A/N: Happy Sunday!
If someone had asked Emma to recount the plot of the film, she'd have been unable to provide much more than a couple of vague sentences. From the moment Ruby had dimmed the lights and clicked play, Emma's eyes had darted between the screen and the woman curled up in the armchair to the right of her.
Regina's eyes had barely wavered from the film for a moment. The slice of chocolate birthday cake which they'd cut half way through remained only partially eaten on the plate balanced on the side of the chair. She'd picked at it for almost an hour, tiny forkfuls of richness slowly raised to her mouth. Emma couldn't stop herself from watching each time another morsel was eaten. And her obsession had nothing to do with the fact that she had baked the cake and wanted it to be enjoyed.
What was Regina thinking? Was Regina ok? Was Regina in pain? Her wounded lip was on the opposite side to Emma so she couldn't really see it. But it must hurt, right? Was Regina really watching the film with such an intensity as she appeared or was she staring at the screen without seeing it? Was she thinking of Killian? Was she thinking about the man from the previous night? Was she thinking about the women she left behind? Because Emma was sure there were others. Killian was a pimp and there were other girls working for him. Who were they? Was Regina friends with them? What could she do to help Regina stay safe? What could she and Regina do to keep all the women under Killian's control safe?
As the credits rolled, Ruby got to her feet and started tidying away the detritus that littered the sofa between her and Emma. Empty cake plates, popcorn bags and a half demolished chocolate bar. When Ruby gave herself a treat night, she gorged. Regina stifled a yawn and turned back to look directly at Emma for the first time in over two hours.
"I'm really tired," she said quietly. "I think I'll go to bed."
"Oh, sure," Emma nodded. "Do you have everything you need?"
"I think so. Although, do you have a towel? I'd like to take a shower."
Emma jumped to her feet and led Regina out of the room, pausing at the bottom of the stairs as Regina poked her head into the kitchen to say goodnight Ruby. The two of them walked up to the first floor and Emma opened the linen closet where a mismatched collection of towels were stacked.
"I'm not sure what shampoo and stuff is in there but use whatever you find. We can go and get you some stuff tomorrow if you want."
"Thank you," Regina replied. "For everything, Emma. I mean, I don't know where I'd be right now if you hadn't come to find me. I really do appreciate it and I promise you I'll leave as soon as I can."
She took in the woman's exhausted face for a moment, seeing vulnerability and an unknown future reflected from those wide brown eyes, before answering.
"There's no rush," Emma reassured. "I know you don't have anywhere else you can go right now and I'm happy you're here. I'm happy you're safe, ok? Let's just take it one day at a time."
Emma briefly wondered what those days would entail. She knew she wanted Regina to speak to her dad, to provide the police with a clear account of what had happened and Killian's role in everything. She wanted that man behind bars. She wanted the person responsible for Regina's trauma in prison forever. And she also wanted whoever was responsible for hurting Regina the night before found and punished.
"How's your lip?" she asked before Regina could reply.
The brunette raised a hand without conscious thought to touch the wound on her face, fingertips brushing over the steri strips which held her flesh together.
"It's ok," Regina said. "Thank you for that too."
"Just doing my job. I think I've got some more strips somewhere in our first aid kit, so we can always redress it in the morning or whenever it needs it. Anything you need, Regina, please ask me. I want to help."
"You've done more than enough already," Regina replied quietly.
"Well, even so, just let me know, ok?" Emma said, cocking her head to one side and smiling.
Another yawn escaped as Regina nodded her acceptance of the offer. Emma gestured towards the main bathroom and wished Regina good night, not wanting to make the woman think she needed to stay up and talk on Emma's behalf or to be polite. Sure, the blonde had more questions; countless more questions. But there would be time for that.
As soon as she entered the kitchen, Ruby paused in her task of filling the dishwasher and handed Emma an over full glass of wine. "Dude, what are we going to do?"
Taking the glass and swallowing some of the liquid, Emma frowned. "About what?"
"About the fact that you've invited an ex hooker and and drug addict to live with us."
The base of the wine glass slammed into the counter and Emma was briefly surprised to discover it hadn't broken, the wine sloshing violently against the sides. "What did you just say?" she asked through gritted teeth.
Ruby at least had the good grace to look apologetic. "I mean, I know you have every right to give that room to whomever you want but, why her?"
"Because she needs it," Emma snapped at once. "And please don't call her a hooker."
"She is though, right? I didn't misjudge that?"
"She was forced into it," Emma replied. "It wasn't her choice. Anyway, how did you know?"
Ruby shrugged. "I just put the pieces together from something Regina said earlier. It didn't seem like a standard DV case and I knew your dad was involved somehow. So, you're hiding her from her pimp?"
