Hello Dovies! So, I totally stole a thing from season 3 for this chapter, but it just worked so damn well. It just worked, and I couldn't resist. Thank you for the reviews and follows. I find myself dragging heels and adding more fluff because I love writing this story so very much. Will definitely be another.
I ended up breaking this into two installments. This is the first, the second will be up as soon as I finish editing.
Enjoy Lovelies!
Songs: All of You by Jasmine Thompson, I Hate it When You See Me Cry by Halestorm, Gravity by Sara Bareilles
"Damn it, Regina, I'm not an invalid. I'm going," Emma huffed and followed her out of Regina's bedroom. She wore nothing but a grey tank top and blue basketball shorts, Regina a black silk pant and tank top pajama set. They'd been awake for ten minutes, kissing the first five and arguing the second.
Regina stormed towards the kitchen, and Emma followed. Neither of them had slept much, taking turns sitting with Ruby in the living room. She babbled about Belle for an hour until she passed out and then screamed at random intervals in her sleep for another four about wanting her heart back. They were both thankful for their impromptu nap yesterday, but the lack of sleep made them want to tear each other's throats out.
"Lower your voice. Henry won't be up for another hour at least," Regina commanded.
"Exactly, so why the hell are we?" Emma sniped as they reached the bottom of the stairs. She was sore. She never denied it. She was going after Cora with everyone else.
"Emma, please, may we resume this after I've had coffee?" Regina dismissed her and bolted towards the kitchen, bare feet slapping against the hardwood floors.
"No, no we may not. I'm going, Regina. Whose going to lead the other team? Leroy?" Emma pushed at Regina's buttons, not quite sure why.
Regina whipped around and crossed her arms. "Do ten jumping jacks and ten push ups," she commanded. "Without stopping or wincing," she added, smug grin growing at Emma's hesitance.
"I can't," she mumbled, crossing her arms defensively. What good was a savior if she was useless? Regina softened at Emma's frustration, arms falling to her sides as she closed the distance between them. She touched Emma's coiled forearm.
"Then you are as effective as your mother's cookies," Regina drove the point home, trying to hang onto her ire. Emma's jaw clenched, mouth pulling downward. She knew it to be true but that didn't mean she wanted to hear it out loud. Regina softened again
"You will heal, Emma, and I will gladly give you all the freedom you want. Until then, I will adamantly protest and pray that you heed my concern. I'm not paranoid, nor do I exert energy fighting unnecessary battles," Regina started logically, stopped, sighed, closed her eyes.
"Please." It wasn't a question. It was barely a breath, and Emma felt herself giving in despite her irritation and stubbornness.
"What if I let David lead the second team and come with you?" Emma negotiated, and Regina lifted her startlingly deep eyes.
"Emma, please," she repeated the supplication.
Emma melted and wrapped her arms around Regina's back, trapping her hand against her chest. Regina's face nestled into her neck, fingers playing at her collarbone, other hand on her hip. The painful fingers digging into her lower back sealed the deal. It was unconscious and spoke volumes to the very real fear beneath the arrogance and stately commands she'd been tossing at Emma for the past ten minutes.
"Okay," Emma whispered into her hair. The tension dissipated almost instantly as Regina's muscles relaxed, allowing her body to mould into Emma's. She wrapped her arms around Emma's hips, mindful of her still throbbing stomach and held her tightly.
"Thank you," Regina answered after an undetermined amount of time and pulled back, taking Emma's hand as they continued to the kitchen.
Emma nearly cried when the strong salty aroma of bacon met her halfway through the foyer. She beamed at Ruby who stood at the stove tending the tasty strips of pig meat and bee lined for the coffee pot. She poured two cups and handed one to Regina who stood at Ruby's side, chin propped on her shoulder, mouth moving inaudibly. Emma perched on the stool across the island and sipped her coffee. Of course it burned her mouth, but more than that it was so strong and bitter that it brought tears to her eyes.
"Holy shit, Rubes! A cup of this will keep me awake for a week," Emma muttered absently, not really expecting a response, and dumped sugar into the black brew. She stared at it a moment and then moved the to fridge and added some milk for good measure.
