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Songs: Breaking Point by Amaranthe
40 Days after Belle's Departure
"Regina!" Ruby burst into her room, and the witch shot straight up. Between the dim light peeping around the curtains and the disheveled state of Ruby's clothes and hair, she figured that the wolf awoke at her accustomed time to open the diner. "She's gone! Alex is gone!"
"Annabel?" Regina asked as she tossed the covers back. An absence of a second body in her bed sent a shock to her system before a smile spread slowly.
"Ruby, remove your cloak," Regina rasped with her morning voice, slightly irritated but also wildly amused by her best friend's paranoia.
Ruby obeyed with shaking hands, and then collapsed to her knees in front of Regina. The witch scratched at her hair and waited impatiently for the wolf to compose herself. "They're in the kitchen," she mumbled into Regina's thighs.
Regina petted her friend's hair and sighed. "I'm pleased you're finally sleeping through the night."
"Yeah, well, it's easier to sleep when you aren't being hunted. It's been three weeks since Jason tried to kidnap Emma, and nothing's happened. Are we in agreement that Neal went nuts and tore up our lives for the hell of it?" Ruby wondered aloud, and Regina hummed her affirmative. Even she began slackening the knot of anxiety that had become a near-permanent fixture in her gut.
"I just wish Belle would answer my phone calls and texts." Ruby nuzzled into the space between her thighs as a response, content to sit quietly in silence with another human being. An eyebrow quirked, smirk growing. Regina nearly counted down the seconds in her head to Ruby's second freak out of the morning.
"Why aren't you wearing pants!" Ruby exclaimed and repelled from the bare skin as if her moisturizer contained acid specifically designed to burn wolves. Her thin butt bounced off the floor as she scrambled from her friend.
"This is my bedroom, Miss Lucas," Regina purred as she leaned back on widely spread arms and crossed her legs.
Ruby sputtered. "You and Emma…" She waved her hand indignantly and pretended that Regina wore more than a red lacy bra and matching silk panties. Her eyes darted frantically and finally settled on the floor as she reclaimed the hood around her throat.
Regina chuckled lazily, the morning lull of her mind settling now that crisis had been averted. "Soon, I hope. I'm quite exhausted from keeping myself immaculately prepped." Her eyes flicked to her crotch and then to Ruby's wide eyes. The wolf glowed a bright red, and Regina almost felt bad about embarrassing her more.
"Why aren't you in pajamas?" Ruby growled and retreated to the en suite bathroom to splash water on her face. She understood Regina's pain. She'd not felt Belle's touch for the same amount of time.
Regina sighed into the memory of the previous night. "Emma removed them two minutes before she decided she wasn't ready," she murmured, knowing Ruby's acute hearing registered every syllable. Lazy fingers snagged the garments from the carpet and worked them haphazardly onto her body.
"You have more self-control than I'll ever have." Ruby emerged looking much better now that a heart attack wasn't imminent.
"Yes, well," she cleared her throat and exited the room ahead of her wolf, "if petting refrains from penetrating much longer, I may have to enchant a dildo."
Ruby's foot caught on the heel of the other, sending her stumbling forward into Regina's back. The sorceress grunted and hid a self-satisfied smirk for the umpteenth time that morning. Despite Ruby's many heated liaisons, the woman remained utterly naïve and flabbergasted when speaking of sexual acts. It created an endearing helix of experience and innocence, another reason Emma continued to receive free passes to take her so close to the edge only to leave her dangling with an insatiable ache. She found the combination utterly adorable.
Sometimes, though, Emma's teasing remarks floated nostalgia to the surface. She missed the light and harmless flirting the four of them shared before this mess started. If Belle refused to return soon, she intended to throw her back into the now abandoned asylum beneath the hospital and torture her for another 28 years.
When they reached the kitchen, both women stopped and stared at the scene that greeted them. Bowls and ingredients littered the island - flour and eggs and vegetables and a multitude of other dry articles. What the hell was Emma making?
