Disclaimer: Not my characters. But given that we're all writing fanfic to someone else's AU fanfic of (mostly) Grimm's Fairy Tales, ...

Chapter 8: Practical Magic

Regina decided to take a hike in the forest, still on edge after restoring the magical protection around her border. Ignoring her tiredness after expanding a huge amount of energy through magic, she set off in the direction of her cabin.

She hadn't taken more than five steps when her thoughts went back to Emma, again. She wondered what the other woman was doing at the moment, where she might be. She imagined her at her desk at the sheriff station, maybe lazily throwing crumpled paper into the trash can in the corner. Or maybe she was driving around town in her cruiser, window open, the light breeze riffling her hair. Oh my Gods, you are in so much trouble. Regina cringed so hard at her own cheesy thoughts and the idiotic smile on her own face that she barely noticed the slight tingle at her lower back. She ignored it, focusing her thoughts as she walked inside her cabin to grab a jacket.

She set off from her cabin a few minutes later, dressed in a pair of dark jeans, hiking boots, which really didn't go all that well with the black leather blazer she was wearing, but Regina couldn't have cared less for once. She had other things on her mind. Before she had consciously decided on a direction, her feet began carrying towards where the stables lay.

Well, she had wanted to see the horses anyway.

o o o

The diner was between morning rush and lunch frenzy when Emma got there, so she simply grabbed a stool at the counter and waited for Ruby to come over.

"Hey, Emma, the usual?"

"Coffee and a bearclaw, please."

Emma gave Ruby a small smile but her mind was already mulling over how to ask Ruby for help without giving too much away. Ruby was still her mother's best friend, and Emma wasn't too keen on Snow finding out that Regina was missing, or why exactly Emma was so adamant about finding her. She didn't even have to stretch her imagination to see Snow's reaction if she found out that Emma was in love with Regina. When she found out because there was no question that she would, although if Emma had her say it would probably the morning of her wedding to Regina.

Stop jumping three steps ahead, Swan. You're not even the marrying kind. And neither is Regina. At least as far as Emma knew.

Ruby placed Emma's order down but the sheriff hardly reacted. "Want to talk about it?"

Emma looked up. "Huh?"

Ruby laughed. "You look like something's bothering you," she explained. "I'm a pretty good listener."

Emma sighed. "You're also Snow's best friend, and there are things in my life I don't want her to know about." It came out without her conscious decision but it was probably good to be honest. "At least not yet."

Ruby reared back, looking a little wounded. "Do you actually think I'd run straight back to Snow and tell her whatever you told me in confidence?" Her tone was more than a little offended. "I'm your friend too."

Emma mustered her. "And what if it was something of imminent interest to my mother, something you know she would expect you to share?" she asked softly. "What if it was something Snow would never forgive you for … if she found out you knew and didn't tell?"

"You make it sound as if it was something life-changing," Ruby muttered. "I know Snow better than that. I can't imagine there was anything that Snow wouldn't forgive you or me for."

"I wouldn't bet on it."

Ruby bit her lip and leaned closer to Emma. "We're talking about something to do with Regina, right?" she offered in a low whisper.

Emma blinked. "How did you know?"

"Oh, please," Ruby snorted. "Give me some credit. It's the only thing that could drive Snow crazy enough not to forgive either one of us, depending on what it is," she replied. "Besides, I can smell her on you," she added nonchalantly.

That got Emma's full attention. "You can?" she asked loudly before lowering her voice again. "So you can smell people? Or is it her magic you can smell?"

"I can smell her … essence, is what I'd call it … her pheromones maybe? For lack of a better word," Ruby explained softly. She didn't mention that the essence was intense, just like the woman itself, and that it called to some part inside her. "Which tells me you must have been in very close contact not too long ago."

"Last night," Emma admitted, wondering how Ruby could still smell Regina on her even after a shower. How much could she still tell?

Ruby read the question in Emma's eyes. "And yes, I can smell that, too, beneath your fruity shampoo," she said with a grin. "Her essence is going to cling to your body for a while."

"What does she smell like to you?" Now Emma was curious.

"Hmm, mostly fresh, crisp," Ruby tried to explain. "It's hard to describe. It's a bit like a freshly-cut—"

"Apple?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, exactly. How did you—"

"Her magic has the same smell," Emma interrupted Ruby's obvious question. "Does that mean you could track Regina's magic by smell? Or just her?"

