A/N: Hello, Lovelies.
I have missed you all and I'm sorry for my extended absence. Whoever helms this world, be it the universe or gods..they do NOT like me, but I'm here now. I hope you enjoy this addition to PITR.
~Jem
Regina materialized in the stables, her breathing shallow and her head swimming. Her chest felt heavy, and she couldn't seem to catch her breath.
The young stable boy started; he'd been playing with his horse, Shadow. "Your Majesty. Shall I ready your horse?"
She smiled down at him and nodded, watching him go until he was in the stall with Rocinante. When he was out of sight, she took a deep breath and leaned against the stable door. She caressed her bottom lip and exhaled slowly. She shouldn't have done that, kissing the Princess was a bad idea; a horribly selfish idea. She knew better; she should've kept her distance, she should've stayed hard and aloof. She'd been fighting against every urge and desire in her so she would not end up in this place.
Though...it was incredible. It felt good. Emma was soft and warm, and expressive, but Regina couldn't dwell on the kiss because nothing could happen, she couldn't let anything happen. She had to be selfless for once in her life, had to think about her kingdom and her father, and the promise she'd made to her lost love. She couldn't have her.
"Your Majesty?" The young stable boy looked up at her with bright blue eyes, so much like his uncle. He had his chin and his mannerisms
"Yes, Daniel?" He pointed to her horse, and she smiled and caressed his cheek. "Thank you, dear, tell your mother I said hello." He smiled and nodded.
Regina mounted the horse quickly and took off out of the stable. She rode leisurely, enjoying the midday sun and the wind on her face, allowing her mind to wander. The princess was going to want to discuss what happened and Regina knew she could only avoid it for so long. If she allowed a conversation to take place, then she would have to tell Emma about Transference. She should tell her; the woman had a right to know. She deserved to know what was meant by it, but what Regina was struggling with was her motive. Was she selfish or forthcoming by telling the princess? That question was posing a problem.
Her thoughts halted when she saw the Huntsman and his hunting party assembling near the gates. He'd gathered seven of her best men, which was more than he took out the first time. Because he was searching for four men now, he required more resources. She rode over to them and dismounted.
The Huntsman stood before her, his head slightly bowed, "I tried to find you. When I summoned the mirror, he said he'd last you with the Princess, and you'd dismissed him."
It was said softly, and she nodded but didn't speak. She placed her hand on the Huntsman's chest, over his heart and said an incantation. He inhaled deeply. His irises glowed purple briefly and then returned to their natural shade of blue.
"Thank you," he whispered. Regina nodded, and he sighed. They'd worked hard to develop the relationship they currently had. The line regarding what was within his jurisdiction when it came to the Queen was blurred, but he decided to bite the bullet.
"The Princess' magic is out of control." He said it close to her ear, and she sighed and nodded. It was not her intention to upset the Princess, but she couldn't say she was surprised.
"Clive! Take my horse back to the stables." The guard nodded and mounted his horse. He grabbed the Rocinante's reins and rode towards the stables.
"We shall return, four Merry Men among us." He mounted his horse and led his hunting party out of the gates.
Regina entered her castle and turned to the first mirror she saw. "Where is she?"
It was said tersely, and Sidney appeared, his face tense and immensely annoyed. "She has broken every mirror between the eastern corridor and the dining area so I can only assume she is there."
Regina chuckled at Sidney's annoyance. "I fail to see the humor in this matter," he deadpanned, which only seemed to further Regina's amusement.
"The Princess' parents are with her." He said it with a smirk on his face hoping it would bother Regina, but her smile only widened.
"This should be rather interesting." She turned on her heels without another word and walked in the direction of the dining room. She could hear loud noises from down the hall. She slowed her pace and listened.
"Emma!" Snow admonished as yet another wine carafe shattered, causing the wine to cover the table. Charming summoned a handmaid who cleaned the mess again. The woman shook her head, knowing that Genieva would not be pleased with all of the linens that would need laundering.
