When Emma opened her eyes, she was met with chocolate brown ones looking right back at her. Regina seemed afraid to turn her head to look around so Emma did it for her. What she saw was a much more modest home than the two she had been in before, but it was larger than anything she had ever seen back in her own world. The castle was probably half the size of the first one they had visited, and it didn't carry any of the dark features of Regina's castle or the light features of the castle Emma's mother had grown up in. It looked unremarkable. It looked like one of those single family homes back in Maine that weren't small enough or big enough for people to even notice.
Emma could feel Regina's eyes on her so Emma turned her attention back to the brunette.
"Are you ok?" Emma finally asked.
"Yes. It has been a long time since I have seen this place." Regina responded with the same look on her face Emma had seen when they had first entered Leopold's castle.
"Let's go inside so you can rest." Emma said with a smile. She didn't remove her arm from around Regina as they walked into the abandoned castle. She didn't know why, but she knew that Regina needed comforting with their trip.
Regina walked to a small room without telling Emma where they were going. There was a double bed there with nothing else on the wall or anywhere else. The comforter on the bed was musty and dusty from lack of use. Emma was fairly certain that it had been over thirty years since the room had even had occupants in it.
"This was my room when I was a little girl." Regina finally said sitting down on the bed. "It looked different then. The walls were pink, and the bed had pink bed sheets all over it. I had dolls and teddy bears too."
"I wouldn't take you for a girl who liked pink so much." Emma said with a sideways grin.
Regina smiled back at Emma, but it wasn't the bright, happy smile that Emma knew so well. "I hated pink, but it was what my mother wanted."
"Tell me about her."
"I'm really tired Emma. Can we rest now?" Regina asked lying down. Emma knew that Regina was avoiding the conversation, but she figured the best thing to do in that moment was to let it slide.
The bed wasn't comfortable, but just lying down made Emma realize how tired she had been since their journey started. She wondered what Henry was doing in Storybrooke. She knew her parents would take care of him, but she knew that he was worried. There was no question about that.
Emma was lying on her back with Regina on her back next to her. Regina seemed to be hesitating about something.
"Come here." Emma finally said.
Regina wrapped her arms around the blonde then putting her head right on Emma's shoulder. One of Regina's legs was thrown over Emma's lower body. Emma let the comforting feeling take over her before she wrapped a protective arm around Regina and pulled her even closer than the brunette had already been. The last thing Emma remembered was the happy sigh that escaped from Regina's lips before they both fell asleep.
It was still light when the two woke up. For all Emma knew, an entire day could have passed. Regina stirred in Emma's arms a few minutes after the blonde was awake. Regina didn't pull back. Instead, she inclined her head to meet Emma's green eyes.
"Hey." Emma said running her fingers through brown hair.
"Hey." Regina responded with sleep still present in her voice.
On cue, Emma's stomach growled. Regina started to get up, but Emma stopped her. "Let me go get food. You can't use magic right now. You need to rest."
"Emma you don't know your way around here. It could be dangerous." Regina said slightly frantic.
"I will be fine. I'll take the sword and my gun. I'll stay close. Let me do something for you Regina." Emma removed herself from under Regina to stand up and put her boots back on. Regina wanted to protest, but they both knew there was no changing Emma's mind when it was made up.
Emma returned about an hour later with a rabbit and berries. She went straight to the kitchen that she had found before she left to find food. Regina was busying herself cleaning dishes for them to use to make the food. She gave Emma a smile when she saw what Emma was carrying.
"An hour for a rabbit Miss Swan?" Regina asked with her usual grin.
"It was like the only thing I found, and it is really hard to shoot a rabbit." Emma said with a shrug putting the rabbit on the counter top.
Regina looked at the animal, but she didn't see a gunshot wound. "I hate to trap it." Emma responded with another shrug. She continued when she saw Regina's skeptical look. "I used to hunt with one of my foster dads. I was only with him for a few months, but he was nice enough to teach me a few things."
Regina busied herself preparing the food while Emma watched. Regina cut up the two remaining apples they had and mixed it with the berries. After the rabbit was skinned, Regina looked down at the spot that Emma assumed would be where you would start a fire.
"No." Emma said when she saw Regina's eyes close. "I can do it." Emma disappeared out of the castle again before coming back holding leaves and two sticks. It took her quite some time, but Emma had a fire started without the use of magic. She looked up at Regina with a cocky grin on her face.
"See, you don't need magic to do everything." Emma said.
"No you don't dear. You need magic to do things quickly." Regina responded still wearing that cocky grin.
