Because I'm awesome like this.
Enjoy!
Songs: Off with Her Head by Icon for Hire, Damn by Leann Rimes
"Ruby, can you track those screams?" Regina demanded. The gut wrenching wails had begun a few minutes ago, and they all shifted uncomfortably, knowing Emma was tortured by Pan's hand.
"Way ahead of you, Mama Bear," Ruby muttered, tuning into the sound. She waited for another scream, barely breathing as she waited for another scream. It was distant, far away for the rest of her crew, but to her sensitive ears, it may as well have been ten feet in front of her.
"There!" She pointed into the direction. "Go this way about a mile! You should be able to find it from there!" She yelled over her shoulder as she sprinted into the thick jungle.
She was practically invincible, so they allowed her to gallivant off towards Emma as fast as her wolf speed carried her legs. Snow, Hook and Regina, however, jogged at a pace that allowed the poison-weakened Charming to keep up. Regina uncovered the cure to dream shade poisoning, but that only meant they wouldn't die from the poison. An entire realm away from proper medical care left too many variables. None of them afforded the luxury of being injured or taken out of commission by infection, maiming or death. They needed each other.
Ruby slowed her pace when her ears pricked, telling her the encampment lay just over the next hill. She stopped long enough to drag a huge X in the ground with the toe of her boot, leaving the others a signal that they reached the end of the line. Her lungs burned from the exertion, even her new wolf had physical limitations, and she'd pushed past every threshold.
Slowly, she crept towards a large tree at the top of the bank and peeked around. Her fingers jerked and clenched with anxious energy, the wolf rippling beneath her skin. It wanted blood, and she intended to oblige it. Any minute now, Ariel, she grumbled beneath her breath. A faint boom echoed in the distance, and Ruby breathed silently in relief. The mermaid had received Snow's flaming arrow signal.
Pan and two other boys exited a hut on the far side of the camp. One by one they disappeared to investigate the sound. Pan glanced around the camp almost as if he sensed her, and she sunk into the shadows. That left at least 30. Pan's army of young boys was a whole lot larger than they anticipated. She took a few steadying breaths. She was the distraction for the rest of the group. Once they retrieved Emma, Regina fried their asses, children or not.
With one last steadying breath, she loosed an echoing howl that Regina most certainly heard even at a distance and sprinted towards the camp. Arrows and sharp stones whizzed by her, and she dodged each one with perfect grace. She'd had enough of this place, and her grief and stress made her hyper focused. Mistakes were unacceptable. Her first attacker fell to the dirt grasping his throat as blood spurted from between his fingers. She never even paused.
The next suffered the same fate at the end of her incredibly long and sharp claws. An arrow hit her shoulder, slowing her enough for a group to pounce all at once. Claws slashed. A foot hit the back of her knee, and they came down atop the wolf in a dog pile. Blood sprayed onto her face as another boy lost his life. Feet and hands collided with ribs, legs, hips, face. The shaft of the arrow snapped, leaving the head imbedded. She howled and used her body as a battering ram as she sprang to her feet.
There were at least 15 boys around her, but not even their combined strength stood up to Ruby's single arm without her cloak controlling the rage and adrenaline. A blast of fire blew several boys away from her suddenly. Regina had arrived. Ruby blocked a dagger coming for her head, snapped the wrist the held it, claimed it as her own. She whipped around, her advanced reflexes keeping her upright against the barrage of knives, clubs and fists in her stomach, back and shoulders. She loosed the knife at the door Pan exited when Ariel set off the explosion.
An angry howl echoed around them as she spun in another circle, slashing the throat of any boy within reach. When no further attacks immediately came, she glanced around at the terrified faces of Pan's army. They were only boys, barely teenagers some of them. Guilt clenched her chest, and she pushed it away. They fought for the wrong side.
"We don't want to harm any of you!" She yelled, vaguely aware of soft gasps and rattling chains in the hut behind her.
"We just want Emma. Let us go in peace, and we'll leave you alone," she informed the boys heatedly, her wolf pounding against her veins. She wanted to kill them, wanted to watch the life leave their eyes.
Trembling fingers pulled a dagger sticking from her stomach and tossed it to the ground. The burning itch of wolf's healing began immediately. A few of the boys tensed or stepped back when she jerked the arrow head from her shoulder. A ragged growl vibrated her chest. She still felt the pain even if she healed almost instantly.
"Ruby, how long until you can carry Emma?" Regina asked. Her voice was thick with something Ruby hadn't heard since Emma was shot and in a coma. Had Regina begun to believe? Was her love returning?
"As soon as you can dig that crap out of my back," she responded hotly. The scent of burned flesh infiltrated her nostrils, and her wolf flared. She needed to leave this place before she killed every single person who hadn't stood up to stop Pan's torture.
"How bad is it?" She spoke to Regina, but her multicolored eyes kept close watch on the boys still brandishing weapons. If any of them even flinched in a way she thought threatened her queen, she'd have them for dinner.
"Bad," Regina clipped. Her voice was calm and even, but Ruby knew her, heard the undercurrent of emotion. Whatever had happened to Emma was going to be as traumatic for her as it was Regina. After all, she'd been held captive and tortured for days at the hands of Cora Mills.