"I guess, yeah."
"And her dealer?"
Emma slid herself onto one of the barstools and took another gulp of wine. "What makes you think she's on drugs? My dad said the same thing, by the way."
"I mean, it was pretty obvious she was high when she came downstairs before we watched the film. I don't know how you missed that to be honest. And there are bruises on the inside of her thigh which look like injection sites. I saw them when we were in the garden."
"Bullshit," Emma said shortly.
"Emma, babe, I know this is hard to hear and I totally get it. You like her, I can tell. But she's a drug addict and you aren't going to be able to help her until you accept that. She needs to accept it too, by the way. I'm guessing she hasn't spoken to you about it?"
"No," Emma whispered, eyes now trained on the stem of the glass where her fingers ran slowly up and down. "No, I've not talked to her about it."
"So, you agree that she's using?"
Green eyes flicked upwards, meeting her best friend's gaze. "I don't know," she admitted. "I hope not."
"Of course you hope she isn't but you must have seen the signs. Have you checked her stuff?"
Emma shook her head. "I don't think another invasion of her privacy is what she needs right now. It was hard enough to persuade her to admit that she had been trafficked. I'm not going to push her away now that I've got her here by asking about her drug use. Just, can you let me handle this? In my own way, in my own time?"
Ruby nodded sagely. "Sure, I trust you. But watch your back, ok? You know how addiction can take over a person and how it can destroy those close to them. I don't want you to get hurt."
Despite herself, Emma smiled. She appreciated Ruby looking out for her, even if she didn't think it was necessary. Regina wasn't going to hurt her. Emma was going to help Regina.
"Need a hand?" Emma asked, hopping off the barstool and setting about working with Ruby to tidy up the kitchen before the two nurses, exhausted, finally climbed upstairs to bed.
When she awoke the next morning, Emma lay perfectly still, allowing her consciousness to slowly return. Already the air in the room was warm, a gentle breeze outside ushering in the day and causing her blind to tap irregularly against the window frame. She rolled over, checking her phone and seeing that it was gone eight. Yesterday had been long, and she was looking forward to her day off.
The rest of the house was quiet. Ruby would likely be out at the gym and she didn't think Belle had come home at all. She wondered briefly how long it would be before she moved in with Mr Gold. The relationship was new but the two seemed pretty infatuated with one another. She'd miss her when she was gone. Although, the house was pretty crowded now, she mused to herself, wondering how Regina had slept.
A clatter from the kitchen made her sit bolt upright. There was silence below again. Swinging her legs out of bed, she threw on a large t-shirt to make herself decent (she'd fallen asleep only in some loose shorts as it was so hot the night before) and padded downstairs. By the time she got to the first floor, she could smell cooking. And coffee.
"Hey," she said, as she walked into the kitchen to find Regina standing in front of the hob, turning over some sausages. Beside her a French press was steaming, waiting to be prepared.
"Good morning," the brunette replied, smiling almost shyly. "Sorry, I dropped the pan. Did it wake you?"
"I was awake already. What are you cooking?"
"A full English breakfast. I hope you don't mind that I rummaged through your fridge and started using your food. I wanted to say thank you for, well, for saving me and I don't have any money to go and buy any ingredients."
Emma grinned and took a seat at the breakfast bar. "Oh, I don't mind at all. Help yourself to anything in the fridge. And I love breakfast. Best meal of the day."
"I don't usually eat it," Regina admitted. "I'm not usually up before late morning."
There was no need to elaborate. Both women knew why Regina's sleep schedule had been unusual. Emma offered to help with the food and together they finished putting together some semblance of a full English, although they were missing bacon and tomatoes. Emma fried up some mushrooms with lashings of butter as Regina finished off the dish with some eggs. They decided to eat in the garden which was already hot thanks to the sunshine streaming in over the top of the wall.
They ate in silence for a while and it was only as they were close to finishing their plates that Emma spoke again. "Did you sleep well?"
"Yes, pretty well. All things considering. Emma, I really must thank you again for taking me in."
Waving away the thanks, Emma shook her head. "I think we need to stop the thanking thing. Honestly, Regina, you're welcome here and I want you to stay for as long as you need. If you keep trying to say than you, we're both going to be exhausted."
"Ok, well, I'm still going to say it because I am thankful."
Emma grinned. "I know but honestly, I'm thankful too. If I hadn't known you were safely tucked up in bed downstairs last night, I don't think I could have slept for worry about where you were and what was happening to you."
There was a long silence, Regina ducking her gaze and becoming unnaturally interested a the piece of mushroom left on her plate. Emma realised that what she'd said had come out a little strangely.