"Sweetheart, why didn't you come to us? We would've-"
"Done what? Do you have magic? How could you have possibly helped me? And being that you were the cause of my magical outburst, I didn't want to talk to you, so I..I..."
"She came to me." Emma turned to see Regina standing in the entryway. Her posture was oddly relaxed. She leaned rather casually against the frame on the door. Though her words were smug, her face was not. Her eyes tracked the room.
"Regina!"
The fireplace whooshed with fire, and Regina tried to hide her smile. Emma felt her cheeks warm up and she looked away, embarrassed by her response. The princess felt completely out of control, worse than when she'd first discovered her magic. Every time she thought of the kiss and Regina's disappearance that followed, her magic would flare.
"Happy to see me, Princess?" Regina stepped into the dining hall and lowered herself into the chair next to Emma. The smirk that adorned her lips was unconscious. She couldn't help but enjoy this moment due to the sheer severity of it. The dining room was utterly chaotic. She could feel Emma's magic from down the hall.
"You left," Emma whispered. Regina looked over at Snow and Charming; they looked confused and uncomfortable. She could hazard a guess that they were not pleased by the information, but she couldn't find it in herself to care.
"I did.
Her tone was harsh and cold, and Emma cocked her head to the side and glared at her. Regina responded by shifting her eyes in the direction of Snow and Charming. Emma sighed and sunk her teeth into her bottom lip, realizing the company in their midst and the possible repercussions of any and everything she said.
"You need to calm down." Regina looked pointedly around the room. There was a fire blazing erratically in the fireplace; the drapes were violently dancing across the window, the chandelier was swinging dangerously above the table, the door to the kitchen was swinging back and forth.
"I can't calm down. Just do what you did last time." Emma was panicking, and she was afraid she would hurt someone.
"Last time? Regina what-" Snow's voice was harsh and angry,
"You're not helping, Snow." Regina cut her off but never stopped looking at Emma. She grabbed Emma's hands. Fire immediately calmed in the fireplace.
"You know how to access your magic. Find it and reign it in." Emma closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She could feel her magic, and it was raging. Trying to tame it was like sticking your hand in a fire. She couldn't figure out where it started and how to calm it. So she did what she knew how to do. She pushed it; all of it, into an unsuspecting Regina.
Regina's pupil's flashed gold, and she bit her lip to keep from exclaiming at the sheer magnitude of the magic that Emma had thrust upon her. Her body felt like flames were licking at her, eating her alive, but in a torturously beautiful way. She bit back another groan as another wave of Emma's magic hit her. Regina's lips parted slightly, and her eyes rolled in slightly before they slipped closed.
Emma sighed and wet her lips. Seeing Regina like that for the second time didn't change the effect it had on her. Regina looked breathtaking. Emma felt her magic swell again, causing Regina arched her back and whimper. Emma felt warmth rush over her, and her cheeks flushed pink.
"What's happening? Emma….let go of her." Snow screeched. She felt like she was watching some spectacle and she did not like it. She stood and moved towards her daughter and her nemesis, intent on breaking up whatever was taking place.
Regina could hear Snow's voice, but she couldn't make out the words. Her mind was swimming, and she felt hot all over. Sweat beaded at her forehead and above her lip. She opened her eyes to see Snow making her way toward them. By the determined set of the pregnant woman's jaw, Regina knew she was going to do something incredibly idiotic. She clenched her teeth and sighed, if Snow attempted to sever their physical connection, it would result in a magic coma for her and being that she'd been subject to one already she had no desire to experience another. She made eye contact with Emma,
"Don't let go," she whispered, and Emma nodded. They tightened their grip on one another. Regina mouthed ready to Emma who nodded and took a deep breath. She then felt herself being lifted and displaced. When she opened her eyes, they were in what Emma liked to think of as their room.