"She's unconscious. We need to get as close to the ship as possible before she wakes," Regina ordered, knowing Ruby's wolf obeyed her every command.
"Is it safe to leave you behind, My Queen?" Ruby asked, and Regina sighed. She allowed the title for the moment. They had more important things to worry about.
"I'll be perfectly safe, Wolf Pup. Please go get her and get back to The Jolly Roger as quickly as possible. There," Regina said triumphantly as she finally managed to dig free the dagger tip stuck in Ruby's shoulder. Ruby drew a sharp breath but gave no other indication of pain.
"When you arrive, give her a dose of the antidote I made for David. I'm not certain she hasn't been poisoned. Either way, it should expedite healing." Regina said as an afterthought.
"Of course, My Queen," Ruby answered and then followed her commands.
She worked quickly once inside the hut. Snow and David looked at her in confusion when she grabbed some rope and bound Emma's arms and legs together, but they trusted Ruby and allowed it. It made sense when the wolf slipped her an arm into the circle of Emma's bound hands and hefted her onto a shoulder and then slid the other between Emma's thighs. She hefted Emma's weight, adjusting her as a child might backpack straps.
Gingerly, she stepped sideways through the tiny door, nodded to Regina and then took off towards the ship. They followed but soon fell behind. The Lost Boys watched them leave but made no threats. If Ruby felt Emma's deadweight, she indicated nothing in her ever graceful movements and steady speed. The only sign that she felt her precious cargo at all was the fact that she slowly pulled away from the rest of the group rather than disappearing within moments.
If Regina placed a bet on the reason, she'd have sworn every time that Ruby jostled Emma as little as possible while fulfilling her duty at the same time. Pan's cry of frustration followed them, and Regina stopped in her tracks. Snow also halted her movements, having been the two in back.
"Keep going," Regina ordered and summoned a huge fireball. Her hands rotated around the ball until it grew larger than her head.
"I won't leave you," Snow confessed breathlessly. Regina might have smiled if she wasn't so full of adrenaline and fear.
The ball of fire grew until Regina's arm span reached it's limit, if she went any larger, she'd have no control of the magic. Snow gasped when the hot ball of magic split into five separate balls around the size of her head. Regina created a distraction. They all flew in different directions, even one caddy corner to the ship. If they had gone in all directions except that one, Pan would have known instantly and awaited their arrival.
Regina wavered as the booms landed in the distance. Snow pulled her forward with an arm around her waist, supporting the weakened witch until she regained enough strength to break away and into a light jog. Regina nodded at her gratefully. By the time they reached the ship, Emma had been safely tucked into the bed of Hook's quarters and Ariel had been hoisted aboard.
The Jolly Roger had already moved too far from shore for them to board. Regina snagged Snow's hand without stopping and summoned her remaining magic reserves. They stumbled onto the deck, using each other for balance as they stopped their forward momentum. Snow gripped her biceps and heaved as reality settled around them once more. They'd done it.
"Hook, hold that bean at the ready, and get us as far from the island as possible. We can't leave until Emma recovers enough to go through a portal. I know that puts us at more risk, but traveling between realms might kill her if she's too weak." Regina ordered as she disentangled herself from Snow's arms, tossing the last bit over her shoulder as she descended the stairs.
Ruby glanced up protectively at her sudden presence. Her cloak calmed her rage, so she hadn't necessarily known she came down the stairs. Green eyes stared around the cabin, and Regina's shoulders dropped in relief. Ruby's blood potion worked on regular wounds as well as poison. David had probably been completely healed by now.
"Regina," Emma's raw, damaged voice called for her, and Emma reached for her with a hand attached to a mangled wrist.
"I'm going to go up top and keep watch for Pan. I'm sure this isn't over," Ruby dismissed herself quietly but not before kissing Regina's cheek and squeezing forearm in silent support.
"Regina," Emma called for her again, voice growing in strength. Something had changed between them. It was palpable. Emma's timid gestures of love disappeared, and Regina's hesitance followed it out the door as Ruby closed it behind her. The ache hadn't lessened, but she refused to allow it to dictate her actions anymore.
"Come here," Emma ordered and pointed at her hips, Regina's favorite spot. She constantly straddled Emma as often as the opportunity presented itself.
With a deep breath, Regina complied. A shocked gasp erupted from her lips when Emma sat up with more strength than she should have possessed and pulled their lips together with two hands on either side of her face. Their breasts pressed together, and Regina's body jerked with the familiar adrenaline and arousal Emma's toned body always inspired.
"Emma, stop. Emma, please," Regina pleaded and pushed her shoulders with shaking hands.
"No," Emma answered and met her eyes.
Air caught in Regina's throat at the unadulterated desire burning in those bright green eyes. Her chest heaved as Emma grabbed the ring between her breasts and jerked, breaking the thin chain. It clattered to the floor, and Emma grabbed her hand.
"Never again," she commanded quietly, but her tone told Regina it was a plea rather than an order.
