Disclaimer: Not my characters. Pity.

A/N: Thank you all for the many reviews after the last chapter. I haven't been able to reply to all of them yet because real life has been kicking my but this week, but I do appreciate every single one of them.

Chapter 7: Desperately Seeking …

Regina lay on the floor for a long time after she had sent Emma away. Her mind was in turmoil but her body was strangely calm and relaxed, and that was a most unsettling contrast. Finally, she got herself together enough to get to her feet and walk into her bedroom, pulling her disheveled clothes off her body.

She took what felt like the longest shower of her life, letting the never-ending hot water soothe her busy mind. At the end of her shower, she wondered what Emma was thinking, doing, feeling right now only every other minute, and she celebrated that by going to bed with a nightcap.

Even after the shower her senses insisted they were smelling Emma in the air around her. What had Emma been trying to say to explain herself? Emma had been so sure in her actions, in the way she took Regina. Was she really going to apologize for that? Or was it something else she wanted to say. Maybe you should have let her talk, she reminded herself. At least then you'd know for sure that she rejected you.

Not being certain was going to be the death of her, especially now … after that.

Now that she had felt Emma's touch, knew what it was like to be kissed by her, loved by her, held by her, how on earth was she supposed to forget it and move on? How was she going to survive without it?

Regina fell into a restless sleep with thoughts of Emma running through her mind and the memorized scent of Emma surrounding her, her body aching for Emma's arms around her.

Her drink remained untouched.

o o o

Emma was completely out of sorts the next morning, after too little rest and a night spent thinking about Regina and what had happened between them. There had been no thought of sleep with her body wired and running on arousal and adrenaline while her mind kept spinning around the enigma that was Regina.

After hours of tossing and turning Emma had come to at least one conclusion about their encounter … or maybe it was two. Regina wanted her as much as she wanted Regina. And Regina was scared. What Emma hadn't been able to figure out was what exactly had Regina so terrified that she couldn't stand Emma's presence or why she had run away.

She was still pondering the questions when she sent Henry off to school and when she took a long shower that made her late for work. She was distracted on the drive to the station by thoughts of how she could find her way back to Regina's hiding spot. There had to be a way to track magic somehow but her own magic abilities were not evolved enough to figure it out on her own. With Gold gone that left either the Blue Fairy or Tink, and Emma knew instantly which woman she would prefer.

"Are you okay?" David's question roused her from her musings.

"Yeah, sure," she replied automatically. "Why?"

"Well, for one I've been saying good morning for about two minutes straight now," David explained. "And you haven't said anything yet, so …" He motioned for Emma to jump in and explain her behavior. When she didn't he sighed. "You know you can talk to me, right?"

Emma was inexplicably annoyed that her father had managed to interrupt her thinking and planning. "Did Snow put you up to this?"

David gave her a strange look. "Put me up to what?"

"Nothing." She sure as hell wasn't going to start this conversation.

"Is this about you walking out of the brunch with Snow and Neal yesterday?" David asked knowingly. "Did something happen with Neal?"

Emma looked up at the protective undertone in David's question. "Did Snow say something to you? Or Neal?"

"Neal stays as far away from me as possible," David replied with a smirk. "He knows what's good for him. I'm not about to forgive him for what he did to you just because he came back from the dead."

Emma smiled, the first genuine smile that day. "I wish he'd stay away from me, too," she stated softly, "but he doesn't seem to get the message, no matter how often I tell him."

David nodded, sudden understanding on his face. "And it doesn't help at all that Snow keeps trying to get you two together." Emma nodded with a grimace. "I can talk to her, if you want," David offered.

"Can't hurt," Emma agreed. "I already told her but she just won't listen."

"I know." David patted Emma's shoulder. "Once she gets an idea in her head, it's hard to talk her out of it. At least you come by it honestly."

"Are you saying I'm stubborn?"

David held up his hands. "I'm saying you're … tenacious," he amended with a wide grin. "If you want something, you'll go after it."

"That's not as easy as it sounds," Emma muttered. "What if you can't get what you want? What if you want something that doesn't want you back?"

"Something? Or someone?" David asked gently. "Is there someone you have your eye on?"

Emma got up from her chair. "David … Dad, I appreciate the question but I don't … can't talk about it." She grabbed the cruiser keys and her leather jacket. "I'm going on patrol, don't know when I'll be back."

