Chapter 17 To Be Free

Emma couldn't stop thinking about Regina's reaction the moment she left campus. She knew Regina was scared. She knew it was a huge risk for them to try and pull Regina out from Leopold. She knew there was a huge chance everything might go wrong, but it was a risk that she needed to take, because she found herself starting to care for the woman who had given her so much trouble. Those dark eyes were all she saw as she closed her eyes and tossed and turned all evening. She couldn't sleep when all she could hear was the fear in Regina's voice when they had been arguing in the cafe bathroom. She was wide awake, her brain running a mile a minute with anxiety. The loft was unbearably silent. She needed to get up because otherwise she would just end up lying in bed for hours driving herself mad.

She kicked the covers off, grabbed her cell from the night stand and was a bit disappointed that there wasn't a single text from Regina. It wasn't odd that she would go hours without texting her, but she usually always snuck in a goodnight text. With a heavy heart, she stood from the bed and headed down the loft and into the kitchen.

Maybe some hot chocolate will help?

She prepared herself a cup and was sitting at the breakfast bar, lost in thought and thinking about Regina when Mary Margaret suddenly came in from her bedroom. She had wrapped her robe around her and looked a bit bleary eyed as she came into the kitchen.

"Couldn't sleep?" she asked, pouring herself some of the hot water Emma heated up and dipping a tea bag inside.

"No," Emma sighed as her roommate brought her mug over and stood in front of her with the counter between them. "I just keep thinking about Regina and how she reacted today when I told her I was trying to help her. Maybe it was too soon?"

"She needed to know sooner or later," Mary Margaret said. "And we do need to start documentation to build a case like Katherine advised."

"I know," she sighed, feeling so defeated. "She's so fearful, she won't accept my help. What did he do to her to make her lose hope? She's so afraid of being free from him, she won't allow anyone to help her."

"Everytime she ran, he punished her severely, until one night, he took something from her. The loss was so great, she stopped running away and then Henry was adopted, and now she won't even risk leaving in fear of losing him.

"What kind of loss?"

"It's not my place to tell you," she whispered. "I have already told you about her past when I shouldn't have."

"Yeah, I know," she grumbled just as a knock broke the silence and sounded loudly throughout the loft. They looked at each other in confusion for a moment before Emma stood from her stool and approached the door. Who would be visiting them at this hour?

The answer to that question was a shock when Emma opened the door to see the trembling brunette they had just been talking about.

"Regina?" Emma's voice shook as she took in her small frame. She was so much shorter without her heels. She was dressed in blue silk pajamas with a black peacoat thrown over them and boots. Her hair was messed up as if someone had grabbed a whole of her dark locks in their fist on one side. Her eyes were red and teary and the bruises on her lip and lower chin were dark without makeup covering them for once. She could also make out a forming red mark on her cheek as if she had been slapped recently.

"Can I come in?" she asked, her voice was shaking and she looked so vulnerable, a far cry from the strong confident woman she had presented herself as.

"Of… Of course…" Emma stammered, forcing herself to move aside to let her in. Regina wasn't making eye contact as she stood in the middle of the loft looking so lost.

"Regina?" Mary Margaret came around the counter and approached her. "What happened?"

"He was drinking all afternoon," she admitted. "He's passed out right now, and Henry is asleep so I figured they wouldn't notice if I was gone."

"But what happened?" Emma asked, wanting to reach out and offer her some kind of comfort, but she was too distressed, her body shaking and her eyes unable to look at them. Her voice was cracking as if she were about to cry or had been crying the entire way here. "Did you walk?"

She shook her head.

"I took the Benz."

"Here," Mary Margaret gently took her hand and led her to the couch. "Sit down."

She was slow in her movements, and seemed to brace herself as she sat down. Her hand cradled her belly as if she were in pain. She didn't miss the wince or flash of pain flickering across her face, and neither did Mary Margaret because they both looked at each other knowingly.

Mary Margaret went into the kitchen for something as Emma finally shook herself from the shock and approached her. She knelt before her, trying to meet her gaze.

"Hey," she whispered, gently taking the hand that was cradling her belly. "Talk to me, please."

