The words on the book crashed back to her, adorable human lady bug. That's not possible. Emma cannot be.. It was Robin... is he?
Her anger came back, Belle must have dropped this information on Emma and the blonde used it to her advantage for some sick twisted game. They are still trying to humiliate her. 'I've had enough of this, Miss Swan.'
Cries of her to come back was spoken but she ignored it all and went to her meeting with Tink.
The green fairy has now been living on the outskirts of the town. She reasoned that she wanted privacy and would rather be alone in midst of whistling swaying trees. Getting there was easy but tracking the forest was made hard by the choice of Regina's footwear. Stiil, she pushed through. Fashion should never be sacrificed for comfort, she's always believed that.
Eventually, she made it to the modest, hobbit house looking establishment and knocked. 'Tink? It's Regina.'
The door opened and she was greeted with a tackling hug. 'Regina! I missed you!' They broke apart and the brunette was showed in to the adorable house. Tink maybe human sized but all her furniture looked a wee bit too small for her still. 'Warm honey?'
'I remembered you as being a fairy, not a bee.' Regina smirked as she took the small vial looking glass. They both sat down on the fairy's tiny furniture, making Regina feel like she was playing house for a moment.
Tink giggled. 'I did not collect nectar for that, I bought that from the market. So what did you want to talk about?'
'Do you know anything about a dust called love bug?' A vision of Emma crossed in her mind and Regina gunned through by getting to the point.
The fairy seemed in thought for a couple seconds before a look of acknowledgement flashed. 'Hmm, I've heard of it. Fairly harmless dust, used only for fun. Why, do you want some?'
'No, I.. uh.. I've been sprinkled with it yesterday.'
Tink nodded knowingly and wagged her eyebrows. 'You lucky dog, Robin?'
For some reason, the notion of something intimate with Robin made Regina wanna hurl. 'No, Tink, he's gone.'
'Gone? I thought...'
'He left to live with his family. Where, I haven't the idea.' Regina shook her head slightly and turned to her better, dropping the glass on the center table. 'Listen, it was unexpectedly sprinkled on me. I was helping Belle yesterday and I opened a box containing the dust. I already read that it will turn your true love into an adorable human lady bug but I need to know if it will affect me as well.'
'Nothing will happen to you. The effect of this dust will only be on your true love.'
'I can't imagine Robin walking around in wherever he is looking like a lady bug. How do we cure it?'
Tink blew a raspberry as she tried to remember. 'Well, the dust is rooted on love. How it works is, if you're true love is near, the effects will fade, making you look normal again.'
A bell suddenly rang in Regina head but she tried to ignore it.
'You will only look like a lady bug once you're separate, the appearance will take effect. This can easily be solved by professing your love towards each other.'
Easily. The word taunted Regina and she grimaced. Nothing about this was going to be easy. From finding wherever the hell Robin was to getting him to profess his love over her and vice versa. If she was gonna be honest with herself, she wasn't even sure that she loved him. After taking herself out of the situation and seeing it back again, what she saw was not a blossoming love, Regina saw desperation. Something that was not her.
'You okay there?'
Regina nodded. 'Yes. Thank you for your information, Tink. You've been really help-' Her phone suddenly rang. It was probably her secretary reminding her that she was late to another meeting. Goddamn Emma Swan ruined her schedule for the day over some cruel joke. She pulled out her phone and was surprised when she didn't see her secretary's inputed name on the screen and saw...
'Snow?'
'Regina! Thank god, you have to help us. Emma looks like an insect!'
'You really shouldn't degrade your daughter's appearance like that, Snow. She looks rather normal.'
Snow groaned and Regina couldn't help but chuckle. 'Regina, Emma looks like a lady bug. She told me she came to you earlier but you ignored her, she isn't lying! She called me and begged me to come home. Please help us.'
Regina smile slowly dropped and her breathing started to pick up. This cannot be real. Emma Swan cannot be-
'Regina, please help us!'