David could only nod and wonder what was going on with his daughter. He had seen her confused, he had seen her angry, but he had never seen her like this. He made a mental note to talk to Snow; if he could help Emma by keeping Neal away from her and by telling Snow to stop her meddling, he would do his best to do it.

He looked up when Emma stormed back through the door. "Do we have a map of Storybrooke?" she asked, sounding as if she had run through half the town in the last two minutes. "Not just the town … with the woods around it and everything?"

David reached into a drawer and wordlessly handed her what looked like a thick brown bundle. Emma unfolded it, just to look at it in bewilderment. "This is hand-drawn," she commented. "On parchment."

"It's the most accurate map we have," David reassured her. "We had the dwarves draw it up and Gold checked it once it was done. It's not like you can find Storybrooke on Google Maps."

There was a gleam in Emma's eyes. "Does Regina know this exists?"

David shook his head once and Emma took off again with a grin.

o o o

Regina couldn't remember when she'd ever woken up this late. Her mornings normally started at 6am, not 10. She shook her head, disgusted with her lazy behavior, before rolling out of bed. She checked herself in the bathroom and almost reared back. She looked different, and not just because of the way her hair was sticking all over the place after going to bed with wet hair the night before. No, it was something in her face, her eyes, an expression she almost didn't recognize as it had been so long since she'd seen it.

Regina shook her head again, trying to get rid of the expression and the feeling behind it. There was no place for it in her life, in her situation. Who had need for hope? Hope couldn't make you happy. Or even content. No, hope meant you were always chasing after something you couldn't have, something that was always just out of reach.

Just like Emma Swan.

Regina let out her breath in a long exhale as the memories of her encounter with Emma came flooding back. The smells, the taste of Emma's lips and mouth, the feel of her in her arms, the confident way Emma pushed her against the door and made Regina hers. It had been fast, it had been anything but romantic but in many ways, Regina mused, it had been them.

Then Emma had ruined it by opening her mouth. And Regina had magically kicked her out. Despite the lump in her throat, Regina smirked at her reflection because, frankly, that had been so very them as well.

Regina tamed her hair, washed her face and brushed her teeth, pushing thoughts of Emma from her mind, or at least trying to. She couldn't afford to think too much, to analyze what had happened, knowing it would drive her crazy in no time. Already, every fiber of her being pushed her to get dressed and transport to wherever Emma was to drag her somewhere far away for a repeat performance. Only this time, she would be the one to take what she so desperately desired.

Regina had some coffee, then went to check the border. She paused at the door, resting her hand against it for a moment, imagining she could still feel the warmth of their bodies against it. Outside, she took a deep breath to get her equilibrium back. She wished she had thought of bringing a horse to the cabin, knowing that a long ride and the task of caring for a horse would bring her peace. Maybe a visit to the stables was in order …

Regina walked briskly towards her first border marker but slowed down as soon as she got close enough to realize something was wrong.

The border was down.

For a moment Regina stood still as a rock, listening to the sounds of the wind in the trees, waiting for an attack that didn't come. Who or what would have the power to take down her borders without her noticing? Why had her backup and warning system not alerted her or repaired the damage? What had happened between yesterday and today that could have done this?

And then it hit her.

"Emma." Regina breathed the name into the forest, watching as her breath ruffled a leaf, causing it to slowly drift to the ground. "But that would mean …" She couldn't finish the thought, didn't dare finish it. There was no way Emma loved her back, and … this … would only work if Emma felt the same way.

Only true love's kiss would break curses, and any spell that threatened to keep the lovers apart. Regina swallowed. Maybe she should have listened to what Emma had wanted to say the night before. Maybe she should have extended a little more trust to the woman she loved.

Despite feeling a little overwhelmed, Regina smiled as she began the tedious work of rebuilding her defenses, this time adding a proviso: her true love would still not be able to see through the border but the magic would recognize her and let her pass if she managed to stumble across it.

Knowing Emma, that would happen sooner rather than later. And possibly literally as well as figuratively.

o o o

Emma drove to the harbor, hoping she would find who she was looking for at the docks or on the Jolly Roger.

"Hello there, Swan," Hook greeted her with a wide grin. "Finally come to your senses? Finally decided I'm the only man for you?"

Emma snorted. "Yeah, right."

Hook shrugged it off. "Can't fault a man for trying."

"And trying and trying and trying …" Emma shook her head. "What is it with you guys that you can't take no for an answer?"

Hook raised an eyebrow. "Trouble with the boyfriend, love?"

