A/N: To the guest reviewer who didn't read past the first chapter to get their Swan Queen, your own fault, I have lovely readers who are much nicer than yourself, so to all my lovely and loyal readers, another double update! Please enjoy! ALSO – flashbacks are in italics, I think I may have mentioned that before, but the 'flashback' in this scene goes with chapter 21's FTL scene, which of course is not up until tomorrow. I know they are very confusing guys but unfortunately they make sense in my head.
So many thoughts was flowing through Emma's head, she still had the memories, the horrible memories of her teenage years were flooding back, making her feel insecure and doubting her ability to truly love Regina, she knew that Regina didn't know much other than she was an orphan, but the horrors of her time in and out of the homes was something that only she knew. Regina didn't want to push but she didn't want Emma bottling everything up.
"Can you tell me?" Regina asked gently, muzzling Emma's neck with her nose, Emma tensed slightly,
"I don't think I can" Emma whispered, Regina sighed, she kissed Emma's neck and pulled back, turning Emma by her waist,
"You can, I believe in you, and no matter what, I am not going anywhere, nor will I love you any less" Regina said as she leaned closer and pressed her forehead against Emma's, Emma sighed and closed her eyes once more, she nodded her head slowly,
"Ok, but can we go somewhere more comfortable" Emma said, Regina smiled and nodded, she took Emma's hand and walked her out of the room and up the stairs, she walked into her room, Emma stopped in her tracks, the room was huge, and very much like how it was in the Enchanted Forest, white doors that went from the roof to the floor, a queen size bed with black satin sheets that faced into the room, a wooden floor that shone, the décor was very Evil Queen, dark purple wall paper with a black border, a tall window with black curtains, two tall white doors were to the left of the room, a vanity table beside the window with various knickknacks, and one Emma couldn't help but smile at, it was a small glass swan that she had got made for Regina, Emma forgetting about the dark memories she was about to tell and instead remembering the one that made her smile.
The Dark Kingdom
Emma rode Sprit into the small village outside the Dark walls, she would always insure that the people of the Dark Kingdom knew that she meant them no harm unless they done something against their Queen, then it would be her they would answer to, the people we not scared of her, in fact they were more than welcoming when it came to the Dark Knight, Emma dismounted her trusted steed and tied him up outside a small glass makers shop, a small child ran into her just as she dismounted, Emma grunted and it's mother ran to her and dropped to her knees,
"Please forgive her Dark Knight, she did not mean to" her mother said as she bowed her head to Emma, Emma looked at the child who was looking at Emma with a small smile, Emma didn't know what happened but in that moment the want to tell the mother to keep her on a lease was out of her mind, instead, Emma knelled down and poked the little girl in the stomach gently causing her to chuckle, the mother looked up in shock, Emma was now sitting on the ground infront of the young girl as she ran her hand through Emma's hair, Emma didn't know what this feeling was, one she would look into, that was without a doubt, Emma let the young girl play with her hair for a few moments longer until she turned herself around and sat down on Emma's crossed legs, Emma couldn't move, a child, a strange child, was sitting on her and yet she felt more at peace than she ever as, she let the young girl take her hand and play with a large black ring on her thumb, the young girl slipped it off and giggled, Emma smiled, she wrapped her arms around the young girl and managed to stand up, then placed her back on the ground and took the ring back, she then took the young girl's hand in her own and placed the very big ring on the young girl's finger, the little girl smiled and then done something that shocked not just Emma but all the villagers who was now standing around watching the Dark Knight interact with the child, the little girl lunged at Emma and wrapped her arms around Emma's neck, Emma was still until she finally got her bearings and wrapped her arms around the young girl, she pulled back and kissed Emma on the cheek,
"Good bye sweet Knight" the little girl said as she ran over to her shocked mother and jumped at her, Emma stood and smiled sweetly at the young girl's mother before turning on her heel and entering the small craft shop, she wanted to purchase a gift for Regina, she wanted it to be special, Regina had taken to calling Emma 'Swan' something that Emma took great pride seeing as it has first occurred after a night of making love,
Emma had walked into the bedchambers she now shared with her Queen. It had been a week since Snow's 'escape' and Emma was going to get to the bottom of it, she wanted to know how she escaped and she had Red, try and sniff out the smell, but it was tainted with something that had thrown the wolf off when she finally picked it up only to lose it a few miles outside the castle walls, Emma had suspected the dwarfs but she knew they weren't that stupid only one of other person would dare challenge the Queen,