"That was weird, wasn't it? The tucked up in bed part, right?"
Regina let out a little chuckle. "Yeah, it sounded a bit odd," she agreed. "But I appreciate what you meant."
"Well, I'm glad you're safe anyway. So, I've got the day off today. I thought maybe we could go grab you a couple of changes of clothes and some wash stuff?"
"I'd like that," Regina replied. "Although, I'm not sure if leaving the house is … I mean, I don't think it would be a good idea just in case."
"In case we meet Killian?" Emma suggested.
Regina nodded. "Yeah, he'll be looking for me. I bet he was trying to find me all night."
"London is a big city," Emma reasoned. "The chances of us actually running into him are tiny."
"I know but it's not like we're that far away and he knows a lot of people. If we'd gone to Wimbledon or somewhere else, I might feel safer but right now … I'm sorry, I don't mean to be awkward. And of course, if you want me to leave, I will."
Emma batted away the suggestion at once. "No, of course not. And you're right. It was a stupid idea. So how about I go out and get some things for you. Or we could order some stuff on Amazon. I know they're evil and don't pay their taxes and I hate that I give them money each month but they have good TV plus sometimes I forget people's birthdays and then it's super helpful. I'm trying to justify something I know is wrong. Please feel free to judge me."
"I'm not judging you. Either of those options is fine. I don't want to put you out. And I don't have any money. I mean, I had some but I left it with Killian. He took most of our earnings and I didn't bring any of the pathetic amount I'd saved. I'm so sorry."
"It's fine, honestly. Look, I'll run out and grab you some things. You're a size eight?"
Regina nodded. "Mostly, sometimes a ten. It depends."
"Ok, I'll go down to the high street and get you some stuff. And please don't worry about the money or feel guilty about it. I really don't want that." Even as she said it, she could tell that Regina was already formulating a way to pay Emma back. Clearly the brunette was not someone who liked to be indebted to someone else. Which, Emma admitted, she admired.
With their plates clean, Regina set about washing up and insisted Emma left her to it. "It's the least I can do." So Emma headed upstairs to showed and get dressed. By the time she'd returned, ready to head out to the shops, Regina was sitting out in the garden, nose buried in a book.
"I hope you don't mind. I saw it in the living room."
"No, help yourself. What is it?" she asked, peering over Regina's shoulder.
"Elizabeth Day's Paradise City. I've only read her non-fiction and listened to her podcast."
"Oh, I love that book. She's awesome. Mega crush, I've got to admit," Emma grinned. "Anyway, I'm off. Any specific requests?"
"No, just something cheap and easy. I mean, I know fast fashion is as awful as Amazon but just a few changes of clothes will see me through and I don't want you to spend too much."
"Got it," Emma nodded. "I'll be back in an hour or so. Any problems, my mobile number is on the pad by the phone in the living room. Ruby insists we need a landline, although we never use it and it never rings."
Regina laughed and waved as Emma retreated into the house and towards the front door. Out on the street, the heat radiated of the pavement even though it was only mid morning. She slid her sunglasses on and started out but before she reached the end of the road, she decided she ought to slap some suncream on and doubled back.
Once inside, she left the door ajar as she jogged up the stairs, turning on the landing and heading up to her room where she knew there was a bottle of factor 30 sat on her dresser. But before she could continue, she heard a noise from Regina's room which made her pause. She wasn't sure exactly what it was about the sound of metal tapping metal that caught her attention but she walked down to the guest room and hesitated for a moment. There was the soft rustle of movement but nothing identifiable through the wood. She knew she should knock. God knows Regina needed someone to respect her private and personal space. But something inside Emma told her to open the door without announcing her presence.
The woman gasped as she heard the door handle and dropped what she was holding. It didn't matter. Emma's eyes went straight to the teaspoons, besides which was the residue of the spilt power and liquid which hadn't yet bonded. And the red lighter which lay conspicuous against the pale carpet.
"Emma, I can explain," Regina began, getting to her feet from where she'd been kneeling on the floor.
But there was no explanation needed. Emma knew what she was looking at. She had, if she was honest with herself, expected to see it when she opened the door. Or something akin to this. As much as she'd denied what Ruby had said the night before, deep down Emma had known that Regina was using. She just wasn't sure what.
"Heroin," she said blankly, to no one in particular. It wasn't even a question, and certainly not one which Emma needed answered. She knew. Regina didn't move. She just stood there, staring at the floor where the one thing which made her feel like she could get through the day lay scattered at her feet.
A/N: Well, Emma knows now. That has to be a good thing, right?