A/N: I solemnly swear there will be plot in the next chapter... But these bits are too fun not to do.
Also, sorry for not mentioning before- now that I've deleted most of the A/N's- I apologise that this fic alternates between UK and US spelling so schizophrenically. I wrote the majority of it over 3 computers which were set to different auto-correct/ spell-check settings. I have gone back to edit spelling and grammar, but unfortunately, this is something I've neglected to take into account. Hopefully it's not too irritating :)
"Will you stop that?!"
Regina hisses as she catches Emma plucking at her tank top out of the corner of her eye.
"I can't help it! I'm burning up!"
Offering the blonde an irritable sigh so as to hide the malicious smirk threatening to alight her lips, the Mayor simply mutters that such things are simply 'too bad'. Despite her light scolding, she hangs back a little to allow herself a better view of the Sheriff's predicament; thin cotton plastered to hot flesh still slightly slick from sex.
"Seriously, we can't stop by yours for a quick shower?"
"We're already late."
"Then what's the harm?"
"Need I remind you-"
"-That it's Gold we're dealing with... Yeah, yeah, I know. Doesn't mean I don't feel gross."
"And whose fault might that be, Miss Swan?"
"Oh, please, like you weren't right behind me on that little escapade!"
"Actually, I believe I was positioned underneath you..."
The blonde chuckles wickedly at this and the brunette muses that she might as well- for all intents and purposes- be dating a teenage boy.
Dating... Dating... Dating? There's that word again...
She mulls the term over in her mind as she follows Emma silently down the sun drenched sidewalk towards Gold's estate. It doesn't fill her with the sense of disquiet or denial as it once might have, but she finds that rather than discomfort she feels a small sense of regret.
She can't help but wish life could be so simple as the term might suggest.
Then again, much as she might like to partake in the more traditional wining and dining of courtship, her lips lift into a bemused little smile as she imagines just what Emma might have to say about that!
Catching up swiftly with light taps of heels on cement, she toys with a loose curl gently, her heart feeling suddenly very full when the Sheriff sashays towards her so that they walk almost hip to hip, rather than ducking away with the growl she had been expecting.
"How does your hair get in such a state, dear?"
"Hmm, I wonder..."
"You were sitting! I'm the one who was lying back!"
"I know; I thoroughly enjoyed the view, dear."
Regina smirks; Emma's adoption of a rich tone to mimic her own simply serving to make the younger woman sound as though she is suffering from a bad cold and laughable to say the least.
She strives to keep her mind from stumbling towards the unhappy realisation that the past few days have been perhaps some of the best with which she has been graced, while, yet again, everything now stands in jeopardy.
She wonders if Emma is suffering from any similar uneasy thoughts but is unable to say.
The blonde can be hard to read, and when it comes to the subject of Rumplestiltskin, the Mayor would bet a great deal on the Sheriff being nowhere near as blasé as she comes across, but the topic has so far only served to irk her when discussed with the woman who pads causally along beside her. She knows Emma well enough to be sure that Gold's treatment of her back in that crude little apartment will be weighing heavily on her mind; the Sheriff- while seemingly surprisingly adept at being able to forgive and forget- undeniably proud nonetheless.
The younger woman had been forced into a position of intense fear, and this- maybe more so than the markings to her wrists- has the Queen wondering if Emma doesn't in fact present herself more as a ticking time bomb in regards to the little imp, than the cool, laid-back persona she is acting out.
"So, I've been wondering..."
"Hmm?"
"Where is everyone?"
"How do you mean?"
"Well, like, the curse broke... There's magic... But apart from the night I came to yours to check on you, there's been no trouble... No offence or anything, but I just kind of reckoned on people having it in for you and coming after you...I mean... You're the Evil Queen, right?"
"Ah, and that would make you the rebellious damsel I suppose? The lost princess who would be pleading for them to have it within their hearts to forgive!"
The brunette's words are delivered in a rich, theatrical tone, and Emma rolls her eyes as she jabs the darker woman lightly in the ribs with her elbow.
"Hardly... I'm more like your knight."
"You're my what?"
"Your knight."
"As in... My knight in shining armour?"
"Well, yeah!"
"...Honestly, dear, were you graced with any sense of femininity at all?"