"I don't know," Ruby admitted. "I never tried tracking somebody's magic. Back home it was usually something you tried to stay away from, Emma." She paused. "I could maybe identify her smell if she used magic right here but tracking it … I don't know." She gave Emma a long look, waving off another customer. "Why do you need to track her anyway?" she asked. "When your body says you spent last night with her."

Emma banged her head against the counter. "Sort of," she mumbled. "And Regina … well, she … er, ran afterwards," she lied, "and I need to find her."

"Ouch," Ruby commiserated. "Was it something you said?"

"Or didn't say," Emma said almost inaudibly. "So, can you help? For some reason I have a feeling she's in the woods somewhere."

"I could take a run after my shift," Ruby told her. "But Emma … if she doesn't want to be found—"

"You won't find her," Emma finished for her.

Ruby cocked her head, inhaling deeply but discreetly and studying Emma for a moment with an unreadable expression on her face. "I might not be able to," she finally whispered, "but I think you could, and you wouldn't even need my nose."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Before Ruby could explain, someone entering the diner caught her attention as she straightened immediately. "Oh, shit," Ruby mumbled.

Emma turned in her seat and uttered the same sentiment in her head. Snow. Emma checked her watch. What the hell was she doing here at this time? She turned to Ruby with a menacing look on her face and growled. "Not a word."

"Don't worry," Ruby hissed back. "Hey, Snow," she called out to her friend, smile a little too bright, voice a little too cheerful but Emma's mother didn't seem to notice.

She walked over and now Emma could see that her arms were filled with pens and stationary and some file folders. "Hello, Red," Snow said with a smile. "Hi, honey."

"Hello, Snow." Emma returned suspiciously. For all she knew this could be another one of Snow's grand plans at matchmaking for her. "What are you doing here?"

Snow dropped her things on the counter and sat down on the stool next to Emma. "I'm working," she said simply.

"Shouldn't you be at the school then?" Emma asked, a slight note of concern in her voice. "Did something happen? Is Henry okay?"

Snow gave her a funny look. "I'm sure Henry is okay," she said. "But I can't be his teacher anymore, sweetie." She made it sound obvious.

"Oh." Emma felt a little stupid for a moment. "Right, because you're his grandmother."

Snow chuckled. "No, Emma, because I'm the mayor, and I can't do everything myself." She sounded as if she tried to explain something self-explanatory to a small, ignorant child. "So I need to work on some proclamations today."

Emma raised an eyebrow at both the tone and this new piece of information. "You're the mayor now? Since when?" she asked incredulously. "Did I miss an election? As far as I know Regina is still officially the mayor of this town, even though you don't want her to be."

Ruby came over and put a hot cocoa down in front of Snow. "And Belle did a very good job as her substitute when you guys were in Neverland."

Snow took a sip of her cocoa, shaking her head slightly at Ruby and Emma. "Yes, but now we're back," she explained to Ruby, "and I am the queen, which automatically makes me the ruler of this town."

Emma cleared her throat. "You are a queen," she stated, "and so is the woman who is the elected mayor of this town." Snow's tone hit a nerve with her and she felt herself get even more angry at her mother than she had already been because of the Neal issue. "Besides, that's not how it works here. This is America, Snow, not some backwards medieval fairytale land."

Snow looked taken aback. "But Emma, you can't expect us to leave Regina in power. She's—"

"If you say she's evil, Snow," Emma interrupted. "I swear I'm walking out that door right now." She bit back anything else, knowing that she couldn't afford to defend Regina too much without arousing suspicion. It was just so damn hard to stay quiet. "You know she's changed, Snow," she added, trying to sound calmer than she felt.

"She's done so many bad things, though," Snow replied, managing to avoid calling Regina evil. "She got us stranded here where nobody wants to be. My taking the crown back is just the first step to restoring the right order of things and finding a way back."

"But this is not a monarchy, Snow!" Emma hissed loudly. She watched as Ruby opened her mouth but stopped herself before she said anything. "Do you agree with Snow, Ruby?"

"Agree?" Ruby looked nervous.

"That things should go back to the way they were in the Enchanted Forest," Emma said. "That you should all go back."

Snow looked startled at the venom in Emma's words, and Ruby looked like she wanted to strangle Emma for putting her on the spot. "I don't agree," she said bravely, however, facing her friend and queen. "I don't think everyone wants to go back. This land offers us so much more freedom than the old land, and I like living in a democracy. Not to mention a place with indoor plumbing and the internet."