She blinked rapidly when the warm metal encased her finger once more. Whatever possessed Emma in that torture hut lingered and gave into her primal urges of want, take, have. Regina swallowed roughly when those animalistic eyes met hers again as Emma pulled her left hand to her mouth and pressed a kiss over the ring. She opened her mouth to asked Emma her intentions, sucked in a harsh breath, closed it.
"I can't tell you what tomorrow will bring, Regina, but tonight, right now… I'm going to make you feel me again," Emma vowed, and Regina believed.
"And if you can't feel my love inside your soul, then you'll feel it in our child's," Emma said cryptically and pressed her hands flat against Regina's lower stomach.
"What do you mean?" Regina blurted weakly, distracted by the sudden throbbing between her thighs.
"This is Neverland. If you believe it, you make it happen, and I'm going to give you a child tonight Regina. And if I can't make you feel me inside again, the moment our child moves with life, you'll know. It will come back. True Love knows," Emma explained in a slow, reverent voice. She already sounded so much like her Emma, strong and resilient but still broken.
Tears dripped onto Regina's cheeks, but no other words filled the cabin. Her blue jacket crumpled to the floor, followed by two shirts and two bras. They were both filthy and covered in blood and sweat and tears, and they'd never wanted each other so badly in their entire relationship. Their bodies came together, hardened nipples brushing against warm flesh.
Lips met, moved, rediscovered. Gentle sighs surrounded them, and when Emma laid her lover atop the cool sheet and covered her heat skin with her own, tears slipped into their kiss. They knew this dance, and brains shut down as their bodies traced the steps perfectly.
Skin slid. Teeth scraped. Fingers slid into tight velvet walls. Regina dug her nails into Emma's back and shoulders, clinging for dear life as Emma stimulated her body perfectly. Her heart searched desperately for the accompanying emotion and came up empty again and again. Still, she gasped and sighed as her body reacted to the familiar touch of her lover. Her body remembered even if her heart couldn't.
"I love you, Regina," Emma whispered against her throat. Walls clenched around three steady fingers.
"I believe," they said again when Regina's breath hitched. She was close.
"Our daughter will have your hair," Emma continued, and Regina's hips bucked, increasing the pressure between her legs.
"Your skin." Thrust, thrust, sigh, clench.
"My eyes." Emma stroked her firmly and then slammed into her, intentions clear.
"My attitude." Regina moved bodily as Emma continued to describe the child she believed she made.
"Our combined intelligence and strength." Teeth clamped onto her pulse point, and Regina bucked. She was so close, and her love generally pushed her over the edge at this point. Not today, but Emma never faltered, never gave indication of defeat. She saw it through to the very end, no matter the consequence, good or bad.
"She'll restore your love," Emma whispered and slammed into her one more time. "I believe."
Regina came undone, and Emma drew with tiny flicks and wiggles of her fingers. She still knew how to drive Regina up the wall, love or not.
"I believe," Regina answered and then gasped as another wave pulled through her. She searched desperately for that tug of affection that had been inspiring tears with her orgasms lately. It never came, but neither had the pain of touching Emma that had become a constant throb.
Emma brought her down with lazy kisses on her lips and neck, no rush in her gestures. When Regina reached for her body with the intention of returning the favor of sexual pleasure, Emma's hand stilled her own.
"Just this," Emma explained as though Regina understood what it meant.
Lips connected, and Regina wrapped her arms around Emma's back. They allowed it to linger, one desperately filling herself with the love and the other expressing the emotions her partner no longer felt. A sliver of conscience told Regina that this should never have gone this far, but as Emma's lips continued to move against hers, she realized that she enjoyed the attention if the accompanying emotion was unattainable.
"How do you feel?" Emma whispered. Panting for breath, she pressed their foreheads together, and Regina's hand buried into hair against her scalp.
"Well, it certainly didn't disappoint, not that you ever had in this or any department. But I don't feel you, Emma. I don't love you, but I'd like to continue kissing you, if that's okay." Regina answered the question honestly.
"Do you believe?" Emma asked and grappled with her disappointment.
"I believe, Emma." Lips fell together and then parted at the sudden spark igniting beneath their skins, renewed passion, renewed lust. It wasn't love, but it was a start. Regina brought them back together forcefully and gave herself over to the heated touches.
They startled apart when a shrill scream met their ears from the deck above. Two women never dressed so quickly in their lives, but they weren't nearly fast enough to thwart the new attack. A swirling whirlpool of the portal sucked them in, but not all of them.
"Where's Ruby?" Regina yelled at Snow.
"Pan!" She pointed in the air where the wolf struggled and fought against a dark shadow that carried her towards the island.
Green and brown eyes met, immediately coming to an understanding. Emma grabbed her mother in a hug, and Snow pulled back with wide eyes.
"Emma! No! She told us to go without her!" Snow screamed. Emma shook her head.
"Take care of Henry! I love you, Mom!" She shouted over the roar of the portal.
They were too far in. Hook had no option but sail into the portal or risk killing all of them. David wrapped strong arms around his wife and nodded at his daughter and her true love. Emma met his eyes. Regina's arms circled her waist from behind, and they disappeared in a puff of purple.
Please let them come home was the collective prayer as the portal swallowed them, and left behind three of the strongest women and biggest heroes any of them had ever known.