They ate in silence. It wasn't the most delicious thing Emma had ever had because of the lack of seasoning on the meat, but it satisfied one hunger that she was dealing with. The second hunger that wouldn't go away was for the brunette eating across from her. It had almost been four years since they had been intimate together, and Emma couldn't deny the ache she was still feeling to bed Regina again.
She shook her head. There were so many other things that she should be focusing on. They needed to get back to Henry, but she knew there was no way that would happen for at least four more days. She might as well enjoy her time with Regina if she could.
After dinner, Emma asked Regina if they should look for the objects they would need. Regina got Emma to start another fire to light a torch so that they wouldn't be in complete darkness as they descended into the basement. They walked down countless stairs before Emma was certain that they were at least 100 yards underground. When they reached a dead end, Emma was confused.
Regina started knocking on the various stones before she pushed one in. The brunette then moved to the side wall and pushing another stone in before moving to the wall opposite that one to push another stone in. Emma watched as the back wall slide free revealing what Emma could only assume was a room.
Emma entered behind Regina holding the torch for the brunette to see. Emma couldn't believe her eyes. In the middle of the room there was a basin of water. The water was spinning, and Emma had no idea what she was looking at.
"What is that?" Emma asked.
"It is all that is left of the restorative water. There used to be a lake full of it. My mother had to kill quite a few people to get this, and she thinks she is the only one that knows where it is." Regina responded taking something out of her pocket.
"What are we restoring?" Emma asked.
"A magic bean." Regina said handing the brown bean to Emma. Emma examined it, but it just looked like an oversized, dried lima bean to her.
"What does it do?" Emma asked.
"It will open a portal back to Storybrooke when it is restored." Regina answered. "I will just have to do a spell to make it work."
"How much magic does this spell require?" Emma continued to ask. She appreciated that Regina wasn't getting frustrated with all of the questions.
"That is why I need a few days rest dear. I should be fine doing it in two night's time." Regina answered. "These restorative waters will only work once. When the bean is restored, I will only have one opportunity to do the spell. I need to be sure it will work before I perform it."
"Ok." Emma said simply.
Regina took the bean from Emma and placed it in the water. Light emitted throughout the room before it went completely dark again. The only thing that remained in the basin was the bean that now glowed white and purple.
"Did it work?" Emma asked looking down at the bean.
"Yes dear it did." Regina picked it up and placed it back in the pouch it came from. "Two days, and we will return to our son."
Emma smiled a genuine smile then that matched Regina's. Emma laced her fingers through Regina's to lead her back into the castle. Night had fallen then, and Emma felt sleepy again. "Let's go to bed."
"I slept so well last night that I'm really not all that tired." Regina said.
"Like I said, let's go to bed." Emma responded pulling Regina towards her. The brunette crashed into the blonde quickly as their lips meant in a heated kiss. Regina's tongue was in Emma's mouth before Emma could even think about it. The fight for dominance quickly settled as they moved together both taking and giving as much as the other.
Regina pulled back first to take Emma's hand to lead her to the bedroom they had been staying in.
"Um Regina. I'm really sorry to interrupt this, but I really have to go to the bathroom." Emma said with sheepish smile on her face.
"It's fine dear. I'll be here when you get back."
Emma ran to the bathroom that was really more of an indoor porter potty. She ran back to the bedroom as fast as she could to see Regina in bed wearing nothing but underwear and the white button up shirt that she had been sporting during their entire trip.
Emma's mouth went dry when green eyes locked with brown. Emma kicked her boots off quickly before rumbling with her jeans. She almost fell over when she kicked them off her ankles. When Emma got to the bed, she wasn't exactly sure how to approach this. Regina was lying down closest to the wall so Emma slid in next to her.
Regina pulled the blonde in for another kiss that left Emma completely breathless. Emma's hands were immediately all over Regina's body. She ran them up tan thighs before sliding under Regina's shirt to lightly scratch down a toned back.
Regina arched into Emma's touch giving Emma the perfect opportunity to move from kissing Regina's red lips to sucking and biting on her neck. Emma's tongue swirled around the hollow of Regina's throat pulling small whimpers from the brunette. Emma used her free hand to unbutton and then slide Regina's shirt off her shoulders. Emma looked down as she continued to slide her tongue across Regina's neck at hard nipples and a heaving chest.
She moved down Regina's body then to swirl her tongue around one hard nipple before doing the same to the neglected one. Emma was buzzing from the taste of Regina on her tongue. The brunette pulled her back up quickly for another kiss.
