes take in their son and daughter.
Henry mocks shock as he crosses his arms. "So, you don't believe in Elliot? Well, Gracie Jane .. tsk tsk."
She quickly sits up and shouts, "No! I do, I do! Elliot, I believe in you but my bro-ther is trying to man .. man .. Henry, what's that word you are trying to do here?"
Henry has to bite his lip to keep from laughing as he answers, "Manipulate. Man, Mom is so gonna love that you learned that word." He shakes his head and points his finger at his sister. "Now, sleep. No more stalling, Gracie."
Regina unwraps her hold on Emma and raises her hand; waving it in front of the mirror and both women watch as the glass fills with white smoke again. Her eyes catch Emma's before she quietly asks, "Do you want to see what happened with Robin .. I can show you - "
"No. I .. I trust you. I believe you." Watery eyes look away until Regina cups Emma's chin and draws her gaze back to her own. She wraps her arms around Emma and pulls her in close and both women sigh at the contact as Emma's arms slip around Regina; holding her tight. She shivers as Emma kisses the inner curve of her neck and tears begin to sting her eyes as old memories gallop through her mind.
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"Hmm .. Gracie's finally out for the count." She cuddles in next to Regina and their hammock sways gently.
"How many stories this time?" Regina clasps Emma's hand placing it onto her stomach as she begins to play with her wedding ring. Emma snuggles deeper into her wife's side, kissing her cheek before sighing contently as she watches Regina twirl the silver band around.
"Three. Which is better than last night's five." Emma chuckles.
"You spoil her, you know." Regina pats her wife's hand and Emma immediately misses the soothing touch on her ring finger.
"I think that's a pot meet kettle moment if there ever was one, babe." Emma's eyes sparkle in mischief as Regina turns her head to meet her gaze.
"Maybe." Regina smiles and gives a casual shrug as Emma wraps an arm around her stomach.
"Where's the North Star again?" Emma asks quietly and Regina smiles to herself, knowing this game all too well.
She plays her part and answers her wife. "It's right there, Emma .. see?" Regina points up to the brightest star that rests in the night sky high above them.
Emma squints her eyes, sitting up a little, making the hammock swoosh gently again. "Are you sure that is truly the North Star, Regina? All the way up there, just a small dot in the blackened sky?" Emma scrunches her nose and Regina smiles bright as she studies her wife's features.
"I'm quite sure, Emma."
"Well, I don't think it is." She lays back down on the hammock, clasping her hands behind her head in the process.
"Oh no, so tell me, my love, which one do you think it is, hmm?" Regina pretends to be offended, crossing her arms and ankles for good measure but her eyes still dance in a shimmering light as Emma turns over and meets her gaze. Regina feels the gentlest touch of fingertips trace down her cheek before they rest underneath her chin. Emma leans down; claiming her lips in a soft kiss before whispering, "I don't think it's kept in the night sky at all. I think the true North Star is laying right here."
She feels Emma's hand rest along where her heart beats inside her chest and her eyes shimmer in love for this woman as she pulls Emma down for another sweet kiss.
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Regina quickly pulls away from the embrace and wipes at the few tears that has escaped. That memory always makes her cry, ache for Emma and it's a bit surreal to be having the memory now while holding Emma in her arms, standing inside a mock model of their home in Puerto Rico.
She clears her throat and tries to give Emma her best reassuring smile. "Can you .. can you tell me how you got here, Emma? Do you even remember anything?" She thinks about her own trip through the portal that landed her in the Underworld and how she had relived memories shared between her and Emma right down to their first greeting, that night in Storybrooke so many years ago.
She watches Emma bite a lip then lick her lips and she knows it's her wife's nervous tick as hands quickly get stuffed into the back pockets of her jeans. "Emma .. "
"I .. yeah, I remember things." Emma turns away, uncapping a new bottle of water now and Regina narrows her eyes. She knows Emma doesn't want to tell her, she is trying to avert and now is not a time to be doing that. Her patience has already been stretched enough as she grabs Emma's shoulder and gently turns her around to face her once more.