"Princess…." Emma looked up at Regina, whose irises were completely golden. Her cheeks and chest flushed brightly. Emma opened her mouth to speak but found that she didn't know what to say. The sight of Regina enraptured her.
"Stop….pushing…..please. Slowly."
Regina was winded, and it looked as if she were in pain. Emma closed her eyes and focused. She allowed herself to concentrate and she slowly began to stop the flow of her magic.
Regina groaned deeply and bit her lip until the taste of copper flooded her taste buds. She looked up at Emma, and the girl's face was pale. "Don't. EVER. Do that again."
Emma nodded but didn't speak. She just watched Regina, and it was making the dark haired woman feel self- conscious. The intensity of her gaze was unsettling.
"Out with it."
"You kissed me."
Regina immediately regretted her decision to prompt the blonde. She didn't speak and contemplated leaving again, but thought better of it. The Princess would probably burn down her castle with her erratic magic. She sighed and rubbed her temples.
"I did, and it was a mistake. Think nothing of it, dear." She watched pure sadness wash over the Princess, and she felt horrible, but there were no other options.
"You're lying."
"Pardon me?"
"You're lying! I know you are! I read your notes on Transference, so I know you are lying."
Regina didn't know what to say; she just stared. She'd been given an out, but she didn't know how to take it. She knew what it meant, the intensity of Transference. What was brewing between them was inevitable but she couldn't allow this to happen. She had to stop this because if she did not, the Princess would surely be the death of her.
"Princess, I-"
"I see why my parents were unhappy with me coming to your aid. It wasn't about saving your life. It was the way I saved you. I gave you some of me, and while Transference can happen as a noble act, the way you responded to me wasn't merely due to my act of nobility! My act wasn't generous or done out of loyalty the way the Huntsman's was. When I allowed you to pull from me, it was an act of love, one of the highest acts of love."
"My notes were mere speculation."
"Which is why you kissed me? To test the theory? You were reading books on magic and magical bonds. Why would a sorceress of your caliber need to study magic?"
Regina closed her eyes and sighed. She knew there was no way she could talk her way out of this. The proof was in the books and notes, and she'd continuously been foolish enough to leave the Princess in this room with all of her research. She never made mistakes like this, and she was starting to wonder if subconsciously she wanted Emma to find out; if she was tired of carrying around the knowledge of what was happening between them.
"Regina, say something."
"This is…I pored over the research in an attempt to find something, anything to prove me wrong, but I couldn't find anything. I'm sorry because this cannot happen. We are trying to make peace, and this; us, will only start a war. I will not sacrifice my kingdom."
Emma shook her head. "My parents are advocates for true love. They would not take mine from me."
"Dear, your parents see me as one thing and one thing only: the Evil Queen. This treaty is a necessary evil to ensure the safety of their kingdom, nothing more, nothing less." Regina sighed and stepped away from Emma, allowing her fingers to slip from between the younger woman's.
"But that's not true! You're more than that. You saved my life. You risked your life for my own. How can anyone think you Evil?" Emma could feel the lump in her throat forming, and she hated the way this woman made her feel. She hated how vulnerable she felt when around Regina, but she couldn't stay away from her.
"You did." It was a whisper as Regina shuffled through all her notes on the desk, doing everything in her power to keep distance between herself and the Princess.
"I knew only stories of you, horrible stories of your heinous deeds. My parents painted you as a monster, but no one cared why you were that way. No one tried to understand you. They don't know or care that you were hurt and abused."
"And you do, Princess? You understand me? Do you care for me? Why, because we're linked? Because you are cursed to love me? You would've spent your entire life hating me if you never came here, and allow all the cruel things to mold a picture of me in your mind. I am not the only matriarch who has done horrible things. I am just the only one who is held accountable." Regina stepped away from the table and began to pace. Her emotions were all over the place, and it was maddening. She never allowed herself to get worked up. She was stoic and unbothered.
