A/N: adding in a few time jumps to get us moving forwards and to bring Regina some justice! Also, I've been away on holiday all week without my laptop/internet and only got home on Sunday evening so this is a little shorter than normal, sorry!
It took a week for Emma to call her father and let him know that they knew the identity of one of the men who had paid Killian, so he could have sex with Regina. The two women had agreed to wait a few days after the revelation in the restaurant. They wanted to give Belle the chance to change her mind in case the decision to turn her baby's father over to law enforcement was one she would come to regret. And maybe she still would but a week after the revelation, she confirmed to Emma that she still wanted the police to get involved, particularly if it would help Regina's case.
David had asked Emma several questions during that phone call which she didn't know the answers to, culminating in Regina having to go into the station to make a follow-up statement about her interactions with Robert Gold. Emma had gone with her, waiting outside the room once more. This time, the aftermath felt different, however. Regina wanted to go out for a coffee on their way home, a newly acquired favourite London activity. Emma was more than happy to indulge her as the brunette became more comfortable in the capital, knowing her trafficker was locked up.
A call later that day from David informed Emma and Regina that the police were going to bring Mr Gold in for questioning and were prepared to offer him a deal in exchange for his testimony against Killian, and any other people involved he may be able to implicate. Regina had already known this was a possibility and while the idea of Mr Gold getting away with his crime, or at least getting off lightly, left a bad taste in her mouth, she knew it was the right call. If Mr Gold could offer proof of the sex trafficking ring as a customer of said ring, the police's case against the leaders strengthened and, at the end of the day, Regina knew that was the most important thing.
It took a month for a court date to be set for Killian's trial. The first frost of the winter lingered in the garden, beneath the bare branches of the silver birch, as Regina listened to David explain the process which would unfold over the next four weeks. The trial was set for two weeks before Christmas. Regina needed to prepare for her testimony, which she had agreed to give via video link. There was no way she was going to be in the same room as Killian if she could avoid it.
When Emma returned home later that morning, after a night shift, Regina told her the news. It was good news, too. They had been waiting for this. But at the same time, the date made things very real, and brought the reality of what Regina would have to go through into focus.
"Are you sure you're ok with testifying?" Emma asked, pushing a cup of tea towards Regina after the brunette had relayed everything she had been told up to that point.
"Yes," Regina nodded. "I know it will be hard but it's important. The jury need to hear what I went through from me, and video is much more powerful and effective than a written statement."
Emma cocked her head. "Yeah, my dad told us that and I know he is looking out for you but at the end of the day he wants to win this case, whatever it takes. I'm asking as your girlfriend and my only concern is you. Are you sure you're ok with this?"
"You're sweet to be concerned, Ems," Regina smiled, the nickname having become common over the past few months, "but I really am fine. And I want us to win this case too. More than your dad, by the way. I want Killian in prison for a long time and if that means I'll have to do something emotionally difficult, then I'll do it. Not just for me but for everyone else who he abused."
Nodding her understanding and her acceptance, Emma squeezed Regina's hand. "Ok, well, I'll support you all the way, you know that."
"I do, thank you. And I'm talking about it at my CBT therapy too. You aren't the only person I have supporting me with this. That's important. It's a big thing for both of us and I don't want you to feel all this pressure to be my emotional crutch. I'm getting help elsewhere too. Although, of course, I really do appreciate you being here for me."
"I'll always be here for you. Whatever you need."
As they drank their tea, Emma made arrangements to have the entire week of the trial off work. There was no way she was letting Regina go through this alone, even if she did have other people around to support her.
A week before the trial was due to start, Regina met with David several times to review her witness statements. She also met the prosecuting barrister, a confident young woman named Ursula. Regina liked her from the moment she met her, despite the circumstances. A warm handshake and a reassuring smile set her at ease as the Black woman opened her file and scanned her notes.
"You're doing a good thing here, Regina," Ursula remarked as she gathered her questions together. "This Jones fellow is a piece of work and together you and I are going to show the jury why this man deserves to be locked away for a very, very long time."
"I hope so," Regina replied.
"I know so," Ursula declared with a wink. "Ok, so we can practice my questions until the cows come home but the defence is going to be another story. I have a few theories about how they're going to make a counter argument to mine and the mountain of evidence I'll be presenting, but we won't really know which way they're going to try and lead the jury until the trial starts. The good news is that I can help you prepare and since you're not testifying until the third day, I should be able to give you a clearer idea of what to expect based on what happens on the first couple of days."
Regina nodded to show she understood. It had been the element of the trial she was most nervous about. Being questioned by the prosecution would be easy; they were on the same side and had the same objectives. But the defence was a different matter entirely. She had no idea what to expect so it did reassure her to hear that Ursula had some inklings as to what her counterpart would attempt when it came to the legal argument.
"Ok, let's get started then," Ursula said. "We'll start easy and work our way up, ok? Any time you want to stop, let me know. Same goes for when we're doing this for real, but the way. If you need a break, say so and we can ask the judge for a pause."
"I'm ok," Regina replied, sitting up a little straighter. "I'm ready."
