Part Twelve

The pirate makes his way through the jungle and we follow him like damn sheep. I stay behind the group walking as slow as I possibly can without calling much attention. I barely register Emma walking right beside Hook, I have other things in my mind to worry about right now, like Tink. I haven't thought about her in such a long time. I've done her wrong in the past and of course, destiny would be enough of a bitch to put her in my way again like this. She has to help us, right? Regardless of what I did to her, she is a fairy, and fairies are supposed to be good.

The heat in this jungle is picking up and the more we walk the more I feel like I won't really need an excuse to stay behind. This heat is killing me and I feel like I could pass out at any given second. Huh! That's an idea, I can't get there if I'm not conscious. Oh, who am I kidding? I rather die than show any sign of weakness in front of these people. I pick up the tissue from my jacket pocket and wipe the sweat from my face before putting it back inside my pocket again when I giant leaf hits my face. I fucking hate this jungle.

We keep on walking and sadly enough I can't stay behind that much longer. The line shifts and suddenly the Charming idiots are walking with Hook while Emma is behind them. Perhaps this could be an opportunity. Perhaps I can convince Emma of my original plan, the one where we can go get Henry ourselves without the help of the green fairy at all. I jogged after her when I notice that just like me, Emma is also falling behind.

"Emma!"

I say her name, and Emma turns around to see me. She looks tired and I hate that I noticed that.

"There is another way," I say.

"Is there?" Emma asks.

"Magic," I say.

"Didn't we just go through this?" Emma says.

Well, we had, but she doesn't have to say it like that. Like she is annoyed. I'm the one who is supposed to be annoyed here, not her. But I have to think fast. Emma gives her back to me and then something clicks in my brain.

"I'm not talking about my magic," I say "I'm talking about our magic"

"I am not interested. One thing I learned is that it always comes with a price"

"Well, sometimes not using it comes with a price too," I say and look intensely inside Emma's eyes "I bet you and I combined are strong enough to overpower Pan"

"What if we are not?" Emma says "I'm not gonna take a chance on that, we are talking about Henry's life"

"I'm aware of that"

How dare she?

"Look, I know you don't like this plan. Let's just see it through. Let's see if we can find Tinker Bell"

"And you think it's the best plan because your boyfriend came up with it?"

"My boyfriend?" Emma says and looks into my eyes "Hook?

"You two always look very cozy with each other"

"I don't know how many times I can tell you this, Regina. Hook is not my type. At all. This tree right here has a better chance with me than he does"

"Sorry, I…"

"No!" Emma says and the look of hurt in her eyes is one that I know will hunt me in my sleep, "I thought you knew me better than this by now"

"Emma…"

"Let's just go find Tinker Bell," Emma says "We are wasting time here"

Emma turns her back to me and resumes her walk. I close my eyes and sigh because I can't believe I manage to screw up another interaction with her. Again! I don't even know if the comment was out of jealousy for her and Hook or my fear to see Tinker Bell again. Maybe it was a combination of both, but I prefer to think it was neither.

I follow them inside the jungle. We walk for hours, it's nightfall now and we are not even there yet. Perhaps I got lucky after all and the pirate got us lost. I'll still fireball his ass for making me walk this much, though. Unfortunately, for me, after a few more minutes the pirate announces we are closer to her home. I swallow dry, as I bite my lower lip. She can't see me. She won't help us if she does. I follow back behind the line now and for some reason so does Emma. She walks in front of me and I have a clear view of her ass and muscular arms. She really is a work of art, and that long blonde hair of hers only adds it to it. I shake my head let out a small laugh when I realize what I just did. Gods, what is wrong with me?

Hook announces that we are nearly at the fairy lair and I am brought back to reality. I can't go with them. I need to make myself scared. We walk through a good spot, one where I can just lay low and wait for them. This is good. Here is where I'm going to stay even though it kills me not knowing the next move, not knowing what they are going to talk about with her. What will she tell them? My throat suddenly goes dry and I have to cough in order to clean it. I look at the tree trunk on the ground and I walk to it, putting my lamp on top of it. I crack my neck from one side to the other and roll my feet. Perhaps a little rest will do me good.

"Hey," Emma says.

"Hey," I say back sarcastically.

"You are falling behind," Emma says "Hook thinks her place is right up ahead. Come on"

"Well, if she still lives there," I say trying to sound like I don't care "You go waste your time searching and I'll wait"

I look up at the sky trying my best to pretend that it's not a big deal. Luckily Emma will buy it and leave me behind while she and the others get to the fairy.