"I was a good person once. I saved your mother's life. Did she ever tell you that? I saved her life, and she took mine. And what's sad is, I don't regret saving her, though I do hate her. She was spoiled, and she wanted me in her life. My life didn't matter to her. She wanted a shiny new mommy, and she had to have me. Regardless of the fact that her father was the same age as my own, no matter that I didn't love him. She wanted me, and she sacrificed my heart for that. Time and time again, she saw things that she shouldn't have, and she said and did nothing. You only know a small portion of the story, but if you knew all she'd done and witnessed, you would hate her with the same fury that I do. "
Tears filled Emma's eyes, and she didn't fight them when they spilled over.
"I was cursed from birth, cursed never to have control of my own life. My mother was a miller's daughter who had much ambition. My father, a kind and gentle man with no backbone. My teacher was a wretched man who preyed on my pain, but even after all that happened to me I tried, tried to be a good person and he knew that. But one thing the Dark One is good at is snuffing out the light. And he did. He fed my hatred for Snow, and as it grew so did the darkness in me. He created the monster, but Snow White, she created the Evil Queen."
Emma reached out for Regina and brought her close. Tears rolled down olive toned cheeks, and Emma wiped them away. She gently caressed Regina's tear stained cheek wanting to take the woman's pain away.
"I was taught to hate you. It was ingrained in me from the time I was old enough to comprehend what good and evil were. But I didn't know you then, I only knew of you."
Regina took Emma's hands in her own and smiled softly at her. "You still don't know me, Princess. Your judgment is clouded because you are bound to me. You have no idea what I'm capable of."
"I still believe there is good in you, Regina. You're still that woman that saved Snow White's life, and I know that because you also saved mine, nearly killing yourself in the process. That is not the work of an Evil Queen."
Regina shook her head and moved away from Emma's loving touch. This was all too much for her. "Love is a weakness." The sentiment had been beaten into her from a young age.
"They want us to take our leave today. My mother feels that she is nearing the time of delivery and she doesn't want to deliver her son in your castle, much less your kingdom." Emma rubbed the back of her neck and bit her lip.
"That would be unwise. The Huntsman has taken a search party to find the four Merry Men. There is no way to guarantee a safe journey with them still free to roam the two kingdoms. I have a physician here who could help discern a precise time of delivery."
"I don't think my brother is the reason for her desire to leave."
Emma looked pointedly at Regina causing the Queen to chuckle. Regina rolled her eyes and stepped closer to the Princess, threading her fingers through the hair at the base of Emma's neck.
"You believe Snow wants to get you away from me? That she wants to whisk you away from the Evil Queen's clutches? Why ever would you think that, dear?" Regina cocked her head to the side and waiting for Emma to speak. Mirth shone in her brown eyes.
"I think it's a safe assumption due to our growing closeness and her general disdain for you." Emma arched an eyebrow and moved slowly, with clear intentions.
"And she believes she is doing what's best for her daughter," Regina whispered, her lips brushing Emma's as she spoke,
"She doesn't seem to know her daughter very well." Emma closed the distance between the two of them. Not as chaste as their first encounter, Emma dove in, slipping her tongue inside Regina's mouth. She held on as tightly as if her life depended on it. Being that close to Regina was heady and intoxicating; addictive. She allowed herself to explore. Regina's mouth was warm, and her tongue was firm. Emma could feel Regina's magic thrumming just beneath the surface. She deepened the kiss and felt Regina's magic race through her, going down her spine and settling in her belly, causing warmth to flood her system. Emma groaned and slowed the kiss, feeling her magic pounding in her veins, mixing with Regina's and flowing into the other woman.
Regina held Emma tightly as the unrestrained magic filled her. Though it was only in small bursts, Regina felt moisture between her thighs and a fire in her loins. Her libido flared, and she knew if she didn't stop soon, she and the Princess would both be naked. She'd have the younger woman writhing beneath her. Such a thought was tantalizing and Regina, unintentionally, flooded Emma's system with her magic.