"I need to know, Emma. I need to know all of it." Emma studies her wife's sharp gaze, watches as her brown eyes flicker to a darker shade as her features express serious determination. She slowly nods her head and gestures for them to both sit down on the sofa. Regina complies as she grabs her hand and leads them to the plush cushions. She watches as Emma fidgets a bit, clearly stalling but when she clears her throat and brown eyes catch sea green, Emma finally concedes and starts talking.
"I remember you. I remember feeling safe and warm inside your arms as the birds chirped above us in the trees and then there was .. nothing. I heard a faint heartbeat and then I was .. gone. Unconscious." She shrugs before continuing, "And then I was present again, I don't know how much time had passed but I was standing in a field. A beautiful field made up of strawberry patches and these bright blue flowers. I was wearing a yellow summer dress and it reminded me of the bug." She smiles and Regina squeezes her hand; beckoning with wide eyes for her to continue.
"And then this owl flew over me, low .. it's wings spreading so wide as it glided in the cloudless blue sky. It circled above me and then a few feathers fell, swirling in a breeze and I don't know how but I just knew I was supposed to follow them as they floated a couple of feet ahead of me. After a few steps, this white ball of light appeared, floating in mid air, eye level to me but at least a good fifty yards away still. A feather drifted in front of me then and I held out my hand to catch it. I .. " Tears begin to run down Emma's cheeks and Regina does her best to wipe them away but they just keep falling. Emma pulls Regina close, burying her face into the crook of her neck.
Regina's own tears cascade down as she falls into the tight embrace. Her heart aches for her love, for not being able to be there for her. She feels the familiar panic begin to wash through her and she focuses on Emma's light sobbing; to help keep her grounded in the present. She begins to trace circles along the small of Emma's back, knowing the soothing touch will calm her on some level. After a few minutes, she feels Emma relax in her arms and her crying subsides.
"I'm sorry .. I .. it's my fault you're here, Regina .. if I had just followed the light you wouldn't be here. You shouldn't be here - " Regina pulls back and cups Emma's face between her palms, drawing her lips softly against her own. Both women melt into the kiss as a familiar rhythm takes over them.
The kiss anchors them once more as they pull away; sharing a smile before Regina says, "It's okay, darling. Just keep going because it will help me if I know how you ended up here, okay?"
Emma takes a deep breath before she mumbles a quiet, "Okay."
She kisses Regina's cheek; nuzzling the smooth skin with her nose for a second before she sits back and continues. "I caught the feather and held it in my hand but then I heard .. voices. Gracie's, there was water running almost like .. maybe bath water? And then Gracie was laughing, I heard splashing but then the laughter stopped and Gracie was crying and then there was Henry's voice. A soothing tone trying to calm her; telling her it was okay to laugh and play."
Emma closes her eyes trying to push away the sting of fresh tears; her voice merely a whisper as she recounts the rest. "And then I heard you and my mom, raised voices. Arguing and then .. I heard Archie's voice, murmurings and then I heard you .. crying. I dropped the feather and I could hear you clearer. Before, it felt like the voices, the sounds were coming to me as if my head were underwater or something but then I let that feather go and it was all there for me. I turned away from the growing white light, I started walking in the other direction, toward the sounds and then I could see you. You were laying in bed, holding a pillow and you were alone and crying and .. "
Emma shakes her head, the tears falling again as she quickly stands and begins to pace around the sofa. Regina leans back and stares straight ahead; mortified as she realizes Emma is describing the night of the funeral. She can't wrap her brain around the fact that Emma had seen her, how is that even possible? A hundred questions race through Regina's mind, questions that she desperately wants the answers to.
