Feather of a Swan

Chapter 21:

The group quickly dissolved after having lunch at Granny's. Regina seemed eager to get into her vault and work on getting back to Henry as soon as possible, but Zelena seemed just as eager to put a stop to that plan, either way, she kept coddling Regina and insisting that she should rest.

David and Snow seemed to think the same thing. They made it very clear that they wished to spend the day with their daughter- they would have plenty of time to worry about Henry and Lucy tomorrow.

And Emma was more than happy to indulge them. She had missed her parents so much, and being back in Storybrooke with them again seemed like a dream come true.

But by nightfall, Snow and David wished their daughter and Killian a good night, and instructed Emma to get plenty of rest so she could be able to tackle whatever difficulties tomorrow held. Emma promised to do so.

And the night had started out fine, it really had. She and Killian had enjoyed a single glass of wine before bed and toasted "to your return, luv". A toast Emma was more than willing to participate in.

The problems had started soon after that. Emma had taken a quick shower and redressed in a pajama, and once she returned to the bedroom, Killian was already waiting for her.

,,I've missed you," he said.

,,And I, you." Emma smiled as she crawled into bed.

And Killian seemed pretty determined to show her just how much he had missed her. he promptly wrapped an arm tightly around her and pulled her closer. For a while, Emma just snuggled into his chest and breathed in his familiar scent. And Killian stroked her golden hair and murmured how much he had missed her.

Emma wouldn't have minded falling asleep like this one bit, but Killian seemed to have other plans. After a good while of snuggling, he pulled her even closer and cupped her cheek. Emma put her hand over his and closed her eyes as his lips brushed gently over hers. She abandoned his hand and tangled her fingers into his short, dark hair.

"What's the rush, sweetheart?"

What the hell, Emma? The blonde frowned. Where the fuck did that come from? Maybe she was still a little woozy after portal jumping.

,,Is everything alright, luv?" Killian asked gently, sensing that Emma wasn't in the kiss anymore.

,,Yeah. I'm fine," Emma assured. ,,Kiss me again."

,,As you wish, Swan," her husband grinned and covered Emma's lips with his own. Emma once again closed her eyes and skimmed her fingers up and down Killian's back. That's better. He gently flipped them over so he was on top of her. Killian smirked down at her, and Emma grinned right back at him and sighed as his lips wandered from her lips to her neck.

"Here you go, Impatient."

"My name is not "impatient"

"No? It fits you perfectly."

Woah, what's going on here? What the hell was "Roni" doing in her head? Why the hell was she relieving her first meeting with "Roni" right now? Boy, I must be more tired than I thought. But this time Emma didn't let Killian know she had zoned out for a moment. Instead she wrapped her legs around his and proceeded to unbutton his pajama shirt. Killian sniggered warmly into her neck.

,,Are you sure you're up for this tonight, luv?"

,,You bet," Emma assured and guided his hands to her own pajama shirt. Killian quickly ridded her of the material, and Emma closed her eyes once more as his lips found her neck again and his hands wandered to her breasts.

"You know, my name is not Impatient."

"What is your name then, honey?"

"Emma. My name is Emma."

"Emma."

"Roni's" laugh kept echoing in Emma's head, and the blonde grew more and more frustrated by the second. Good god, what is this madness?! Pull yourself together, Swan!

Killian's mouth wandered to her breast, and Emma panicked realized that she was comparing him to the last person who did this to her. No, stop. You are just overtired and need to relax. And luckily you have a devilishly handsome pirate who will help you to do just that.

Killian's mouth wrapped around her nipple, and Emma instantly arched her back and moaned. Look's who's coming along. See? You're fine now. You just needed a bit of attention from your loving husband.

Emma moaned again and arched her back. But something rather significant seemed to be missing right now. Absolutely nothing was happening between her legs, normally, she would be soaking wet by now, and instead she found herself to be as dry as a bone. Maybe it was because she was tired, needed a bit more attention to "get there" tonight. But that was alright. Killian was a master in showering her with love and attention to make her comfortable.

"You don't think I'm a princess?"

"Do you want to be a princess?"

"Nah, I guess not. I don't think I'm the princess-y type."

"No, you don't strike me as the princess-y type either."

Okay, this was going too far now. She couldn't carry on like this, and she gently stopped Killian's hand as it fiddled with the strings in her pajama pants.

,,What is it, luv?" he rasped.

,,I'm…" what? Hearing a woman's voice in my head? Not wet enough to do this? Dizzy?