Turning to regard the darker woman with a coy smirk, the blonde runs a hand through her hair and offers a flash of teeth as her eyes drop pointedly down to her chest, causing the Mayor to sigh and roll her eyes with ill-hidden amusement.
"You tell me..."
"A mere physicality, but I suppose you'll do."
"Gee, thanks!"
Smiling, Regina continues on in a more serious tone; her eyes flickering wearily to the looming pink of Gold's estate up ahead.
"I was of a similar opinion at first in regards to the patrons of Storybrooke, I must say. I believe the noticeable lack of activity out on the streets since the breaking of the curse is probably down to wariness, not just of myself, but of the change as a whole. Whilst I brought over all those with whom I had had a connection in the past, you must understand that many of the people who interacted day in, day out as their cursed selves have no knowledge of each other in respects to their previous lives in the Enchanted Forest. Some, such as the blue fairy, Rumplestiltskin, Snow and Charming possess a noteriety which mean they are less of a mystery, even if they never made contact with some of the others brought over, but for most, they are strangers. A cause for caution at the best of times... But, when you add magic into the mix... I would say that for most it simply seems wise to lie low until they have had the chance to sniff around as it were."
"I guess that makes sense... Less chance of getting zapped while doing the weekly shop..."
"Well... There are very few here capable of 'zapping' as you call it, but the theory stands, yes. I would also presume my association with yourself has kept those with a greater thirst for blood than sense at bay."
"Your association with me? You think people know?!"
"No, dear... And while I am deeply flattered by the horror so painfully evident in every aspect of your being right now-"
"-Sorry, it's just-"
"- I merely meant that while you remain on my side and Snow on yours... The royals have yet to launch their attack, and so their people have yet to rally for battle."
"Attack?! Mary Margaret would never-"
"- Oh, that wet blanket would struggle to stamp out the life of a malaria ridden mosquito. Snow... Well, you've read Henry's book... She won't cross you though, and, knowing what she knows, this means I remain 'safe'... Unless I fall into a lover's tiff with her little princess..."
"Call me that again, and it might just happen..."
It is a low growl, dripping with warning, but Regina pays it no mind save for surpressing the usual small shiver the blonde's voice pulls from her when lowered huskily in such a way.
"Perhaps whilst in New York we should look into getting you a tiara-"
"-You want me to hit you?"
"No, and I would hope you would possess the good sense not to come to blows with one so powerful as myself."
"... You want a shelf for that ego, Regina? Maybe a nice glass-fronted cabinet to put in your office?"
"Oh, hush, you."
The brunette purses her lips as the Sheriff grins cattily, the two of them casting elongated shadows across the pavement; merging together every now and then when one steps a little in front of the other.
"I'll tell you what though, I've kind of spent the last couple of days wondering if Gold was going to magically appear... Especially when we were... uh..."
Emma laughs sheepishly, but it does little to hide the note of fear just audible on her tongue, and the Queen decides the younger woman has indeed been pondering the events of her capture. Aware that inquiring as to the blonde's wellbeing is a sure way to get snapped at even at the best of times, Regina negates to focus on the source of the slight tremble to the Sheriff's otherwise dry tone, opting instead to answer in a neutral manner.
"... The man is a snake, Emma, but to do so would serve him no purpose-"
"-Oh, sure, apart from-"
"-Much as I'm sure it would be a magnificent display- I certainly enjoy the half I get to watch- Gold wants one thing from you, dear... Oh, I'm sure he might like all sorts of things... But he wants you to aid him- he needs you to aid him- and the man is a good enough judge of character to know that you will do so of your own accord. To mess with you could prove detrimental to his cause... I'm sure you would find Gold lurking in the shadows should you decide to run from this deal you made with him, but, so long as you continue with the intent to do your part, I imagine he'll leave you be... He would do well to, anyway."
Emma opens her mouth to taunt the darker woman for the murderous quality she injects into her final words, but finds herself simply licking her lips nervously and keeping her silence.
Whatever threat lies within Regina's low warning is almost tactile in its reality.
In its sincerity.
"Well... I guess there's no turning back now, anyway."
The blonde confides, almost in a whisper, and the brunette glances at her quickly before looking back at the grand front door outside which they now find themselves.
"No, I suppose not. Do you want to do the honours, dear?"