"And what do you plan to do, puke on her then cry? I need warriors, Miss Lucas, not blubbering fools," Regina spat moved away from Ruby and followed her example of sweetening the stout java, though not nearly as much as Emma had. She hummed into the bitter liquid and sat beside her lover. She ran her fingers through Emma's tangled hair. The combination of cruel and tender unsettled Emma.
Ruby slammed the tongs onto the stove and braced herself on the counter. "Fine," she seethed through clenched teeth. Had she been facing them, Emma knew she'd see wolf yellow in eyes.
"Darling, if you desperately need something to keep you busy, Miss Lucas has just agreed to carry the boxes from my vault. Perhaps you could borrow David's truck?" Regina compromised further. Emma reluctantly agreed to stay behind, so the least she could do was help her keep busy.
"Tell me again why we're bringing all of the creepy dangerous stuff to your house," Emma grumbled. It was better than nothing, but she wasn't letting Regina off the hook that easily.
"It's not coming in the house, especially my double-headed viper. The shed outback will do for now. I'll enchant it once everything is moved. I doubt Cora would return for anything, but if she does, I want to know about it."
"You have a two-headed viper?" Ruby finally turned from the stove, hand on her cocked him. Her face was a mixture of terrified, shocked, and intrigued. She still looked visibly pissed, but her curiosity overcame the harsher emotions, barely.
"What she said," Emma agreed and sipped her now syrupy coffee, unaware that it'd been that very snake that had killed her grandfather. Regina turned her attention to Ruby.
"Would you like to see it?" She asked sweetly and leaned forward, lulling her into a false sense of security. Ruby nodded enthusiastically.
"Stop changing my ring tone," Regina demanded and straightened. Ruby's face fell.
"Nuh uh, it's too much fun," Ruby rejected her offer far more easily than anticipated. Emma snorted.
"It is pretty funny," she agreed, earning a dark glare from her lover.
"Very well, at least tell me when you possibly have access to my phone without my knowledge," Regina lowered her demands.
"Whenever you're not looking," Ruby answered nonchalantly, and Regina bristled. Emma hid a knowing smile behind her coffee cup, but Regina saw it and narrowed her eyes.
"Are you accomplice to this continuous debacle, Miss Swan?" Emma's eyes widened and she shook her head fervently.
"Nope. This started when I was in a coma, remember?" She defended herself lightly and winked at Ruby. "I just happen to think it's hilarious."
Emma grinned when Regina smacked her playfully with the back of her hand. Finding no traction on the subject, she stood, stretched and kissed Emma's hair. "I'm meeting Stacy at 8:30 to go over maps of the area. If Henry wakes before then, please make sure he at least eats some fruit with that grease," she ordered Emma and left the kitchen.
"You know what she's doing, don't you?" Ruby growled, shoulders tight with tension. When Emma remained silent, she continued, "She's removing her weaknesses from the equation. I heard you in the foyer." She said no more, and Emma sipped her coffee.
"I know. Doesn't mean she's wrong, just a pain in the ass. We'd just get in the way in states we're in." Emma reluctantly conceded
Ruby scooped the bacon onto a plate, covered it with foil and sat it on the back of the stove. She then leaned on the island conspiratorially. "So, what is Regina Mills like in the sack? You won't believe how many years this very phrase has been uttered in Granny's diner," Ruby winked, letting Emma know that she was only half-serious. If they were left behind together, Ruby intended to distract herself as much as possible.
Emma leaned forward in the same manner, pegging Ruby with serious eyes. "Not happening," Emma whispered and then smiled at Ruby's disappointed face.
"That good, huh?" she joked. Emma raised an eyebrow and sipped her coffee. Though fake, Ruby's humor and attempted smiles infected both of them enough to loosen the knots in their stomachs.
"Was it with Belle?" She asked quietly. Emma Swan was not known for her subtly. Ruby sighed and picked at the pristine marble.
"Not where skill is concerned, but I think it might be the only time it ever really mattered to me," Ruby admitted honestly, sadness settling into her chest. Emma's face scrunched in her unsatisfying victory, now for the kill.
"Is that what had you so upset last night?" Emma pushed. Ruby retreated into herself, came back, crossed her arms.