,,I'm tired," Emma finally landed on. ,,I'm sorry."

Killian dropped a light kiss on her forehead. ,,It's alright, Swan. You need to rest after today."

Emma caught herself breathe a sigh of relief when Killian abandoned her breasts and wrapped the covers tightly around her instead. She snuggled into his chest once more. This was nice.

,,And besides, we have all the time in the world, don't we, luv?"

,,Aye," Emma said lightly and caused Killian to laugh and drop another kiss on her hair.

A few moments later, both of them were fast asleep.

Emma was the first one to wake up the following day, and she didn't have the heart to wake Killian. He looked so peaceful and content all snuggled up under the covers. Emma gave him a light kiss on the cheek before slipping into a bathrobe and then leaving the bedroom.

The blonde wrapped her fingers around her cup of coffee and took a sip of it. She had slept very good last night. Maybe the events the night before was nothing. Just her being overtired and worried because of Henry. Her son, still stuck in Hyperion Heights with his daughter. Emma wasn't sure how right now, but she knew she wanted both of them back as soon as possible.

She quickly emptied her coffee cup and crept back into the bedroom. Without waking Killian, she put on her jeans, tanktop, and leather jacket. She quickly tied her hair back into a ponytail and went into the kitchen again. She should probably start breakfast. She took a quick peek into the fridge. Only expired food. So a shopping trip would definitely be necessary.

Emma was in the process of tying her booths when a low whining reached her ears. She stopped what she was doing and listened closely. There was the whining again, and this time the whining was accompanied by a faint scratching on the door. definitely some kind of animal then. But what kind of animal? Emma really wasn't in the mood to fight a chernabog or a hydra or something like this. She might be the Savior, but even the Savior deserves a day off after being cursed for six months.

Emma quickly opened the door. It wasn't a monster ready to strike. It was a very familiar red cocker spaniel. And the poor thing looked pretty miserable with her tail between her legs and shivering cold.

,,Lady!" Emma exclaimed and kneeled down to coax the dog over to her.

And no doubt the clever animal recognized her. As soon as she had given Emma's hand a throughout sniffing, Lady yapped and wagged her tail, clearly over the moon to see a familiar face.

,,So you made it through the portal too, huh?" Emma half-laughed as Lady licked her chin. ,,Where have you been all night?"

She didn't expect Lady to answer any questions (Magic town or not, dogs couldn't talk). Emma scratched Lady's forehead and stroked her soft fur until Lady grew uneasy and started sniffing around in the kitchen.

,,I'm not really the one you're looking for, am I?" Emma questioned. No doubt Lady was searching for "Roni", but there was just one problem..

,,She's not here, girlie." Emma told the dog. ,,Well, she is, but not really. It's difficult to explain. She's a bit different now, and I'm not sure what she thinks of you now. But don't worry, if she doesn't want you anymore, you can stay here."

Lady yapped again and sniffed around once more.

Emma quickly terminated, that the cocker spaniel wasn't gonna rest until she was taken to her owner, so Emma scooped the dog up in her arms and left the house.

It didn't take long before the blonde and her furry companion reached the Mills mansion and Emma couldn't help but pick up on how her stomach tied in knots at the first knock on the door.

She heard noise behind the door, and soon after it was swung open. Not by Regina, but by Zelena.

,,Oh, good morning, Emma," the redhead yawned. ,,What can I do for you so early?"

,,I was looking for Regina. Is she still asleep?"

Zelena shook her head. ,,She left early this morning. I think she's trying to cook something up in her vault. Shall I tell her you've been here?"

,,Uh, no, that's alright. I think I'll go and see what she's up too."

,,Not sure that's a good idea," Zelena said. ,,She said she didn't want to be disturbed."

,,But I kinda have a package for her," Emma said and shifted the cocker spaniel in her arms.

,,An unusual welcome home present," Zelena commented and petted Lady.

,,It's not a present. It's hers… Or was hers… when she lived in Seattle," Emma quickly rambled off.

Zelena's light eyebrows rose. ,,I thought you didn't see her when you were cursed?"

,,I just ran into her once when she was walking the dog, and she seemed fond of it, so I thought that I would return it to her," Emma said quickly.

,,Hm. I didn't know my sister had a fondness for pets."

And women. Wait, what?!

,,I'll just bring the dog over to her," Emma muttered hastily and thanked Zelena.

Emma quickly reached Regina's vault, and despite Zelena's warning, the blonde went inside and walked down the stairs, a difficult task when she was carrying Lady in her arms.