"I don't have one, so no," Emma replied as she looked around the deck distractedly.

"Looking for something specific, luv?"

"Someone," Emma replied. "Someone that's not you," she amended when she saw Hook opening his mouth.

To her surprise, the pirate actually looked a little sad at that. "She's below deck," he replied quietly. "I'll get her for you."

"There's no need," Tink said from the doorway that led to the lower decks. "What can I do for you, Savior?"

"Not call me that, for one." Tink nodded as she moved closer to Hook and came to a stop very close to him. Emma took note of that with a smile. They fit, she thought. "I have a question about magic."

"And you're asking me?" Tink looked surprised. "Why don't you ask Regina?"

Emma hesitated. She didn't want to divulge that Regina had disappeared but she needed information. "It's about Regina, at least indirectly," she finally said.

"Okay," Tink drawled. "I hope I can help you. My magic is mostly a thing of the past."

"Mostly?" Emma had thought it was gone for good.

"A tiny spark comes back sometimes," Tink explained. "Especially when I … we …" She stopped and looked at Hook with a blush, and Emma was happy to see that the pirate didn't show one of his superior smirks and was instead looking slightly uncomfortable as well. "Please, nobody knows," Tink rushed out. "We would like to keep it that way for now."

Emma smiled. "Don't worry," she said. "I can keep a secret."

"You're probably the only one in your family who can," Hook joked.

"Nah, Henry's pretty good at it, too," Emma replied. "For what it's worth, I think you two look good together."

Hook and Tink shared a look, then smiled at Emma. "Thank you."

Emma cleared her throat. "Is there any way to track magic when someone has used a spell?" she asked.

"That depends on many factors," Tink replied. "How much magic went into the spell, how much time has passed since it was cast …"

"It was a transportation spell," Emma clarified quickly. "So, hypothetically speaking, if someone was transported from one place to another, could they find their way back to the original place by tracking the magic trail?"

Tink gave her a knowing look. "When did this happen?" she asked. "Hypothetically speaking, of course."

"Last night," Emma said. "Around 2am."

Tink sighed. "That's probably too long ago." She smiled suddenly. "At least for normal human beings like us. Maybe a magic user could still find a trace or—"

"How about someone with exceptional senses?"

"Like a werewolf?" Tink knew about Ruby and her special abilities. "It's possible … but very unlikely. Like I said, it's been too long."

"Oh." Emma had hoped this would get her closer to Regina but it seemed like it was just another dead end. "Thank you anyway."

Emma turned and made her way off the ship and onto the dock. Before she could reach the cruiser a hand on her arm stopped her. "Wait, Emma."

"Yes?"

"You're trying to track Regina, right?" Tink asked confidently. When Emma hesitated she continued. "I went to her house three days ago, and then the day after but she was never home, so I'm thinking you're trying to find her as well." Still Emma hesitated. "I'm not going to tell anyone," Tink added reassuringly. "Not even Hook, if you prefer that."

Emma let out a sigh. "Regina is hiding somewhere," she explained grudgingly. "And I'm not sure why yet." She leaned against the cruiser and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "She … accidentally transported me to her hiding place last night and we … talked a little and—"

"You argued, she sent you back, you have no idea where she is?" Tink finished for Emma, her long experience with Regina helping to fill in the blanks.

"Exactly." Emma felt a certain sense of relief that she could talk about this with another adult now. "I need to find her, Tink."

Something in her voice must have alerted Tink to Emma's feelings. "You love her," she stated, her tone showing a certain sense of awe.

Emma just nodded, unable to find her voice.

"Do you think she's your true love?" Tink asked. She didn't even wait for Emma to react before she continued quickly, almost stumbling over her words. "If she is your true love, I might be able to help you, but I would have to get my hands on some fairy dust first."

"You can help?" There was so much hope in Emma's voice that Tink felt its pressure around her chest.

"I said I might be able to, and only if Regina is destined to be with you," Tink replied patiently. "The Blue Fairy would be much better suited to help you, actually. She enough fairy dust, I bet."

Emma barked out a laugh. "That's not going to happen," she muttered. "Regina would kill me."

"I'll do what I can, I promise."

Tink didn't sound too confident but she was all Emma had for now so she gave her a grateful smile. "Thank you."

Emma watched Tink walk back to the ship as she herself got into the cruiser. Next stop: Granny's diner. She needed someone with an exceptional nose.

Coffee and a bearclaw wouldn't hurt either.