"What?" Snow erupted. "How can you say that? This is not our home." Her voice made it clear that she couldn't understand Emma and Ruby at all.

"It is my home," Emma said softly, and Ruby nodded. "And Henry's."

"You weren't born here, Emma, and I'm sure you'll change your mind once we're back. It's so beautiful there," Snow said wistfully as she picked up a sheet of paper and a pen. "Now let me work on my proclamation."

"What are you going to proclaim? Your takeover as supreme ruler?" Emma asked sarcastically. She would never go live in that hellhole where chimera counted as food and ogres were around every corner. "Telling you people that we're the fucking royal family of Storybrooke? With you as mayor and me as sheriff and dad as … what position does he get in this vision of yours?"

Snow cleared her throat softly. "Well, actually, honey," she said hesitantly, refusing to meet Emma's eyes. "Seeing as he's the king, I think he should be the sheriff," she explained. "You could still be the deputy, although I'd rather you work as my assistant, so you can learn how to rule," she added quickly.

Emma's jaw dropped as she wondered if her mother had been taken over by some unseen evil force. For the first time since coming to Storybrooke she could understand Regina's feelings towards her mother. "You don't want to take away just Regina's job, you want to take mine as well?" she asked, her voice rising in hurt, anger, and frustration. She couldn't believe what her mother was doing, nor how much it hurt. "What the hell is wrong with you all of a sudden?" She shook her head. "That's not going to happen."

"It's all going to be great, just wait and see," Snow replied, blowing out a frustrated breath. "The people are used to having things a certain way, and with me and your father as the leaders of this community they will be much happier. Things will run much more smoothly now that we're back in power."

"I think the people are plenty happy with the savior as their sheriff," Ruby muttered under her breath but the look Snow shot her told her that she had heard.

Emma put a couple of dollars on the counter and stood to leave. "I guess that's it then," she said, taking her badge off her belt, trying to keep it together while still in the diner. This was hurting so much more than she had thought possible, especially since it was so unexpected and coming from her own mother. She wondered why David hadn't said anything about all of this to her earlier, which added another stab to the already deep wound. She knew what rejection felt like but experiencing it from her parents for the second time in a few weeks? That threatened to destroy something deep inside her.

Emma threw the badge down in front of Snow. "I have to get out of here."

She turned and left the diner at a quick pace, ignoring her mother's calls. She walked around the corner into the next alley and leaned against the wall, breathing deeply, in and out, in and out, chest heaving, trying to stave off an anxiety attack, wishing with all her might she could talk to Regina. She just knew that Regina would understand her feelings, probably better than anybody else. Her body began to tingle at the thought.

"Emma, are you okay?" Ruby had followed her out, concern written all over her face.

"No."

Ruby winced at the broken sound, even as she was surprised that Emma admitted as much. "Listen," she said urgently. "I don't know what's going on with Snow. This isn't like her, and she's wrong. We don't all want things to go back to the way they were but …"

"But she's the queen and they'll do what she says," Emma finished for her. "Even you."

Ruby nodded sadly.

"Was that what you came to tell me?" Emma asked tiredly, just wanting to be away from here, her urge to run stronger than ever.

Ruby shook her head. "Listen to me," she urged. "This is about what we were discussing before Snow came in."

"About Regina? Are you still willing to help?"

"Of course," Ruby replied quickly. "But like I said, I don't think you actually need my help." She saw Emma's eyes light up with something other than despair. "I think you can feel her … feel her magic. You can follow it yourself."

"How?"

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Emma, you have magic," she pointed out patiently. "And all I've ever heard was that magic is emotion. I'd say you have plenty of feelings for Regina, so if you focus on her, on being with her, maybe your magic will guide you to her."

Emma's face betrayed her skepticism. She had a feeling there was something Ruby wasn't saying but she couldn't pinpoint it, and there was no obvious lie in Ruby's eyes.

"Just try it," Ruby continued. "What do you have to lose? I'll still go for a run in the woods later to take a look around." She shrugged and slowly walked away.

"Hey, Ruby," Emma called after her. "Thanks. For everything." Ruby disappeared around the corner with a small smile over her shoulder.