Emma removed her own shirt and bra needing to feel her own hard nipples brush against Regina's as they kissed. Emma kicked her underwear off before assisting Regina in getting rid of hers.
They met again in a passionate kiss. They had only done this once before, but it felt so beautifully familiar to Emma. Regina's palm pressed firmly against Emma's abdomen before sliding further down to slip through her wetness. Emma moaned at the contact before moving her hand to Regina's thigh. Regina's fingers continued to slide up and down her center stopping just short of her clit and entrance. Emma mirrored the teasing as they continued to kiss. They broke apart for air just as Emma slide two fingers into Regina. Regina followed and slid two fingers into Regina.
Emma breathed in every single breath that Regina managed to breathe out as they slowly moved in and out of each other. Emma picked up her pace first hoping that Regina would follow as they both raced towards their orgasms. Their eyes were locked together as their nipples continued to slide together with each thrust.
Emma was so close, and she knew Regina was too from the way the brunette's walls clenched around her fingers.
Emma felt her own release creeping up on her before it crashed her over the edge. As her body shook, she felt Regina's wetness coat her fingers as the brunette came. They clung to each other as they rode out wave after wave of pleasure. Emma opened her eyes to see intense brown ones looking down at her. They lay there tangled together before Regina pulled back and turned with her back towards Emma. Emma wrapped her arms around the brunette whose breathing had evened out. Her eyes were closed, and Emma assumed she was asleep.
"I love you." Emma whispered into the darkness knowing that Regina wouldn't hear her.
Regina did hear her. Being in this place with all these painful memories was easy to forget when Emma was pressed against her, but the harsh reality of this place and what it had made her become made her realize that she just couldn't say it back. Not yet.
The two spent the next day mostly in bed alternating between sleeping and slow, tender kisses. Emma left the bed twice to gather food and bring them lunch and dinner in bed. They didn't talk much until after dinner when Regina put her plate down.
"I already told you about my father." Regina began. "My mother was the worst."
"Why?"
"She was a terrible mother." Regina said with a bitter laugh. "She never hit me, but the verbal abuse was awful. I was never enough. I was never pretty enough. I was never ladylike enough. I was never able to do anything the way that she wanted."
"What did she want?" Emma asked.
"She wanted me to be queen. She wanted me to act like a woman of the royal court should so that I would marry the kind." Regina responded.
"What did you do?"
"I rebelled of course. I never wore dresses, and I never did anything she said. She put a boundary around the property that would tie me up until she got there if I tried to break it. She would lock me in my room for days without food. My father would have to sneak it to me." Regina's tears flowed freely then.
"What happened to her?"
"When I left to marry Leopold, I thought I would never have to see her again. That wasn't true though. After I killed him, she came to me. She kept saying that she wanted us to take over the kingdom together, but I just couldn't let her ruin my life anymore." Regina paused for a second and seemed to contemplate telling Emma the next thing. She finally decided that she needed to. "When I started to train with the Dark One, I told him that I needed to get rid of her. I was the Queen, but she never left my castle. She never stopped making me feel like I would never be enough. She had wanted me to be Queen, and I still wasn't enough when I became Queen."
Emma rubbed what she hoped was a soothing hand up and down Regina's back.
"I pushed her through a mirror." Regina said.
"Wait, what does that mean?" Emma asked confusion etched all over her face.
"It was a portal. I don't know where it sent her. I have no idea where she is now." Regina responded. "She isn't in Storybrooke. I made sure of that. She isn't here. I have no idea where she is."
"Neverland maybe." Emma said with a laugh trying to ease the tension.
"It's possible." Regina responded. Emma looked at her stunned before remembering where she was. Of course Neverland was real. She was an idiot for thinking it might not be.
"No one is going to hurt you again Regina." Emma said pulling her into a hug.
"Not here maybe, but when we get back to Storybrooke they will want their revenge." Regina said with a bitter tone to her voice.
"I won't let them hurt you for Henry and me. Mary Margaret won't let them if I tell her I love you. I know she won't. She is too big a sucker for true love and happy endings." Emma said with a smile.
"You can believe that now dear, but they would never believe that I could be anything but evil." Regina answered.
"Evil can't love, and you love Henry." Emma reasoned.
"I love you too." Regina said after a few moments of silence.
Emma smiled a genuine smile at her before placing a kiss on her forehead. "Let's go to bed. Tomorrow you can show me around this place. Then, the next day we can go home."
"You consider Storybrooke home?" Regina asked.
"I consider home to be anywhere that you and Henry are."