The thought commanded her attention for only a fraction of a second. Annabel sat in her swing on the table, bright green eyes wide and attentive. Emma and Alex danced in the center of the room to some silly song about blood flow. The savior sang terribly, and Alex giggled and shrieked with joy.
"And if your feet fall asleep?" Emma asked the toddler.
"Not circling right," Alex answered, almost pronouncing the big word correctly. Apparently, they'd listened to the song quite a few times.
She kicked to the beat of the song, almost a jazz kick but styled to the rhythm of Emma Swan. Regina and Ruby turned their necks at the same time, finding an identical expression of wide eyes and slacked jaws. The song ended, and Alex clapped and then wrapped herself around Emma's leg. Neither noticed the arrival of the other adults as of yet.
"Janet!" Alex screamed, and Emma dragged the girl sitting on her foot to the table where her laptop blared School House Rock songs.
The two fairytale characters watched in fascination, never having seen or heard the educational show before. Emma, however, knew every single word. They swayed to the slow lyrical beginning. Emma pointed towards the sky in the first stage of sunrise. Alex followed her finger with wonder twinkling in her eyes. As the song speeded, she lifted Alex to her shoulders suddenly. Alex shrieked in surprise and the joy when Emma simulated a rocket with Alex as its pilot.
Ruby jerked, fearing for her daughter's safety as much as Emma's tender head. Regina stopped her with a soft hand on her forearm.
"Interplanet Janet, she's a galaxy girl. A solar system miss from future world. She travels like a rocket with her comet team, and there's never been a planet Janet hasn't seen. No, There's never been a planet Janet hasn't seen." Emma spun, the image of bliss. Regina melted at the glimpse of the Emma she'd lost.
"Wolf!" Alex called and clapped her hands. Emma froze in mortal terror at being discovered.
Regina simply stared with a softness that made her squirm. It looked a lot like love, and it scared the hell out of her. Alex jumped from the strong shoulders and into her mother's waiting arms, startling her from the moment. The timer on the oven beeped, and Emma retreated to the breakfast distraction gratefully.
The pan with two quiche pies barely clattered on the burner to cool when two warm hands snaked around Emma's waist. "Miss Swan, I do believe domesticity suites you," a sensual purr vibrated against the shell of her ear.
"Annabel is fed and pumped of puke. Alex and I are made breakfast," she said instead of respond to the insinuation from her almost-lover. "Kids irritate me," Emma added in weak protest, wincing at the lack of conviction in her voice.
Rather than allow Regina retaliation of that fact, Emma spun slowly in the embrace. A plump lower lip stretched between beautiful white teeth, and Emma swallowed roughly, unable to rip her eyes from Regina's mouth. She felt like a rabbit being set upon by a sleek panther. When those tantalizing lips claimed her own, the rabbit submitted willingly. She moaned.
It surprised both of them. The sound filled the room, revealing her desire. Cool hands slid up curved sides and held Regina's ribs, pulling them flush. Emma jolted bodily when her hips hit the island. Teeth and tongue drew hums and moans and gasps into the kitchen.
"Hey guys," Ruby whispered and swiped a hand between their faces, starting at their foreheads. Regina growled and glared a silent death curse that Ruby hadn't seen since the war between the White and Dark Kingdoms when she'd been Snow White's personal bodyguard.
"One, my daughter is present." Ruby pointed to the little girl staring up at her aunts in fascination. It'd been a while since she'd seen them kiss.
"Two, Katy just came in the front door. Either of you want to handle that or should I just go?" Ruby glanced between the two flushed and panting women and responded with one curt nod. "Going. Please don't make me explain s-e-x to my daughter already."
Satisfied with her point, Ruby chased Katy down the stairs. Shuffling and a light moan whispered into the hall leading to the large open space at the end that Katy transformed from a storage area to her sleeping space. A part of her knew that the sounds were private, not meant for her wolf ears. The dire need to discover why the magic of her wolf grew stronger slapped her in the face, completely distracting her from the issue at hand. Her thin hand poised to tap on the door frame but stopped short at the sight that greeted her in Katy's room. She should have listened more closely.