"Robin Hood" Emma hissed as she looked from Belle to Red, Red also growled, Belle looked from her lover to her friend and back slightly confused as to what this Robin Hood had done,
"I knew it" Red growled as she walked over to Emma, Emma and Red started to talk until the library doors opened and Regina walked in, she looked at Emma and Red who had stopped talking but were still looking at each other, she looked to Belle who just shrugged, Regina cleared her throat and both Red and Emma turned to look at her, neither of the women happy,
"What is going on?" Regina asked, Emma and Red just growled once more causing Regina to roll her eyes, "growling will not suffice, I need words" Regina said glaring at Emma, Emma knew how much Regina hated her growling or mumbling but on this occasion she could not help it,
"Robin Hood!" Red and Emma said together, thus causing Regina to growl and Belle to smirk and hide her chuckle with a cough, receiving a glare from Regina, knowing full well that she was trying not to laugh,
"What about this, Robin Hood?" Regina asked trying not to sound too interested, if she was right, then this was the man Tinkerbell was on about, this was the man she was to meet, however that did not happen, the man with the lion tattoo, she called him, but she would never let Emma know that, no, she loved Emma, truly loved Emma, and this for Emma's own sanity was something she would keep from her, Emma however knew something was up, Robin Hood, her conversation with Tink, Regina's odd reaction to the name, Emma put two and two together and a book went flying across the room,
"It was him wasn't it? The one Tink was on about?" Emma asked, Regina looked at her, her eyes revealing everything, Emma just laughed and shook her head, "I'm going for a walk" Emma said as she pushed past Regina and out of the library, Red went to follow but Regina held her hand up,
"Find out where he is, I will deal with Emma" Regina said, knowing where she was, she 'poofed' herself out to her orchard and saw Emma sitting under an apple tree playing with a knife, Regina got closer and saw Emma had scratched out her own initials that she had placed under Regina's, Regina felt a pang of hurt and guilt, Emma was hurting, but she wasn't exactly sure why,
"Did you know it was him that freed her?" Emma asked not turning around, also something Regina hadn't told Emma was that she had her suspicions about it being Robin, he was friends with that no good Charming, she sighed,
"I had a feeling yes" Regina said watching as Emma once again stuck the knife into the tree, Regina winced and turned her wrist magciking the knife into her own hands, Emma however didn't turn she simply started at the tree, Regina was nervous, Emma was always open with Regina about how she felt but having the young Princess being so closed off, did not sit right with the Queen, Emma suddenly stood and turned to Regina, tears running down her cheek,
"He could be in my place, and yet you did not think to tell me that the man that helped Snow escape could be the one sharing a bed with you every night? I'm sorry Regina, but I just, I just need time, I shall be back shortly, I'm taking Spirit for a ride" Emma said as she turned and walked away from Regina, Regina who would never had let herself cry before was trying very hard to stop the tears that was running down her face, a soft hand on her arm made her sniff and turn her head,
"She will be back, she just needs time to process, my child"
"Will she? I can't lose her Daddy" Regina said as she cried in her father's arm for the first time in forever, and Henry was happy to see that his daughter still held some human emotion, and it was all thanks to the once White Kingdom's princess
"How am I to get over this" Emma said to herself as she sat on top of Sprit as he drank from the lake they use to go to, Emma turned and sighed, "did she send you to keep an eye on me?" Emma asked into the night, the bushes rattled and a big brown wolf stepped out and whimpered, Emma sighed and dismounted Spirit, she walked over to the wolf and patted it's head, "yes well I'm sure she mean s well" Emma said as she kissed the wolf's snout causing the wolf to lick Emma's face, Emma couldn't suppress the chuckle, she watched as the wolf started transform back into the woman, Emma couldn't help but smile at Red who gasped, Emma took her vest off and handed it to Red, she walked to her saddle bag and pulled out a blanket and handed it over, Red wrapped it around her waist,
"You know she never meant to hurt, she didn't think it would mean anything anyway" Red said as she tied the blanket and took a step closer to Emma, Emma just looked at Red, she knew she had over reacted just slightly, but it still hurt, Emma still felt insecure and just the thought of Robin being connected to not Snow's escape but possibly the one Regina should be with, it just made her feel, upset.