Snow's voice was frantic. Emma might be someone to pull a trick on her but Snow was much too pure for that. Thoughts ran rapidly on her mind and she suddenly felt like everything was closing in on her. She stood up and looked for the nearest exit. She needed some air.
'Regina?' Tink stood up as well and eyed her worriedly.
The voice failed to register and Regina ran to the door, opening it forcefully and ran deeper into the forest. She gripped the nearest tree she could find and folded. Her hands lost grip of her phone and it dropped on the ground, still hearing Snow's voice. This cannot be happening.
'Regina, what's wrong?' Tink caught up with her and slowly approached.
Regina swallowed. 'Is it possible that the dusk infected other people? Someone who isn't my true love? Deviate from what it's supposed to do?'
'No. Dusts can't think on their own, they just serve their purpose. What's wrong?'
'Someone else in this town looks like a lady bug. Someone who isn't Robin. Someone else that I...' Regina's voice faltered.
'So... someone else is your True Love?'
Regina stood up harshly and pointed to Tink. 'You told me that Robin was my True Love!'
Tink shrunk and stepped back bit. 'That's what the fairy dust told us.'
'Another dust. Why is my life being run by dusts?' Regina paced in the little space between them and tried to calm herself, seeing Tink's fear towards her. 'How is this possible? Someone is screwing with me!'
'The dust told us that Robin was your soulmate, not your True Love.' Tink spoke softly. 'It's possible the level in which that exists is only in a platonic one. The word means a person ideally suited to another as a romantic partner or a close friend.'
'And you didn't think to tell me that in the first place?' Regina screamed. She felt so blind sided by the sudden burst of information.
'I'm sorry. I thought he was also your true love. Can I ask who your true love is?'
'I don't even feel something. I don't, I've repressed what I felt for a long time, my feelings are inexistent, I don't understand-' Regina rambled. She was all over the place and is obviously having a panic attack. 'I don't understand, I can't-'
'Regina, who is it?'
Regina stopped and sternly looked at her. 'Emma Swan.'
[x]
Her feared practical joke became Regina's last shred of hope. She checked with Belle if she told Emma about what happened yesterday and she told her that as soon as they reached Granny's they started drinking. There was no way in their drunken adventures that they thought of Emma and concocting a plan.
She checked Emma's schedule next as well and turned out, it was the Sheriff Departments annual hiking trip. Upon checking further, she knew that it was really just Emma and David drinking beers and grilling fish from a camp fire. They didn't bring any electronic gadgets, something that was really irresponsible considering that they were the only two law enforcers in town but she didn't focus on that now. This was no joke, it was real and Regina couldn't believe it was.
Not feeling up to anything anymore, the brunette went home and thought a little alcohol was in order. Her phone rang as soon as she got to her third glass of cider but she ignored it, she was definitely in no mood to deal with any of the Charmings right now.
On her fifth, someone knocked on her door. She tried ignoring it but as the minutes ticked by the knock grew stronger.
'Coming!'
She opened the door to a normal looking Emma.
'Neat trick, every time I come near you, I turn back to regular old Emma.'
'What are you doing here?'
Emma tried to smile but failed when she saw Regina's druken state. 'I wanted to ask you something-why are you drunk in the middle of the day?'
'None of your business. What do you want?'
'May I come in?'
'No.'
Emma dropped her shoulders and blew a loaded breath as she tip her head up. 'Regina, why are you so mad at me? I just want to know what's going on. I woke up as cute human insect, can you please just help me?'
Regina's eyes were cold and Emma plea didn't melt it one bit.
'I can't even explain why when I come in close contact to you, I go back to my normal self.' Then Emma gasped. 'Wait, did you do this to me?' Is that why I suddenly get cured when I come closer to you? Jesus, if you just wanted to see Regina, you could've just asked! I had to.. drive in the bug as a lady bug. It's not as cute as it sounds.'
Technically, Regina did but she would never admit to that. 'I did not do this to you Emma.'