Katy fought with her shirt, back to the door. She managed it over one arm and left it around her neck and broken wrist. Bruises and scratches covered her back. The pink line of a bullet graze three weeks old stood out starkly against the pale flesh of her back. Ruby studied it reverently. They were all warriors. They all had scars, but none of them sported fresh bruises on their ribs.
Ruby rushed forward without considering the implications of startling a wounded warrior. Katy spun on the ball of her foot, a precisely aimed fist following. Ruby blocked the punch easily and caught the girl by her shoulders before she fell over.
"Katy, what the hell happened?" Fear-spiked adrenaline surged into her fingers, and she consciously forced them to relax on the trembling shoulders.
"Nothing," Katy huffed and jerked free. A sharp cry followed, and Ruby caught her again before the pain brought her to her knees.
"Sit," she ordered, anger swelling in her chest.
"Ruby, I'm fine. Damn it, leave me alone!" Katy pushed her away again but sank into the chair at her desk anyway.
"Hey, listen up, kid. Shut your damn trap and let me look at these. I think you have fractured ribs," Ruby pulled out her best Commander Red voice, and the girl settled.
A moment passed. Ruby nodded once, reaching silent understanding with her niece and pulled the fabric from her head. "Seriously, Katy, what happened?" She nudged and rubbed her fingers over the bruises.
Their relationship teetered between that line of complete trust and mutual respect since the morning they'd painted the wall at the youth center. Like Emma before she'd been injured, Ruby had been granted a hesitant stay of reticence. They never spoke much, but Katy accepted her gentle touches and hesitant comfort without too much fuss.
Katy winced, teeth drying painfully beneath the suction of cool air. "I fell off a ladder at the youth center this morning. It took me a while to get up," the last bit she admitted with an embarrassed mumble. "I'm usually back before anyone gets up."
Ruby laid her forearm across a muscular thigh and grinned up at the girl. They were so similar. "You've not been sleeping much since Captain's death. Is that normal or a new thing?"
"It's normal. I've not slept since my family was killed, not really, not beyond what my body and brain needs to function. Exhausted is pretty much my baseline. I've grown accustomed to it." Katy explained, a little disappointed that the lie slipped by Ruby so easily. Why could no one but him see her?
"I know what you mean," Ruby agreed, her worry fading. They'd not been attacked since Neal's death. She cautiously dared to place the blame for their latest upheaval on his memory. No one mourned his death, except Rumeplstiltskin and rarely Emma.
"I'm not sure I slept for years after I found out I was a wolf, not until Belle kept the nightmares away."
Hazel eyes studied the older woman's face, those haunted eyes that refused to meet hers. "How come?"
Ruby avoided the question and snagged the peroxide and box of gauze pads from Katy's desk that she kept close by in case of mishaps while sparring. The girl lived and breathed the life of a warrior with an odd mixture of teenager and lonely orphan. Ten years ago, they'd have been indistinguishable when studied next to one another.
Ruby dabbed at the scratches. "I killed someone I loved very much because I didn't know I was a wolf and that I had to wear my hood to keep from transforming."
Pain and grief danced on Ruby's face for a brief second before she slammed the curtain on the performance. Katy's brow furrowed in confusion. Who had this person been to her to cause that much visible anguish over ten years later? Ruby's gentle fingers washed the question from her mind when she gripped her arms and led her to the bed.
Nothing more passed between them. Katy changed into pajamas with her assistance and slipped into an agitated sleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. Ruby watched her sleep for a few minutes, only then remembering she was supposed to have scolded the girl for leaving the house in the middle of the night without informing them of her whereabouts. They fully believed her capable of defending herself, but everyone got caught off guard at times. She let it slide.
Sullen expressions met her when she returned upstairs. The hearts in her chest dropped to the floor and cowered in fear. "What now?"
Regina poured a cup of coffee and slid it across the island. With a nod towards the small breakfast table, she retreated to Emma's side near the coffee pot. Ruby followed their joint gaze. Eva sat at the table with Alex wrapped in a possessive embrace on her lap and Annabel's tiny hand in her hair. Her forehead rested on the small bed where the infant gurgled and babbled, the only two aside from Lauren capable of comforting their tortured friend.