Emma moaned, and her knees buckled. Her heartbeat raced in her chest and breathing was not an easy feat. She broke the kiss and felt like the room was spinning. She placed her hand on her chest and practiced breathing deeply in an attempt to calm herself. She immediately felt relaxed, but she could feel remnants of Regina's magic. Apparently, the woman was helping to calm her.
"The Huntsman has set out with a hunting party to find the Merry Men of which Robin Hood spoke. It would be wise to wait to make such journey until after the threat is secure."
It was an attempt to avoid what had just happened, and Emma allowed the distraction. She didn't think she could bring herself to discuss what was transpiring. It was clear that Regina didn't want to have the conversation and therefore Emma would wait until the brunette woman was ready.
"I have yet to tell them that he is here."
"Well then, we should enlighten them."
Emma and Regina walked through the castle, making their way to where they'd last heard the Princess' charming parents. Regina fixed mirrors on the way with a flick of her wrist. Emma smiled sheepishly every time. Her cheeks warmed, and she couldn't help the embarrassment that washed over her.
"Your Majesty?" The two women paused and looked to Sidney.
"Yes?"
"Your presence is being demanded." He seemed affronted by the notion that anyone would require Regina's presence. Regina squinted and observed him. He was very bothered by the thought of her presence "being demanded." It was endearing if somewhat annoying.
"I am being summoned? By whom?" She smirked already knowing the answer. There was but one foolish soul that would dare demand an audience with her in her own home.
"Snow White. She is in…a bit of a mood."
Emma groaned and rolled her eyes. She could only imagine the fit her mother was having. Regina smiled at Emma and turned back to Sidney.
"Where is she?"
"At this moment she is at the door of your chambers threatening your guards," he drawled, annoyed and bored.
Regina turned to the Princess once more and inclined her head,
"Shall we?"
Emma nodded and sighed. "I don't think we have much of choice."
"There's always a choice dear. Never let anyone tell you otherwise." She looked pointedly at Emma as they turned down the corridor in which her bedchambers were located.
Emma didn't know if Regina was alluding to something or if she was just being herself.
The moment was lost as they drew nearer to Regina's chambers. Snow was nose to nose with a guard, threatening his entire family if he didn't allow her entry. He seemed annoyed but otherwise unfazed.
"You're wasting your time Snow; you have no power here." Snow turned to see the two women slowly approaching. She glared angrily at Regina.
"Where have you been?" Snow stomped over to where the two women stood. Her cheeks flushed, and her eyes were a bit crazed. She stopped a few paces away from the two women and crossed her arms, waiting for an answer.
"Would you like to tell her or should I?" Regina looked at Emma and waiting for the young woman to make eye contact. After a moment Emma did chance a glance and she exhaled slowly at the sight of mischief in brown eyes.
"Tell me what?" Snow snapped, glaring daggers at Regina.
"Where we've been, darling. It's quite the funny story." Regina twirled the end of her braid, her face a mask of false innocence.
"I see nothing funny about this situation. You swoop in and take my daughter in a cloud of your purple smoke while she's in an inconsolable state."
"She seems fine to me Snow." Regina motioned to Emma and arched an eyebrow, hoping that the woman would dispute the facts.
"I'm fine. My magic was out of control, and I apparently needed help managing it. You saw Regina come to my aid and she-"
"I saw your magic become more unstable when she entered the room."
Regina chuckled but said nothing, and she looked at Emma once more for her to continue,
"-helped me get it under control. I am a novice, unskilled in the art of magic, and I am favored to have someone skilled in magic to help keep mine under control."
"Favored? You consider the Evil Queen an ideal teacher?" Snow screeched and glowered at Regina.
"Why is she evil, mother? You should know better than anyone." Emma's gazed hardened, and her jaw flexed. She felt magic swell within her.