The night before the trial, all three nurses had the night off. It wasn't a coincidence. Emma had booked off the entire week. Belle had booked off the Thursday which was when Mr Gold was testifying. And Ruby had done the same, to be there for Belle, even though the pregnant woman wouldn't be going to the court to watch him. They'd all booked the Sunday night off, as a silent act of solidarity with Regina.
Pizza boxes were strewn across the coffee table, the odd slice left in each but mostly the contents had been consumed. Regina hadn't eaten much, Emma observed, but enough for her not to chide her into having another few bites. The brunette had curled into her side, head resting against her chest as they watched a movie. Well, looked at a TV on which a movie was playing. No one was particularly following the plot.
Belle was in the armchair, feet up on a footstool, with her hands rubbing slowly backwards and forwards over her rounded stomach. At almost six months pregnant, her bump was becoming more and more pronounced every day.
Every few minutes, Ruby's eyes darted in Belle's direction, checking that she was ok. When the lanky brunette had found out about Mr Gold, it was all Emma and Regina could do to restrain her and stop her from going out to find the man and beat him to a bloody pulp. It was only the women calming her down and Emma's reminder that none of them knew where Mr Gold's house was which finally made her give up and collapse into an armchair, irate and distressed.
Since then, she had barely left Belle's side, except when their work forced them apart. Belle had hardly been able to make herself a cup of tea before Ruby had appeared and taken over. It was sweet, in many ways, but Emma was worried. She knew Ruby was in love with Belle. The girlfriend which Ruby had seemingly been happy with, Dot, having disappeared overnight after the reveal of Mr Gold's crime. Emma had tried to talk to Ruby about it, tried to ask her what she thought would happen, but Ruby had shut her down.
"This isn't about me," she'd snapped, throwing some chopped vegetables into a large pot of soup she was making for Belle who had been due home from work in an hour. "My friend needs me. Our friend needs us. All I'm doing is making sure she's healthy. She's growing a baby, remember?"
"You mean the woman you're in love with is growing the baby of a man who cheated on her with a sex traffic victim," Emma had hissed, keeping her voice low so that Regina, who was in the other room, didn't hear.
Ruby had ignored the words and continued to stir the vat of steaming liquid. "Belle is my friend," she repeated. "I'm just looking out for her."
But Emma knew it was more than that. She knew Ruby wanted to be with Belle, had wanted that for years and had settled for a casual sexual transactional dynamic because it was all Belle was able to offer her. And, as far as Emma had concerned, was all she would ever offer her. She didn't think Belle saw Ruby as more than a friend and a fun, convenient fuck. She hoped, for both their sakes, that they had a conversation about it soon. The longer it went on, the more Ruby was going to get hurt.
Judging by the way Ruby was looking at Belle that Sunday night, a conversation was yet to take place, despite Emma urging Belle to make things clear to Ruby what their relationship was. A friendship.
Belle winced and shifted slightly. Ruby jumped to her feet. "Are you ok?"
"Fine, he's just kicking," Belle said, settling back against the cushions and rubbing her stomach.
"What does it feel like when he kicks?" Regina asked, distracted from the movie by the movement.
"At first, it was really light, kind of like I had a butterfly stuck inside me," Belle recalled. "But as he's getting bigger, the kicks are getting stronger. It doesn't hurt but it's a funny feeling. Plus you never get any warning so it's a bit of a shock every time it happens. I'm not used to it yet, I suppose."
"Can I feel?" Ruby asked.
Belle nodded and beckoned her over. Ruby knelt down beside the armchair and allowed Belle to guide her hand over her stomach, sliding her fingers back and forth until she found the right spot. Ruby's face was rapt with concentration. There was a pause and then a smile exploded across her face. "I can feel him!" she exclaimed.
Ruby and Belle grinned at each other. Emma and Regina looked sideways at each other. Two silent conversations being had over the same moment. Regina knew Emma was concerned about Ruby, about her getting hurt. She understood Emma's desire to protect her friend but she also knew that when it came to matters of the heart, outside intervention wouldn't do any good.
"Would you have stopped loving me if you mum hadn't come around to our relationship?" she reasoned later that night as they lay in bed when Emma professed to not understanding why Ruby didn't see what she saw. The two of them had gone on what Emma refused to acknowledge was a double date the week before, and it had been a raging success.
"Of course not," Emma had replied, kissing Regina slowly as if to make a point before pulling her a little closer. "It wouldn't be possible for me to stop loving you."
"Maybe it's not possible for Ruby to stop loving Belle," Regina countered.
The thought was distressing to Emma. She didn't want Ruby's love to be unrequited but, from what she could tell, it appeared to be.
"Well, maybe. But for this week, I want to focus on you. How are you feeling about what's coming?"
"I'm ok," Regina replied. "It's out of my hands, for the most part. Ursula's going to keep us up to date at the end of each day, and I'm sure your dad will be giving us updates too. I guess we just have to wait and see."
Emma kissed her softly. "It's going to be fine. He's going to be found guilty."
"I hope so," Regina whispered.
"I know so."
A/N: Happy Sunday! Next week, the trial!