The blonde found Regina standing in front of the wooden table. There were several books lying open and scattered all over the table and floor. And there was an old, rusty kettle boiling in the corner of the vault. Clearly, Regina was cooking up something down here.

Emma quietly cleared her throat, and Regina turned around. The blonde felt a pang of what, disappointment, when she realized that Regina's hair wasn't wild and curly anymore. Instead it was smooth and silky and very straight. There were no trace of skinny jeans and denim jackets anymore either. Instead she was wearing one of her usual pencil skirts, a light silk blouse and a blazer over it.

Regina squinted her eyes and looked from Emma to the dog in her arms.

,,Hey." The brunette finally said.

,,Hi." Oh god, this is beyond awkward.

,,I see that someone else made it through the portal," Regina muttered and drew her hair behind her ear as she checked on whatever was cooking in that kettle.

,,Yeah. She arrived on my doorstep early this morning. I assume she was looking for you." Emma sat the dog down on the stone floor.

,,Oh." Was all Regina said when she kneeled down and made a "come here" motion to Lady. The cocker spaniel instantly yapped and stormed over to the brunette, completely mad with joy over having found her owner.

,,So, are you gonna keep her?" Emma asked as Lady barked and spun around herself.

,,I can't very well dump her at the animal shelter, can I?" Regina answered and petted Lady's head, immediately rewarded with a lick on her hand. ,,I guess I have a dog now. There's a good girl," the brunette coed as Lady rubbed her head against Regina's knee.

Lady quickly settled down, now that she was where she wanted to be, and Regina turned her attention back to the books lying on the table.

,,What are you doing?" Emma questioned.

,,I'm trying to figure out how to build a portal to get back to Henry," Regina muttered quickly and skimmed through the book.

,,Any luck so far?"

,,No." Regina said bitterly. ,,I mean, there are several ways to do it, but it would take too long, and we need to get back to him now and not in two months."

,,We?"

,,I suppose you want to participate in rescuing our son?" Regina said and shot Emma a weird look.

,,I.. wasn't sure I would receive an invitation, to be honest," Emma muttered vaguely and fiddled with the zipper on her red leather jacket.

,,And why ever not? You're his mother too," Regina said conclusively and closed the book, tossed it into a pile on the floor and opened a new one.

Emma watched as the brunette flipped through the new book, and at one point, Regina's jacket sleeve slid up a little. Emma's green eyes widened. Is that the feather tattoo? Do you still have a tattoo on your wrist?

Regina must have caught Emma's eyes resting on her wrist, because she quickly pulled her sleeve down, covering her wrist once more.

Emma shifted her weight from one leg to the other. Okay, this is painfully awkward. Say something, Swan. Just something. Anything would do right now.

,,Did you want anything else?" Regina half-snapped when Emma kept standing there like an idiot.

Emma sucked in a breath. ,,I don't think pretending nothing happened between us is gonna work."

To her surprise, Regina didn't fly off the handle or shouted in her face. Instead the brunette smiled calmly, almost sweetly.

Has she gone mad or something? Is that what this has come to?

,,Well, pretty soon we don't have to pretend anymore," Regina said and gestured towards the boiling kettle.

,,What do you mean? What is that?" Emma asked and narrowed her green eyes at the smell coming from the kettle.

,,Forgetting potion," Regina said plainly. ,,I think it would be in everyone's best interest if we drink it."

What? What?!

,,Oh, don't worry," Regina said and misunderstood the look on Emma's face. ,,This is a different kind of potion. You won't lose your memories entirely. You will still remember being cursed and spending time in Seattle. The only thing you will forget is…" she trailed off and turned her attention back to the books on the table.

,,Roni," Emma finished the sentence with a slight whisper, and Lady's ears rose at hearing the name.

,,Precisely." Regina said. ,,I think it's best if she leaves your memories for good, don't you?"

,,Yeah." NO! wait, what?!

Regina nodded as to confirm their agreement.

,,And, uh.. how long is it gonna take before it's done?" Emma asked and looked at the forgetting potion.

,,A month. I know, I know. It's a long time, but it's the fastest way."

,,Right."

Emma didn't know how to feel about that. It seemed like Regina was determined to put this whole thing behind her, and honestly, how could Emma argue with that.

,,I'll just.. See you later," the blonde mumbled vaguely.

,,Mm."

Goodbye, Roni, Emma thought to herself as she left the vault…

To Be Continued?.. ((More?))