"What did you do to her?" Emma asks.

Well, she didn't!

Of course, she didn't.

I look back at her and Emma is close, too close for my liking and yet not close enough. She stands there waiting for an answer and quite frankly this is just outrageous. What makes her think that I'm the one who has done something, damn it?

"What?" I say feeling ridiculous annoyed "Why would you assume I've done something?"

"You met her before, right?" Emma shrugs "In the Enchanted Forest? What did you do, kill her brother, steal her halo…"

"She's not an angel," I say quickly cutting her off. Idiot! "Okay, we have a complicated history"

"I knew it"

"You don't need to know the details," I say "But if she sees me, she won't help. And if she is the way in well then, trust me, me staying out of her sight it is probably best for Operation Henry"

I move to seat on the tree trunk on the ground. My feet are killing me we have been walking all day.

"Operation Henry?"

"That's…That's what I've been calling in my head, because…"

"He would call that," Emma says softly.

"He would have a better name," I say "But, this is the best I can do"

Emma sits down next to me, so close that our shoulders are touching each other and once again I wish that I was wearing something sleeveless just so I could feel her skin on mine. She looks out the jungle not saying anything and I try to do the same. It's hard, though. It's hard to have her this close to me, it's hard not to stare at her face, it's hard to control the impulse of touching her face and kiss her lips. I shake my head as all of those thoughts invades my mind as if the movement could shake them away. Gods, will this ever stop?

Emma reaches for my hand on top of my thigh and squeezes without looking at me. The movement is so unexpected that I can't even form a coherent expression and if I had a mirror now, I know I would look like an idiot staring at her with eyes widened and mouth open.

"Okay," Emma says, when she finally looks at me "We'll get her, and then we'll come to get you"

"No, don't bother," I say pulling my hand from hers. Why does my heart hurt when I do that? "It's better if we never see one another. And if you don't find her, keep going. Just get Henry, don't worry about Tinker Bell"

"Regina, I am not leaving you behind," Emma says.

"You may not have a choice,"

"There is always a choice," Emma says "And I chose you"

"What?"

"We are leaving this place together, Regina," Emma says "All of us"

"I hope so," I smile sadly at her.

Emma stands up and looks at me. It's funny how her eyes can say so much of her emotions. She is conflicted, that much is clear. Is it because she is leaving me behind? Or is there another reason for her to look at me like that? Her stares become too much for me to handle and I feel like I can't breathe under her gaze.

"I meant what I said, Emma," I say breaking the moment "With or without her, just find Henry"

"What the hell did you do to her?" Emma asks.

"What I always do"

Emma smiles sadly at me and walks away. I watch her go for a long time, long before I lost sight of her. It's curious how I both love and hate her presence. Her gaze upon me earlier, was intense. Sometimes I feel like she can read all of me and again, I both love and hate that she can do that. The way she held my hand just a few minutes ago, felt like fire. When her skin touched mine, I felt like our magic had combined again and it boosted mine inside my veins. I had to pull away from her, the feeling was just too intense but the moment I wasn't touching her anymore, I felt an ache in my heart. What is this?

I feel my breathing getting faster now as the engines in my brain are trying to come up with a rational explanation for all of this. Why her? Why Emma Swan? It doesn't even make any sense! And the worse part of all of this is that I can't figure her out. What does she want? She touches my hand but laughs with the pirate. She shares personal moments with me but walks by his side. This is confusing, she is confusing and I am confused.

I hear movements inside the jungle, the leaves are making noises that I know not to be a product of the wind and that definitely pulls me out of my thoughts of Emma. I clear my mind to try to sense a smell, a different way of walking, anything that can give me a clue about who my attacker is.

"Let's get this over with," I say as I rose from the trunk "Shall we?"

"A complicated history?" Tinker says "That's quite a diplomatic way to describe it"

Shit!

It's her!

I honestly wasn't expecting that at all.

Gods, what happened to her?

"You look terrible," I say.

"You are trying to provoke me?"

"Come and get me, Tinker Bell,"

"You think you are so smart," She says and walks closer to me "But you are gonna fail"

Everything happened too fast after that. She's on my face, so close that I can just snatch her and make her help me find Henry. The moment the thought crosses my mind she blows something on my face, I don't know what it is, but I know it's not magic and suddenly, I don't feel like I'm in control of my body anymore. Everything is light, my arms and legs, and mind, and all I see is her angry face looking at me before everything turns black.