Snow blanched at the harsh words. She opened her mouth to respond but found herself speechless. Emma had never spoken to her in such a way. Where had her daughter gone? The woman standing before her, eyes blazing, jaw tight, stance angry, was not the daughter she raised.
"Nothing to say, mother? Well, that's a first." Emma scoffed, and her irises began to turn golden. Her palms glowed mutedly.
"Princess…" It was a warning, Regina could sense the storm brewing inside the young woman, and they didn't have time for another mishap with Emma's power right now. There was no way Regina could ensure Snow would remain unscathed if Emma's magic were to become unstable.
Emma closed her eyes and took a deep cleansing breath. She held out her hand, and Regina took it wordlessly. Emma laced her fingers with Regina's and instantly felt calm, though her magic still raged within.
"Gently."
Emma complied and pushed small spurts of her magic into a receptive Regina. The magic seeped into Regina's system in an almost lethargic sort of way, nestling in her veins.
Emma sighed and opened her eyes to see her mother's shocked expression. She let Regina's hand fall from her own and fought the blush that was threatening to reveal everything that was transpiring between the two of them.
"What is happening here?" Snow asked, shaking and faint. She wished Charming were there. He'd know how to deal with what she was witnessing.
"The culprit is here, in the dungeon," Emma said instead of answering Snow's question.
"What?" Snow stepped closer to Emma, and the blonde took a half step back. Snow frowned and felt her eyes sting.
"The man who nearly succeeded in taking the life of the Princess is chained up in my dungeon," Regina supplied, pulling the attention from Emma and her transparency.
"How long has been here?"
All three women looked up at the sound of Charming's voice.
"Your… the mirror told me where you were. You found the culprit?" Charming asked, feeling the tension between the three women but not quite understanding what had taken place.
"Let's convene in the library." Regina turned on her heel and led the group to the library. Emma fell into step by her side. Snow had an uneasy feeling about the budding relationship between her daughter and nemesis. They walked in tandem, moving on what appeared to be the same plane. They spoke with their eyes and almost-touches. It made her stomach roll; she needed to get her family far away from the dark kingdom. More importantly, she needed to get her daughter away from the Evil Queen.
Once they entered the library, Snow balked when Emma pulled Regina's chair out for her. Though the gesture was slight, Emma was not standing behind the chair but pushing it out as she sat down, it bothered Snow. The pointed look from the Evil Queen didn't go unnoticed either. Snow looked to Charming who was also watching the exchange with a curious expression. She turned her attention back to the two women and saw them staring intently at one another. They didn't speak, but Snow could sense something was happening. She lowered herself into the proffered chair and worried her bottom lip. Snow almost felt as if she were intruding on an intimate exchange. She cleared her throat loudly.
"So, the culprit is here?"
Regina cut her eyes at the raven-haired woman but didn't speak. Snow waited, not so patiently for a response. She'd become wildly uncomfortable by what she'd just been privy to.
"I do believe that has already been acknowledged." Regina turned her gaze back to the blushing blonde and fought a smirk. She wasn't trying hard, and Snow didn't appreciate mockery.
"And what, pray tell, do you intend to do with him?" Snow sat up straight, trying to muster all the regalness she could with her posture, though her swollen belly made it quite difficult.
"Punish him," Regina said as if it were common knowledge. Her tone was aloof, and the look on her face made it clear that the string of questions was boring her.
"His crime was against the White Kingdom. He should be tried and convicted there."
"Yes, but his crime was committed here, on my soil, which makes him my prisoner. And after a brief interrogation, I could deduce that his crime was against my kingdom" Regina argued, as she crossed her legs and eyed Snow challengingly. She squared her shoulders and dared Snow to disagree with her.
"Yes, but your brand of punishment doesn't bode well for us." Snow looked to her husband for confirmation, and he nodded his agreement. Though they were not in the best place in their marriage, they shared morals, and both of them knew what Regina was capable of.
"Oh, it doesn't?" Regina feigned confusion, "Why ever not?"