'Then why won't you help me? Rumple's gone, you're the only one that can help me.' Mirth from her earlier statement was gone and was replaced by frustration.
She felt for the blonde, she was alone in this and after all that they've been through, Regina would imagine that Emma will be a little wary with any form of magic, no matter how cute. But admitting to what she knew is not an option. 'Because I don't know what this is. I admit that at first I thought you were kidding but Snow begging me to do help her was not comical.'
'Okay...but you'll help me?' Emma asked, hopeful.
Regina weighed the situation quickly. The situation will eventually come to light, seeing as there is not other way to get this over with without getting that particular bit of information out in the open but Regina wasn't ready. She needed time to think of how to handle all of this so for the mean time, she said... 'Yes, I will help you but for now, I don't know what we're dealing with.'
'So I have to go around town looking like I'm too excited for Halloween?'
Regina tried a comforting smile. 'I'm afraid. Now, I need to...'
'...go back to drinking? Why are you drinking anyway?'
'Like I said, it's none of your business, Miss Swan. Good bye.'
Regina stepped back and closed the door, retreating to her study.
[x]
Regina sobered up just in time to cook a good meal for when Henry comes home. She was able to prepare lasagna, Henry's favorite and get herself fixed up so that her day of drowning herself in liquor wouldn't be that obvious to her son. The growing teenager entered the house and found her on the kitchen, setting the table.
'Hey, mom.'
Her gave her a kiss on the cheek, a newly acquired behavior that Regina appreciated. 'How was your day, Henry?'
Henry giggled immediately. 'Hilarious, mom. Have you seen Emma? She looks like a lady bug!'
'Yes, I am aware.' Regina got a little curious at just how adorable Emma looked and made a mental note of asking Henry to take a picture.
'She looks so cute! Also a little funny but mainly cute. What happened to her by the way?'
Just like Emma, she had to pretend for the moment, eventhough she hated lying to Henry. 'I don't know. Drop you book bag upstairs and wash your hands. Time for dinner, my dear.'
Henry sniffed and by the way his face lit up, he's already guessed what it was. 'Lasagna? Score!'
Her son quickly did what she asked and was done in no time. They quickly dug in, Regina asking Henry how his studies are since he was in a race against another kid for the top spot. Pleased with the answer, Regina promised her son a gift if he gets the lead. Henry was in the middle of guessing what it was when the doorbell rung.
'Henry, would you please who it is?'
The boy nodded and went. Regina continued her meal and tried to hear but the Henry came back as soon as he could. 'It's Emma, mom. She already looks normal though. She wants to talk to you.'
'Did you invite her in?'
'Yes but she didn't come in. She just told me that she needed to talk to you.'
And she's gonna make me come to her. Regina sighed before she stood up, kissing her son on the forehead on the way out. Like announced, Emma was looking normal when she saw her. The brunette stood on her door, clasping both hands in front of her. 'Miss Swan, you needed to speak to me?'
The blonde was kicking some imaginary thing on her porch, not paying any attention to her. Curious. 'Miss Swan, you need to give me a good reason now of why you disrupted dinner with my son.'
Finally, she looked up. Her eyes were tired and somewhat betrayed...? 'I've had quite a day, Regina.'
'I would imagine. What is this about?'
'Snow always like Blue. She trusts her, so when I came back without any information from you, we went to her.'
Regina's breathing stilled. Emma knows.
'It was really a good thing that Snow suggested to go to her because Blue knew what made me look like a freaking bug. It was a dust called the love bug.' Emma got closer to Regina and continued. 'It's uh.. a red powder that's usually used for fun. Whoever gets sprinkled with it, the...' Emma breathed out and shook her head in disappointment. 'Did you know about this?'
'Emma, listen to me...'
'You did.' The blonde chuckled. 'Of course, you did. Is it true then? Are you my true love?'
'Yes, it's true.' Regina whispered.
'Woah, you guys are each others true loves?'
They both looked back and saw Henry grinning from ear to ear.