"Yes I do know that, I still cannot help the feelings I have, I feel like she hast betrayed me but yet she has not, why is that?" Emma asked as she walked back to the lake, Red sighed, Emma was still just a girl, she was still young, Red did fell slight anger towards Regina however she knew that she just didn't want to hurt Emma, but no matter what she done, she would still hurt Emma,
"Because you love her, and love hurts, you know she didn't mean to hurt you Emma, she loves you" Red said as she walked up behind the young girl that she thought of as a daughter she hated how Snow had treated her, no mother should treat their child like Snow had, now she wanted to be nothing but her mother, she wanted to just hold her and so she did, she walked up behind Emma and wrapped her arms around her,
"Why does it hurt so much?" Emma asked as she leaned back against Red, Red smiled and nuzzled her nose against Emma's hair,
"Love hurts Emma, I should know, when you disappeared, I felt so alone" Red said honestly, she had never felt so alone when Emma was left the White Kingdom and again when Snow had taken her, Red was starting to feel very protective of Emma and all everyone in the Dark Kingdom knew that the wolf was not one to mess with.
"But you found me again" Emma said wrapping her arms around Red and kissing her cheek.
"I remember getting this for you" Emma said as she appeared in the doorway of Regina's bedchamber with the glass Swan in her hand, Regina spun around at the sound of Emma's voice,
"Emma" Regina breathed out with a small smile, Emma smiled at her, "I'm sorry" Regina said as she made her way to Emma and ran her hand down her arms,
"No I am sorry, I should not have acted in such a childish manner" Emma said, Regina just smiled and leaned her forehead against Emma's, Emma kissed her and smiled,
"It is forgiven my love, I am sorry I was not straight with you about Robin, I was trying to look after you my love" Regina said as she kissed Emma, Emma went to wrap her arms around Regina but Regina pulled back, "Put down my Swan" Regina said glaring at Emma, Emma chuckled and set it down on Regina's dresser before being pulled back into a searing kiss which turned into much more.
Storybrooke
"I remember when I got this for you" Emma said with a small smile as she turned back around to Regina who looked at her with a smile, Emma placed the glass swan back on her dresser and sighed,
"It was one of the only reminders I had of you, other than my memories" Regina said running her hand through Emma's hair as her eyes filled with dears.
"I am so sorry Regina" Emma said as the tears feel down her cheeks, Regina smiled and brought her hand up to wipe them away
"You do not have to apologies to me Emma" Regina said as she ran her hand through her hair, Emma tried to calm herself down but she couldn't stop, sobs wreaked Emma's body as Regina gathered her into her arms, Regina kissed Emma's head again and again trying to calm down Emma,
"I..I..I'm sorry" Emma sniffed as she pulled away from Regina to look into her eyes, Regina just shook her head,
"Stop" Regina said firmly, Emma looked at her wide eyed, Regina smiled, "stop apologizing my love, there is nothing to apologize for" Regina said as she leaned in and kissed Emma sweetly Regina ran her hands down Emma's shirt clad arms and squeezed her biceps, "god I've missed you so much" Regina said as she leaned in and kissed Emma gently on her lips, Emma couldn't help but smile and kissed Regina back,
"I missed you, all you of you my love" Emma said sweetly, Regina smiled and pulled Emma flush against her, they broke the kiss and Emma breathed out,
"Are you ready to tell me now?" Regina asked, Emma keep her eyes closed and took a deep breath, she nodded slowly, Regina smiled and leaned forward and kissed her nose, "come, let us get comfortable" Regina said as she took Emma's hand and walked her over to the bed and got comfortable.