A/N: Hooray! New chapter! A little disclaimer, I have no idea on what the processes of an FBI investigation is so let's just imagine that this is how it goes for the sake of the story. I am also unsure of how the law works when it comes to criminal proceedings. If you are familiar with it, I would love to hear your input. Enjoy the chapter!
It had almost become routine. Every two nights, Belle would be invited or asked to be invited to Robert Gold's room where she would slip him a sleeping pill. She would then proceed to invite Regina down to the gym where they would spar together.
Belle had all the incriminating evidence the FBI needed when she broke into Gold's office the first time. She decided to continue the sparring sessions with the fighter partly to prepare her for the match and partly for her own body's need for a workout. Sitting behind a desk all day every day was taking its toll on the agent's body.
Regina was very grateful for Belle's kindness in helping her train. Both women had analysed the Russian fighter's moves. The agent would execute the moves while Regina practised taking the hit or countering the moves. They picked and choose which hits Regina should take and which to avoid. They obviously chose to avoid the moves that could potentially be lethal.
Their sessions would end with both women applying ointment to the other. Mostly it would be Belle applying the ointment to Regina as she took most of the hits. The young fighter was sitting on her bed in her room while Belle applied the ointment on her abdomen.
"What if this doesn't work?" Regina asked.
"I'm sorry?" Belle furrowed her brows, unsure of what the fighter was referring to.
"All this training. What if it looked too choreographed?"
"Have you ever studied your opponents' moves before?" The FBI agent asked.
"Yes, but I never trained to take the hit. What if Gold don't buy it?"
"Look, what you're doing is mostly to prepare yourself mentally. Vasiliev is not here plotting the moves with you. We don't know how strong she is compared to you. You need to lose convincingly. If we're lucky, you'll walk away with a few broken bones rendering you unable to fight anymore in the future." Belle explained.
"Why can't the FBI bust him before the match? Do you need more evidence?" Regina asked.
"We can't use any of the evidence without a warrant. The snooping I did is to confirm the mission should continue as planned. If we bust him now, the evidence gathered could get thrown out of court before the trial even begins."
"Why can't the law be more straight-forward?" The fighter said exasperatedly.
"Don't lose hope. Look, the match is only days away now."
"Four days away." Regina reminded.
"Right. Four days and then the son of a bitch will be put behind bars for the rest of his life."
"I hope so."
Regina did not say anymore after that. She just sat quietly while Belle inspects her body for any more injuries. The ointment was Belle's own recipe. She had to hide her bruises often when going undercover. It was similar to what the fighters used but her recipe included some beauty tips.
"Hey, Regina?"
"Yeah?"
"Tonight was the last time we spar together. I told Gold that I would be taking the next couple of days off."
"Oh" Regina sounded almost disappointed.
"My undercover work is almost over. I need to prepare the task force for the arrest."
"Right."
Belle could sense the worry in the other woman's voice.
"I'll be there during the match, cheering you on."
"You don't have to. I'm sure you'll be busy catching all the bad guys."
"But I want to. I really am rooting for you to come out of this alive. I feel like we've really gotten to know each other… as friends."
Regina laughed.
"Who would have thought that in my last days I would be making friends in Dragon Claws of all places!"
Belle laughed as well. The FBI agent tucked a strand of Regina's hair behind her ear. "Be careful in that cage."
Regina drew her face closer to Belle's. The FBI agent bit her bottom lip. Just as they were about to kiss, Belle's phone vibrated.
The two women broke apart.
"I'm sorry. It's my alarm. I need to go do a status update." Belle explained as she got up and packed her belongings.
"Right. Of course. It's fine."
Belle hurriedly gathered her things and bolted out of the room. Locking the door behind her.
Regina let out an exasperated sigh as she laid down on her bed.
"What the fuck was that?" She asked herself, confused about the whole situation.
*.*.*.*.*
"Bye, Emma!" Ava and Nicholas said in unison.
"Goodbye! Keep practising! You'll both be in the advanced class soon enough!" Emma said to the twins who were being ushered away by Jasmine, their social worker.
"You are a miracle worker," Lily said as she sidled up next to her best friend.
"What?"
"It's one thing to have the twins join the class and behave themselves. It's another when they both enjoy the classes so much that they want to enter a competition." The lanky brunette explained. "And it's been what? A week?"
"A little bit more than a week, I think."
"I love seeing you like this. All happy with a purpose in life."
"Those two just needed something to look forward to. They're lucky to enter the foster system in this neighbourhood. Most places would have just tossed them around and probably even separated them."
"Don't tell me you're thinking of adopting them." Lily teased.
"In our tiny apartment? I don't think so."
The two women did not notice David walking up to them.
"Emma, do you have a minute?" her manager asked.
"Erm… sure. What's up?"
Lily went off to clean up the training area to give Emma and David some privacy.
"How are you feeling?" David asked.
"Great."
"Good."
"David?"
"Yes?"
"What's going on?"
David sighed. He knew he should be transparent with the blonde, she deserved that much, but he didn't really know where to begin.
"Robert Gold just called me on the phone just now."
"Robert Gold? Regina's monster of a manager from Dragon Claws?!" Mentioning the man's name left a bad taste in her mouth.
"Yes."
"What does he want?"
"Well, Regina's match is in a few days. He has offered to fly you out to catch it."
"You're kidding! Why would he want me there?"
David did not answer her. He avoided making eye contact with the blonde."
"What did he tell you?"
"Look, it doesn't matter what his intentions are. Do you want to go?" The manager hated that he brought this offer to Emma. He should have just asked Gold to rot in hell but he also knew that the blonde would want to see her lover one last time.
The blonde let out a deep breath. "Yes," she said in a whisper.
"I'll let him know," David said and quietly walks back into his office.
Emma watched as he walked away. She wondered if she was ready to watch Regina die. Tears started streaming down her face at the thought.
A/N: Looks like the match is only a few days away. I would love to hear what you think will happen at the match. Why does Gold want Emma at the match? Will Regina make it out alive?