"You'd sooner kill him than give him a fair trial."
"It's an open and shut case, and he confessed." Regina shrugged and rolled her eyes. She reached down under the table and brushed the back of Emma's hand. The Princess had yet to speak, but Regina could feel the slight stirring of her magic.
"Under duress, I'm certain."
"It matters not how I attained the confession, only that it was offered up. Twice I might add, once to the Princess. And you underestimate me, dear, I do not wish to kill him." The look in Regina's eyes caused a chill to waltz down Snow's spine. She'd been on the receiving end of that particular look many times. That look was pure Evil Queen. It was ice, and there was no warmth to it. The look promised heinous deeds.
"Forgive me if I don't believe you."
"Never dear, but I truly have no intention of killing him. I wish to see him suffer." Regina turned and looked at Emma, waiting for the blonde to look at her. "Death is far too good for him." She whispered while maintaining eye contact with Emma.
"You would torture him?" Her astonishment was evident, and Emma scoffed and rolled her eyes. Snow cast a wary glance at her daughter only to find that she wasn't paying any attention to her. Her daughter was looking down at her fingers, and Snow knew that she was fiddling with them. It was one of her tics.
"Your confusion astounds me, dear." Regina drawled, though her primary focus was on the Princess. Her magic was boiling, Regina could taste it in the air, though Emma was keeping a lid on it. Regina didn't know how much longer the young woman's control would last.
"That is inhumane," Snow yelled, slamming her hands down on the table.
"And shooting me with a venomous arrow isn't?" Emma spat, her cheeks flushed and her chest heaving.
"Emma…-"
"No, if it were, father, you would've gone to war over this. If he'd suffered injury, there would have been blood and countless deaths, but for me, I am not worth his life. I was face to face with death, and I see nothing wrong with Robin experiencing the same fate for the rest of his life."
"Robin….of Locksley. Emma…" Charming finally spoke up, seeing firsthand the tension between his wife and daughter. He felt like whatever she was experiencing ran deeper than just hurt feelings.
"Yes, I fought for him, and he nearly took my life. How's that for thanks." Her tone softened when she addressed her father. She wanted nothing more than to not feel the things she felt. She missed her father but she could not get over her mother's betrayal.
"Emma, do not let this taint you."
"Taint me?!" Emma's eyes flashed goldenly, and a mirror on the far wall shattered. The sound made Snow jump and Charming reach for his sword. He looked at his daughter then at the mirror.
"Princess..."
A gentle warning that made the hairs on the back of Snow's neck stand up. She watched as Emma reached out for Regina. Much to Snow's horror, the angry blush began to subside from Emma's cheeks slowly. Snow's mouth fell open as Emma inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly
"This man tried to take my life, and I see fit that he gives his own in return." Emma stood, her fingers still entangled with Regina's. Snow looked at their joined hands, deeply disturbed. She regarded the two women as they once again locked into a penetrating stare. Regina raised an eyebrow, and her eyes shifted ever so slightly in Snow's direction. Snow held her breath, confused by what was happening. She watched as Emma's fingers slipped from between Regina's only for the brunette to stand and without a word, her daughter and her nemesis left the library.
"I don't like this, Charming." Snow watched their retreating forms until she could no longer see them.
"She trusts her, and there's nothing we can do about that," he huffed and rubbed the back of his neck.
"How did this happen? Of all the people, why her?" She placed her face in her hands and began to sob.
*Teaser
"Sooner or later, we will leave this place and I don't think I have the strength." Stormy emerald eyes shone with unshed tears and Regina could tell that Emma did not allow for such a level of vulnerability often.
"I will be expected to marry soon and the thought of such a union to someone's son pains me." Emma turned from Regina and looked out across Regina's vast kingdom.
"The thought of that union to anyone…" Emma didn't continue but Regina knew that other than you was sure to follow. She sighs and turns to look out at her kingdom.