"Yes, partly. Lacey was released yesterday. I'm fairly certain it wouldn't take much to get her into bed, but she's not her, you know? Lacey wears her sexuality like a shield. It's disconcerting because it's so similar to hers, but it's blatant, you know. Right there in your face. Belle didn't even realize how sensual she was, but it was just as passionate. I'm sorry that I wrecked your night," Ruby added sheepishly. She hadn't stayed at Regina's since Emma had been released from the hospital, giving them the space they needed to adjust to the new living situation.
"Rubes, you needed us. Don't ever apologize for that. We're here, Regina especially. I'm a little clueless sometimes when you get all grumpy and dark, but she gets…" she waved her hand as she searched for the word. "She gets whatever it is that you're going through."
"When did the nightmares start?" Emma changed the subject.
"The night I went back to Granny's. I didn't say anything because I didn't want to burden her when she had so much other stuff going on. This thing with her mom is getting to her, and it's not going to end well for either of them. I mean, best case Cora is imprisoned for the rest of her life; worst case, she's killed and maybe takes some of us with her. Either way, Regina suffers." Ruby's face tightened with anger and sadness, and she turned back to the popping bacon.
"Mary Margaret said almost the same thing last night when we were waiting for you and Regina," Emma commented darkly and moved to the coffee pot for a refill. "She's worried about you, too," Emma added carefully. Ruby had confided in her so far, but like Regina, the wolf woman slammed the door in her face as quickly as she opened it if she misspoke only once.
"Well, she shouldn't be. We don't even know each other anymore," the wolf bit.
"Regina and I are having the same problem," Emma admitted hesitantly. Who else did she have to talk to, her mother? Granny? She was surrounded by people whom she loved but didn't trust. If Regina trusted Ruby with her secrets, then who was she to question that?
"What do you mean?" Ruby asked and buttered toast. She sat the plate of bacon and scrambled eggs in front of Emma and then tossed a fork across the marble. Her slim hips backed against the counter beside the stove, leaning and waiting for Emma to continue.
"Since I woke up. I mean, we've said a lot of things, secrets and feelings mostly, but as far as having a normal conversation about stupid things… Hey, honey, how was your day? It just isn't coming like it did before. It's frustrating." She emphasized her words with a sharp jab into her eggs. Her eyes slipped shut with a moan when they hit her tongue.
"Have you and Regina ever had a conversation that didn't end in an argument and lots of eye sex?" Ruby asked seriously. Emma ignored her and pointed to the eggs with her fork.
"Oh my god, you fried these in the bacon grease, didn't you?" Ruby smirked. "Don't worry. I won't tell on you." She shoved more into her mouth.
"Don't force it," Ruby said suddenly. "You can't go back to the way you were before because you are both different people, now. The values and gestures are the same, the core, what you fell in love with, but you're different. That's why I could never love Lacey. She's not Belle because their cores, their souls I guess, aren't the same. You and Regina, you're solid. People started taking bets on when you'd realize it like a month after you showed up in Storybrooke. It'll come," Ruby assured and dipped her head shyly, smiling despite her pain. She was truly happy for her two closest friends.
The women fell silent as Emma chewed her food and Ruby's words. They made a lot of sense, and she felt a little lighter for having spoken the issue aloud. Regina returned a few minutes later, eyebrow raised at the silence but said nothing. She was freshly showered, hair and makeup fixed to perfection, sporting that damn plum lipstick that made Emma turn stupid. She wore a knee length black skirt and a black long sleeved V-neck made of some kind of stretchy fabric that Emma didn't know the name of but thanked anyway for the way it wrapped tightly around Regina's body. Black tights and ridiculously high and shiny black heels completed the ensemble. Emma smirked, only her Regina willingly walked into a witch fight dressed in business attire.
"You look beautiful," Emma leaned towards her and whispered when she primly sat atop the stool beside her once more. Ruby focused on the omelet she prepared in olive oil and pretended not to hear.
Regina sucked in a breath, opened her mouth to speak, closed it, and then blushed. She slid from the stool and retreated to the coffee pot and poured another cup slowly. Emma simply watched, not sure if she should have been amused or guilty that she'd made Regina so uncomfortable. The older woman touched her shoulder as she returned to her stool.