"I'm sorry, Regina .. I left you and I did that. I could have .. I could have tried to magic myself better but I chose to .. I - "
Regina shakes her head, bringing herself out of the shock induced fog and stands quickly. She grips her wife's shoulders; lightly shaking Emma until an unfocused gaze meets her own. "I need you to focus for me. I need you to just get the rest of it out, Emma, please."
She quickly shakes her head, biting a bottom lip as she pushes herself back from Regina's hold. "It's all too painful. Just .. I thought when I saw those images through the mirror, I thought you had moved on with Robin because you hated me. Because I had put you through that instead of just listening to you and trying to -"
"Oh, Emma .. " She pulls her wife close; willing herself to absorb all of the anguish that is pouring off of Emma in waves.
"I saw you, Regina and I couldn't do anything to .. I couldn't touch you, hold you." She's crying harder now as incoherent words get mumbled into Regina's neck.
Regina knows all too well what Emma is going through right now. A full blown emotional breakdown and she blames herself. The irony isn't lost on Regina though. The fact that she had spent the last year, mourning Emma, not really being able to cope with the loss of her wife and here in the Underworld her wife had been riddled with guilt too. She had been slowly drinking herself underneath a table each day and all spurred on from images that had been conjured by a sick and twisted -
"Well, isn't this just precious? It appears my dearest Emma has a visitor. Regina, don't you know it's uncouth to come into someone's realm without bringing them some form of a gift? Surely, your mother had taught you better than that, dear. I do have a soft spot for a nice bottle of red .. just an F.Y.I." Hades unfolds his arms from across his chest and pushes himself off from the doorframe. He takes a few steps forward and laughs heartily at the fireball that is floating above Regina's palm. "You do favor that cute little parlor trick, don't you?" He laughs deeper and Regina's eyes widen when the flame is instantly distinguished by a quick flash of his wrist.
"You can't hurt me. I am a God." He lifts his head, a superior pose if Regina had ever seen one. Once upon a time she had invented that specific pose. Being the Evil Queen, holding the power of such unbridled magic, well, she had felt like a God herself in those days. She quickly studies the man standing before her, taking him in and as her eyes rake over his tall lean frame clothed in a fine tailored suit; she can't help but think that he reminds her of a young Gold. She narrows her eyes, ready to take a step forward but she feels herself being pushed back by Emma's arm as her wife takes a protective stance; blocking her path forward.
"Ah, yes .. well, of course." Hades claps his hands together. "Let's all give the Savior a round of applause. The ever gallant white knight. You know it was that very hero complex that got you into this mess. If you had just let Fate play it's course all those years ago but no, you had to be all head strong and gung ho. You just had to mess with the Powers, didn't ya."
"Get out. You aren't welcome here."
"Well, I'm not a vampire, Savior. Lucky for me, I do not need an invitation to enter one's .. " He looks around the room and his nose crinkles in disgust. "Home and what kind of host would I be if I didn't come and welcome our newest resident, hmm?"
"She isn't staying, Hades. You're gonna open a portal and return her back to .. " Emma closes her mouth and steals a glance at her wife. She doesn't know how Regina got here, they hadn't gotten to that part yet and she knows there's no way she got here from Puerto Rico. Not without magic, the only place that -
"You went to Storybrooke?" Emma's eyes widen as she forgets all about Hades for the moment. She stares at her wife and she knows the answer is yes just from the expression on Regina's face alone. "But Henry and Gracie, they were at home in the mirror, so - "
"Emma, we can talk about this but I think we have more important - "
"There's nothing more important then the kids, god Regina, are we really back to this - "
"I love my children .. our children more than anything in this world, Emma! I didn't crash into the Underworld just so we can keep going around in god damn circles!"
"Uh .. excuse me .. " Hades slowly raises his hand as his blue eyes twinkle. "Sorry to interrupt this captivating episode with The Magical Housewives of Maine but can we maybe get back to me and my devilishly charming self perhaps, yes?"
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