I'm even getting excited about bringing Emma and Sow back hahaha! It's gonna be a few more chapters yet though :) I love reading your reviews!
"You want me to what?" Regina was standing and pacing in front of James holding her face in her hands. She hadn't minded James continuing to search for Emma and Snow, they were his family and she understood the need to get your family back. She hadn't, however, planned to be their light house, their beacon, or their magnetic Pole that they had to follow to get there. She didn't exactly want them there, things were going better than she had ever hoped and now they were so close to getting back and they would ruin it all.
"Come on Regina, please," her stressed eyes met his momentarily before she pulled them away, "Rumplestiltskin says we need some sort of strong magic to lead them home and I can't think of anyone better for the job."
"Wait, you talked to Rumple? Why? His methods always come with an awful price!" She found herself leaning forward and shaking her head in disbelief and confusion.
"I needed answers, Regina and I didn't want to involve you unless I had to. I understand that you are not exactly first in line to give them a welcome home hug and that is fine. But now I need your help," he kept his voice soft so as not to anger her any further.
"Why don't you just go ask your friend Rumplestiltskin?" she almost snarled when she said his name.
"Because he's an ass," he shrugged. The comment made Regina stop pacing and laugh quietly and James couldn't think of a better time to break the other news to her, "and uh, he knows about us," his voice slowly faded as he braced himself for her get angry. He was glad they were at Snow's apartment and Henry was asleep just around the corner so she couldn't yell.
"What!" That man never went anywhere but his shop or his home and he was able to deduce that they were together. Granted his mind worked differently, constantly finding and solving people's lives but if he was able to figure it out then it wouldn't be much longer before the rest of the town put the pieces together. What if he told someone? Her heart skipped and she ran her fingers through her hair. Gossip in this town spread like wildfire in a dry grass field. Her entire body was tense with anger and worry.
"The deal was I answer a question and then he'd answer mine. How was I supposed to know he'd ask about us?" He kept his voice at a loud whisper as he pleaded his case.
"Why did he want to know? He never asks for anything unless there is some big underlying gain that you aren't aware of until he uses it against you. Like that whole stands of yours and Snow's hair thing, innocent at first glance but then just blows up in your face when he makes a true love potion," she had her arms waving in the air as she ranted.
"I really don't think he's going to use this as a weapon against us," he reached up and held Regina's waist to keep her from pacing.
Regina looked down at him, "but we can't know that for sure. He's known for his ridiculous twists, it's like he's taken it upon himself to let no one forget that everything comes with a price!"
"Come here," he gave he her waist a gently tug and watched her give in and collapse on to the couch next to him, "we'll be fine."
"But what if we're not?"
"Then we'll work our way back up to being fine," he rubbed her back in an attempt to get her to relax. "What do you say? Will you help me?" Letting out a long huff, Regina leaned into him resting her head on his chest.
"What am I supposed to say to you? No?"
"So I'll take that as a 'yes James of course I'll help I didn't even have to think twice!' if that's okay with you," he laughed into the top of her head which was still tangled with wood shavings.
"Don't push your luck Charming," she mumbled tiredly in to his chest which started to bounce lightly from his quiet laughter.
...
Red climbed the stairs to Snow's apartment and knocked lightly on the door but no one came. Confused, she looked at her cellphone to check the time and then tried knocking again. James had asked her last night to meet him here because he had gotten closer to getting Snow and Emma back and yet he wasn't answering the door. Growing impatient because she could smell him in there, she took the spare key from its hiding place and quietly let herself in. She did not know what to make of what she found.
James was sitting on the couch asleep with his arm around Regina who was asleep on his chest with her legs curled beside her. She thought about leaving but then she would be thinking about it all day and it would have driven her crazy. Closing the door quietly behind her, she tiptoed to the couch and laid a hand on James' shoulder, "James. James wake up," she pulled her hand away as he began to stir.
"Red? What are you doing here?" his voice was a quiet whisper as the sleep left his body, "oh right I told you to come," he blinked his eyes awake and found Red looking at him as though she needed an explanation. It all made sense what she flicked her eyes to Regina and then back to him. Crap.
Following her gaze he took in a sharp breath, "what the hell?" he didn't want to wake Regina, she looked tired and comfortable and he wanted to hold her and fall back asleep. But Red was here and that would not go over smoothly. He lifted his arm off of her as if he had been burned, "Regina. Wake up! Regina!" He felt bad when she scrunched her face shut.
"James? What are you doing?" She kept her eyes closed and buried her face deeper in to his chest.
"Regina, Red is here and we would both really appreciate it if you would get up now," the urgency of the situation began to leak through his voice and he was relieved to see her dark eyes flash open.
Taking in a sharp breath she simultaneously pushed herself up and supported her weight with her hands on James' chest. She stared at Ruby while she gathered her scrambled thoughts. She then looked at Charming and then to her hands on his chest and she pulled them away instantly and gave him a look of confusion with a hint of disgust just for good measure. She looked around the room as if she didn't know where she was before she landed her eyes back on James, "were you holding me Charming?" Her voice came off in her well practiced critical and suggestive tone and she was impressed it came out so smoothly.