"Thank you," she cleared her throat. Emma smiled at her shyness, remembering the same tentative acceptance of love and pleasure Regina had shown yesterday.
Ruby handed her a mushroom and onion omelet a few moments later, saving her from the awkwardness. The younger women wrinkled their nose at the healthy concoction and munched into their bacon.
"Ruby," Regina caught her attention. "Could you give us a moment, please?" she asked politely, and the wolf nodded as she pushed her hips away from the counter. Emma swallowed the bacon in her mouth, sensing the difficult conversation ahead.
"What's wrong?" She touched Regina's cheek with her knuckles.
"I need to give you something in the event Mother and I disagree on the terms of her surrender," Regina stately politically, and Emma saw through every single word to the fear lurking behind those caramel eyes.
"Okay," she conceded, not sure if she actually wanted to.
She jumped back, knocking her stool over when Regina stuck her hand inside her own chest, grunted, and pulled out her heart. It was almost completely black, but red and pink tendrils of pulsing light swirled in and out of the darkness, proving that Regina still had good inside of her.
"What the hell?" Emma started slowly. "Regina, what the actual hell?" Her voice rose an octave in her pending hysteria.
"I'm ensuring I come home," Regina said seriously. Her mother terrified her in a way no other opponent had. Cora didn't need magic to best her because she already controlled a piece of her daughter's heart. Without it, she stood a better chance. It wouldn't hurt as much if today she became an orphan by her own hands.
"Regina, I…" she placed one shaking finger on the organ and gasped. "What was that?"
"It… was how I feel about you. That's the interesting thing about hearts and the magic used to take them. It was originally used for nobler purposes. The ancient royals of our land had it developed so that they may leave the kingdom in the hands of the heir with the purest heart, create their court based on trust because they were able to feel it, literally. It ensured safety, but also humility. The rulers felt every judgment, every mistake that poorly impacted their people. Eventually, it was bastardized by Rumpelstiltskin over 300 years ago and turned into something evil. He wasn't the first, but he made it famous." Regina smiled nervously and wet her lips.
"Before the king rode into battle, his sorcerers tore out his heart and placed it inside the chest of his queen. She literally carried his love with her, and if he should fall, she immediately knew and called upon the heir to take control so that the kingdom would not fall into chaos. I… will you carry my heart, Emma Swan?" Regina finished without flourish or bluster.
Like yesterday, she only offered herself, her heart to be exact, hoping and praying that the woman beneath the titles was enough. Slowly, Emma reached for the hardened organ again, tentative fingers slipping around the curves and edges. Regina took a steadying breath and let go, allowing Emma to cradle it in her hands like something precious and fragile.
Emma closed her eyes as the slivers of emotions shot up her arms and settled into her chest. It was warm and passionate and terrifying and comforting and pure. Her mouth dropped open and sucked silent rapid breaths, giving herself over to the crushing power of Regina's emotions.
"Regina, I…" Emma gasped. A conflagration built in her lower stomach and spread in both directions.
Regina weaved her fingers into Emma's hair and brushed her thumb along the sweaty temple over and over, knowing from her research what Emma felt but never personally experiencing it. From Emma's blissful glow, she deduced that it was powerful, overwhelming. While human beings can call an emotion to the forefront when the situation arises, they cannot feel it every second of everyday. What Emma felt was the unadulterated version of that, and it was perhaps stronger than even Regina had imagined.
"That's my desire for you," she whispered. "My love for you."
"Regina," Emma breathed. Her hips twitched uncomfortably as the pressure built but found no release. "I need…"
"I know." She stood and wrapped her hand around Emma's neck, gently pulling her into her chest.
Emma whined at the small sensation of Regina's fingers against her skin. She'd read that this could happen but never imagined that her blackened heart might have inspired it. Emma clutched the heart against her chest and cried into Regina's.
"Regina, please," Emma rasped into her neck. Regina knew she shouldn't, but she trailed her knuckles over Emma's chest and stomach and slipped easily into the stretchy hem of her shorts.