"I've already called Amelia and David and Bethany," Emma offered, trying to be helpful in her compromised state.
Regina wrapped slightly trembling arms around her waist and tucked her head beneath Emma's chin. "Lauren's missing," she explained, unconsciously tightening her arms.
"I was called in for an emergency appendectomy last night," Eva explained, defeat evident in her voice and posture. Alex nuzzled further into her chest, understanding the adult needed her in that moment.
"It was a young child, so I never bothered waking her. When I returned, our apartment was a wreck. There was blood, not a significant amount. She fought whoever took her." Tears burned her throat, and she straightened her spine, teetering between rage and overwhelming grief.
Air pressure changed as the front door opened. "Just me!" Amelia called from the foyer a moment before she appeared in the doorway.
"I'm glad you called. This was left on my front porch some time last night," she gushed and tossed down a box on the messy island.
"What the hell happened in here?" Big brown eyes flitted around the abnormally messy kitchen and then settled on the box. The question remained unanswered.
"Amelia," Ruby caught her attention and then leaned in close with a glance to Alex. "What the hell is in that box?"
The copper tang of blood tickled her nostrils, and Ruby gritted her teeth. Yellow eyes flared, and Amelia almost cowered. A deep breath returned the rich chocolate. Another uncoiled the wolf's shoulders of tension.
Amelia's haunted eyes met Eva's and then closed. "It's a finger," she whispered. Eva paled further and buried her face in Alex's hair, shielding the girl from the horror taking place across the room as well as comforting herself.
"There's a note," she continued. "It says 'She should have let The Savior die.'"
"I'm calling a Council meeting," Regina broke the sickening silence. "I'm officially alerting every single citizen in Storybrooke. This has gone beyond our family and will eventually encompass anyone who shows us kindness."
"Regina, that's going to cause mass panic," Emma protested and pulled back enough to meet her eyes.
Regina removed herself from the embrace, distancing the lighter emotions from her civic duty. "I have no option."
"I'm with Regina," Ruby piped. Of course, she was. "Plenty of people help us. Who's next? Marco for rebuilding the diner so quickly? Shay and Dawson for responding to Emma's accident? How about Arizona and Dr. Torres for reading Belle's X-rays the day she was attacked? Or Ben for clearing the radiology floor for us?"
The renewed apprehension settled into them, even Emma who understood very little of the threat but knew it to be real and dangerous. Their enemy remained hidden, silent. This escalation threatened any who may have played a significant role in their lives, no matter how fleeting.
"Can it be reattached, Eva?" Emma asked gently.
Eva shook her head. "Within 6-12 hours, but something tells me that I'm not going to see her by then."
"I'm sorry, Eva," Regina apologized for all of them. "You should probably stay away from us. You're a target, too."
Eva jerked to attention, nearly dislodging Alex from her lap. "I'll do no such thing. If Lauren is a target, then I am already one. I've already been one or can you not see the scars on my arm and face?" She stood, placing Alex on the floor gently, spine straight and chin tipped with defiance.
"If anyone can find her, it's you morons, and I'd rather get blown up again than let her down. She believes in you without doubt, even if I'm starting to question that."
Amelia stepped up. "I'll make a locator potion, but I'm not sure it will work." Confused disbelief followed the statement. "If someone took my potions or books, I'm sure they probably took the barrier potion as well. The instructions for setting it is right there in my book."
"But Lauren's a succubus," Ruby protested. "She should be able to convince anyone to let her go."
Emma jerked. "Succubus? Succubi are real, too?" The child-like whine in her voice pulled lifeless grins to lips, but none of them reached eyes.
"Yes, dear, they are extremely rare as are soul seers, which is Eva's gift. A single touch from another reveals their heart's intentions and desires and in some cases memories," Regina explained patiently. Emma opened her mouth to ask another question, decided it wasn't important, and clamped her teeth shut with a click.