Focus on Regina, Emma thought. Shouldn't be too hard, she's all I've been thinking about since last night anyway. She noticed the slight tingle in her body again, and her brain finally managed to connect the dots. It didn't feel the way her magic usually felt but if it worked, she'd take it, whatever it was that was reacting to her thoughts. She closed her eyes and leaned back against the wall, focusing all her thoughts on the woman she wanted to see more than anything right now.

Nothing happened.

Emma banged her fist against the brick wall behind her. "Work, dammit," she growled. Magic is emotion, she heard Ruby's voice in her head. Focus on Regina. Emma took several deep breaths and actively tried to push away her anger at Snow, and every other distracting emotion in her mind and heart. Then she called up an image of Regina in her arms, and immediately felt her body flare up. Take me to Regina, she begged her body silently. Take me to the woman I love.

For a few seconds nothing happened but Emma clung to her feelings and her thoughts, not letting go, and after a few more agonizing moments, she suddenly felt as if her body was sand running through an hour glass.

Unseen by Emma, Ruby watched from around the corner. "Good girl," she said with a smile as Emma disappeared in a plume of blue smoke.

o o o

Regina stopped at the edge of the forest and just took in the sight of the stables for several long minutes. She hadn't been anywhere near here since that day she had to witness Daniel's death a second time, and this time by her own hands. The memory stole the breath from her lungs, and she had to lean against a tree, one fist pressed tightly to her chest.

That day, for a few glorious seconds, she had her Daniel back, and then she had to let him go in the most heart-rending way possible. It didn't matter that she had already started to move on at that point, that Emma Swan had already carved out a nice niche in her heart. For one moment she had him back in her life, and it was as if they were back in the stables of her father's estate, so very young and in love.

Her thoughts moved to Emma, and the transition felt natural. The things she felt for the savior were different, more mature, intense, and wrought with even more problems than even her love for Daniel had been. At least Daniel had loved her back. She wondered if Emma knew about Daniel, if Snow had seen fit to share her story, and if so, what slant she had put on it. Did David tell Emma about Daniel's horrible return from the dead? Regina shook her head at herself. Why would he?

Regina noticed the slight tingle at the end of her spine again, and this time the warmth spread across her sides and towards her front. It felt like a very small vibration, almost a hum against the inside of her skin, but as soon as she paid more attention and focused her thoughts on the strange but not unpleasant sensation, it became less noticeable.

Weird. Regina had never felt anything like that before, and she wondered where the sensation came from. Unbidden, her thoughts wandered back to Emma as if her subconscious wanted to point her somewhere. Her mind pulled up images of Emma kissing her, touching her, and the tingling sensation intensified again. Regina slowly turned in a circle, focussing her thoughts on Emma. It didn't take more than two turns around her own axis to realize that the sensation rose and ebbed with the direction she was facing. Oh no. Was she forever destined to suffer? Wasn't it enough that she was in love with a woman who wouldn't want to be with her? Now she also had to live with the constant memory of what it felt like to be touched by that woman? And to top it all off she was cursed to actually feel Emma whenever she thought of her?

There was no way Regina would get through this without going insane. And then an even more worrisome thought hit her. If Emma could feel her too, then she would be able to find her. In the dark, wearing a blindfold with no trouble at all, at least once she figured out that she could. Then again, to Emma she was nothing more than a tryst in the night, a quick number against a flat surface, so why would she develop that kind of true love magic? No, that was unlikely.

Reassured, Regina turned to leave the forest's protective cover and slowly started to walk towards the stables. She hadn't moved more than ten feet when a dull thud and the loud cracking of small twigs and branches in the underbrush stopped her in her tracks.

Someone was there, right behind her.

With a flick of her wrist Regina disappeared, leaving behind only a quickly dissipating cloud of purple smoke that smelled faintly of apples.

o o o

Emma rubbed the shoulder that had hit the tree as she had materialized. She found herself sitting on the ground in the forest, leaves and twigs scattered around her. She scrambled to her feet, fighting off a dizzy spell and ignoring the ache in her right side. If this had worked, Regina should be close by, so Emma took a couple of steps away from the tree and looked around the clearing.

Her shoulders sagged in disappointment when she realized she was alone. "Damn," she muttered under her breath.

And then she saw a faint purple wisp from the corner of her eye, the same moment her nose detected the faint smell of apples in the air. It had worked but Regina had been faster than her. "Fuck, Regina," Emma yelled into the forest. "Couldn't you make it a little easier for me just once?"

With a resigned sigh, Emma focused her thoughts on Regina again and hoped for the best.