Emma jerked dangerously at the miniscule contact, and Regina readjusted her grip around her back. Regina slid two fingers on either side of her slick clit, squeezing lightly. Emma was soaked already and still leaking. She repeated the motion twice, and Emma bit into the flesh of her neck as the orgasm exploded. Regina hissed at the pain through gritted teeth. She knew it wouldn't take much but hadn't anticipated the abrupt volatility in her lover's reaction.
The teeth released, and Regina lowered her mouth to Emma's before moving her fingers again. Less than a minute later, Emma stilled in her arms again. Her lips remained pressed to Regina's unmoving and parted, breathing into her mouth as she recovered from her second orgasm in as many minutes. Regina figured that she'd cause another if she moved again, but she pulled her fingers away and wrapped her arm around Emma's waist and held her upright. This wasn't about sexual gratification.
"Am I going to be like this all day?" She rasped, and Regina smiled. "Not sure it would be safe to leave me alone with Ruby if that's the case." Emma only half-joked, able to speak now that the pressure had dissipated slightly. It built, though, all over again just as quickly and just as strong.
"From what I've read, it lessens to what one might normally feel once inside your chest. Are you certain?" Emma nodded. "Are you ready?" She nodded again.
Regina held her hand over Emma's and guided it to the proper position. Emma's eyes opened wide at the slight pinch and then the uncomfortable fullness of two hands and two hearts within her chest. Regina pulled their hands away and held Emma tightly lest she lose her balance on the stool. Emma wiggled her shoulders and chest anxiously, waiting for any adverse reactions. After a few minutes, she settled as she adjusted to the jittery energy filling her body.
"How do you feel?" Regina asked, the same concern in her own eyes.
"Jumpy. Sort of anxious and energized, like I drank way too much coffee without enough sleep. Horny as hell," Emma laughed and wiped tears from her face.
She sat up straight, and Regina sighed as the weight was taken from her arm. Emma spun on the stool and situated her knees on either side of Regina's thighs, arms immediately around her waist. Regina smiled down at her, hands in her hair, and then closed the distance between their lips. It was slow, tender, burning. They were content to let it simmer, neither fanning nor extinguishing the embers. They parted mutually, and Emma tucked her head beneath Regina's chin, ear on her chest.
"It's not there, your heartbeat, I mean," Emma commented, still acclimating to what transpired.
"You're my heartbeat," Regina whispered and pulled back to look into those bright green eyes.
"Your neck?" Emma commented, unsure what she meant to say.
"I'm fine. I'm actually looking forward to the idiots' reaction," Regina confessed, a glint of dark glee in her eyes.
"You really think you'll find her today?" Emma ignored the sassy comment. Regina nodded immediately, forehead scrunching with unreadable emotion.
"Be careful," Emma pleaded.
"I'll be home for dinner," Regina said as though she were only heading to Town Hall for a day of paperwork and meetings. Emma smiled.
"I love you," Regina breathed and kissed her again. "I have to go."
"I love you, too," Emma answered and pressed her lips to Regina's again.
And then she was alone in the kitchen with two heartbeats pounding furiously in her chest. Ruby wandered into the kitchen, hands in the back pockets of her jeans, eyes wide and confused.
"Granny said she'd look after Henry," she commented absently, still unsure if she'd just heard correctly.
"What's wrong?" Emma stood and then pressed her hand to her chest when both hearts spiked with adrenaline and concern. This was going to be a weird day.
"She just told me she loved me," Ruby rolled her shoulder towards the door, and Emma straightened. "Emma, I think she's going on a suicide mission," Ruby said, dread building in her stomach and chest. She lost her breath as the weight of that statement hit her.
"She's not," Emma countered nervously, her second hand flying to her chest. "She gave me her heart. She can't die. At least not from anything Cora can do to her."
"Shit, seriously? It's in there?" Ruby pointed at her chest, and Emma nodded.
"How's that?" Ruby was as freaked out as she was.
"Like having two hearts, Miss Lucas," Emma snipped, and then clutched at her chest. The words and tone were all Regina, but it was her voice and her mouth.
"Well, this should be fun," Ruby deadpanned, unsure if she wanted to run or hug an obviously uncomfortable and slightly pained Emma.
"Not as much as you'd think," Emma grumbled, eyes wide and scared. Not as much at all.