Amelia chewed her lip and traced the edges of the box with thumb nails. "She and I…" A sigh. An apologetic glance towards her fellow surgeon. "We protected her heart, but she wanted extra insurance just in case. I made an immunity potion."
Eva turned her back, arms crossed tightly as she stared out the door towards the back deck. Amelia raked anxious fingers through her hair. "It only lasts a few hours at a time, but we had so many trials and errors that I wrote down the specific instructions. The one that breaks the enchantment on the heart, however, is up here." She pointed to her head. "No one knows it but me, so they won't be able to use her heart if they even have magic."
Regina nodded absently, working through the new information. "How much of this immunity potion did you create?" She poured another cup of coffee as she waited for the answer she feared.
Amelia laughed hollowly and shook her head, gaze glued to the box. Tears burned her eyes, and she blinked rapidly. "Enough for all of us for several days, the four of you and me and Eva. One or two people could be immune to her power for a month, maybe several if they staggered time spent with her."
Ruby slammed her coffee cup on the counter and grabbed Rumpelstiltskin's dagger. The reaction had become a knee-jerk response to magical stress, whether she realized it or not. "This is why I fucking hate magic. Everything we do to try and make shit better or prevent disaster is only making everything worse. Can we all agree that magic is a terrible idea this time?"
"It always comes with a price," Regina murmured. Her eyes, however, focused on Emma's slightly confused features instead of the wolf. Everyone's heart broke for her.
"There's more," Amelia broke the moment. "Caleb," her voice broke with unshed tears. "Caleb can mix potions."
When no one responded, she continued. "He's a novice, but with my book and detailed instructions…" She shrugged and wiped at tears. "I was teaching him more until we discovered that my potions had been used to kill The Council. I didn't know. I'm sorry."
Eva whirled, eyes glowing white with a visible representation of her power. "You think your boyfriend is the one attacking us, and you've only chosen now to inform everyone?"
Amelia squared her shoulders, head high. "If you remember, I was accused only a few weeks ago of being the one who turned against our family. I wanted to be sure, but too many possibilities for my potions warrants the information now."
"Well," Eva threw her hands in the air. "I'm so glad that you're sure now that my girlfriend has been kidnapped again to be used as a pawn in some sick game. Thank you for that, Amelia. You're incredibly fucking noble."
"I love him!" Amelia yelled back, chest heaving with the effort of saying those words aloud and the adrenaline of the moment. She crossed her arms protectively over her chest. "I'm in love with him," she added brokenly.
"Okay, this is getting us nowhere," Emma took control of the situation as older Emma might have done. "Eva, take Alex and Annabel into the living room. We need to help Amelia recreate her potion book so that we know what we're up against."
Eva's chest puffed as though she might protest and then deflated. They remained silent until she exited with the children. They should have been removed from the conversation ten minutes ago, Emma thought bitterly.
"Regina," she turned to her wife and almost lover. "Get The Council together. You're right. People need to know that they're under attack."
Regina smiled at Emma who behaved as their leader, not as the insecure woman who awoke just under six weeks ago. With a chaste kiss, Regina disappeared, and Emma briefly hoped that she poofed to their bedroom to put clothes on first.
"Amelia, you get started on that damn book and a list of all the potions that you had in your apartment when it blew up," she ordered the surgeon who gaped at her with a sense of awe. Emma squinted at the reaction but held her tongue.
"I already made one just in case. It's at my house."
"Fine. I'll go with you to get it. None of us should go anywhere alone until we figure this out. Rubes, I need you to start on a timeline. Start with the explosion at Amelia's apartment and work up to today. Get the dates as close to accurate as you can. They might be important. Get David to pull the files from the sheriff's station if you have to."
"On it, Ems," Ruby replied immediately and disappeared into the foyer.
Amelia beamed up at her, and Emma flinched. "What?"
Amelia's smile grew wider. "You're more like her than you think, older Emma. You just needed to find your confidence."
Emma shrugged and headed towards the foyer. Amelia smiled at the familiar brown riding boots covering her jeans to her knee. "I have no idea what I'm doing."
"And yet, we'll follow you to the end," she whispered to no one in the empty kitchen.