"Yes, but it's not like I had anywhere else to put my arm," he could almost laugh at their charade but he kept his appearance frustrated, "you were the one who was holding me!"
Regina smiled coldly, "well then I hoped you enjoyed it cause that's all you're getting," she shook her head slowly and put her feet back on the floor and stood up straight and walked a little further away. She stood back with her arms folded over her chest and slightly pursed her lips to make sure she looked as though she was entirely displeased with sleeping on James.
"Anyway," Red clapped her hands together, "now that that's dealt with what did you want to tell me?" James pulled his eyes away from Regina, she was doing an excellent job, "yes I went to see Rumplstiltskin yesterday and he confirmed my theory."
"Well that's great! I mean that means we are getting closer right?"
"Exactly! Now he said that we need to create something that will lead them here, a sort of strong magic that will stand out on their radar. And that," he turned his body toward Regina who was still standing with her arms crossed looking wonderfully unimpressed, "is where Regina comes in."
"You've agreed to help?" Red sounded a little skeptical of Regina's decision.
"Your Prince here can be quite persuasive. It took him all night but I guess Snow's stubbornness rubbed off on him," she gave him a sarcastic smile and then turned back to Red, "but yes I have agreed to help."
"Well great!" She couldn't help but laugh a little at the stubbornness comment, "so have you got any ideas?"
"No."
Red shook her head at her, "no?"
"It seems that we fell asleep before we could get any further than her agreeing to help," James caught Red's eyes assuring her that nothing out of the ordinary had happened, "seems Henry had tired his mother out yesterday."
"Yes, why are you such a mess? I mean don't get me wrong it's refreshing to see you like this," she grinned, "but wood shavings?"
Regina softened her stare, "I was in the stables." Her voice was quiet and soft and her arms around her chest became more of a protective barrier than an unimpressed stance.
Red's grin disappeared, "oh. I'm sorry."
"That's alright dear," she cleared her throat and changed the subject, "you wouldn't happen to have any ideas would you?"
"No but I can ask around if you'd like? I'm sure the fairies would know something and if the dwarves find any fairy dust I'm sure that wouldn't hurt," she bit her bottom lip as she thought. "I know we'll figure this out," she spoke suddenly, "and as long as Regina here doesn't enact any funky curses I'm sure we'll get them back in no time."
"Trust me dear, I have no desire to curse any of you," Regina raised her eyebrows and shook her head letting out a half hearted laugh.
Red shook her head and sucked in some air making a hissing sound through her closed teeth, "see there's that trust thing again. Still not working for me," she smiled at Regina, "when you bring them back then we'll visit the whole trust thing again. And I will probably give you a big hug and you are going to take it."
"Is that right?" Regina moved her arms from her chest and rested her hands on her hips.
Red nodded, "yes it is! You wanna grab lunch later?" she offered as she backed toward the door.
"Sure," Regina had started to grow fond of the time she spent with Red.
"Alright cool, I'll see you later then. I'll talk to some people and see what they think of this whole mark on the radar thing," smiled and waved her hand in goodbye.
"Thanks Red," James called as she shut the door. Both he and Regina waited until they heard her go down the stairs and out the main door before either of them made a sound in fear of her hearing them with her sensitive ears. As the soft sound of the second door closing reached their ears they both began to laugh.
"That was way too close!" James laughed and pulled Regina in to him as she walked back over with her arms at her side.
Regina sunk down next to him laughing, "you think she bought it?" She grinned at him.
"I would be surprised if she didn't! You gave such a believable performance that if I didn't know better I would have thought you despised me."
"Maybe I do," she grinned and leaned in closer.
"I doubt that," and he moved in and captured her lips in his kissing her soft and long. She still smelled like horses and it was a welcome smell to wake up to.
"What were you guys laughing at," Henry walked in to the room rubbing his eyes as he wandered to the front of the couch. When he put his hands back down he saw that they had finished their kiss and his mother was nestled comfortably in James' arms with her head on his chest.
"Nothing, Red just paid us a visit. Your mother here has agreed to help us get Snow and Emma back," he smiled softly.
Henry's eyes widened, "really!?"
"Yes," Regina answered with a warm smile, "but I'm going to have to ask for you to postpone our deal that I don't use magic for when I'm helping James. I promise not to use it for any other occasion.
"Yes sure!" He lunged at Regina wrapping his arms around her as best he could, "thank you!" He had never thought that she would ever agree to join forces with them to get Emma and Snow back. With her helping them now he knew that they wouldn't fail, she was too strong and too proud to fail. He pulled back so he could see his mothers face, "can we go ride again today?"
"Of course," she pushed the hair out of his face, "after lunch okay? I've got to go home and change and shower. And this time I'll wear something a little more appropriate," she winked at him and laughed at his jittery excitement.