She finally looked at her, and Emma's heart felt like it jumped in her chest at the deep anguish she saw in those dark, expressive eyes. She could see her fear, her pain, but also a flicker of determination. There was a reason she came here tonight.

"He… He was upset about the election and he got a bit rough with me," she admitted as Mary Margaret came back with a glass of water and some ibuprofen. Regina gratefully took them, giving Emma the opportunity to get up and sit beside her on the couch.

"Thank you," she whispered to her stepdaughter. Mary Margaret nodded, standing close but not invading her space. "He was suspicious that I might have tipped you off. I was annoyed and goaded him. Maybe I deserved it tonight…" she mumbled those last words.

"You don't ever deserve to be beaten," Emma said, her tone hushed with anger. Not at Regina, but at the man who dared to put his hands on his wife. "You don't deserve this no matter how much you goad him. Maybe he deserves a slap in the face instead."

At those words, Regina brought a hand to her reddening cheek for a moment before burying her hand in her lap.

"I want to apologize for my reaction earlier," she said instead. "I panicked. The thought of you getting too close and then backing out scared me. I'm afraid of everything going wrong, and losing Henry in the process."

"That's not going to happen," Emma assured her.

"How do you know?"

"Because I'm not giving up, and if worse comes to worse, I could take you and Henry so far away he could never find you."

Regina looked at her as if trying to see any fault in her promises. It was as if she were trying to decide whether she should trust her or not. So she gently took her hand and squeezed it, looking into those dark eyes.

"I know you've lost a lot, and people have given up trying to help you when it became too dangerous. I meant what I said in the cafe. I would never do anything rash that could get you or Henry hurt. We're going to do this carefully so that not only are you free of him, but you get justice."

"Hmm… to be free of him…" she mused as if it was something she couldn't quite apprehend. Emma wiped her eyes, sudden tears threatening to fall at the notion of Regina not knowing what freedom was.

"What do you say?" she asked softly.

Regina hesitated as if she was internally convincing herself. She seemed a bit conflicted but then eventually she slowly nodded her head and looked at Mary Margaret and then at Emma.

"Ok, as long as you promise me one thing," she said. "If this gets too dangerous, I want you to take Henry. In fact if it's needed, I am willing to relinquish my parental rights to you so that Leopold could never take him."

Her mouth dropped open in shock. Even Mary Margaret was surprised and had to take a seat on the armchair beside them.

"You're giving me Henry?"

"It's what's best," her voice shook. "I have to give him his best chance, just like you did. And if I can't escape Leopold or something happens to me, then I want Henry far away from him and this town. You will take him and never come back."

"It won't come down to that, because I will never leave you here," Emma urged. "And besides, doesn't Leopold have rights to him too?"

"Yes, but if this escalates, and Leopold is exposed for his abusive behavior, he will lose all rights to Henry, and when he does, and if I'm unable to leave, then that is when you will take him."

Emma let out a heavy sigh. This was a huge promise. Taking custody of her son. Regina was right, because this was going to be dangerous, and if anything were to go wrong, if Regina didn't make it… Then Henry needed to be protected.

"You really trust me to take Henry?" she couldn't help but ask in awe. Regina gave her a small smile.

"I've only known you a short time, and most of that time I hated you, but I've never met anyone so determined to fight for me or Henry. The more I push you away, you keep coming back. Maybe it's time I let you in?"

Those words nearly brought tears to her eyes. The thought of Regina finally trusting her warmed her heart. Who would have thought that the woman she had fought with was the same woman trusting her with her world… Henry. Even Mary Margaret was a bit teary. Regina cleared her throat and slowly got to her feet, her arm wrapped around her belly once more.

"You mentioned Katherine wanted to start documenting the bruises?" she asked. "Well, I've got plenty."

Emma followed her into the bathroom with her phone in hand. This was not how she imagined her night to go when she had been tossing and turning and unable to sleep. She closed the door and watched as Regina approached the bathroom mirror and looked at the old bruises on her chin and scabbed lip. Her right cheek was red, and Emma could start to see hints of bruising forming on her skin. Knowing he had slapped her made her want to go throttle him in his drunk induced sleep, but like all the other times she wanted to confront him, she pushed it down. She needed to do this right, if Regina and Henry had a chance at escaping.

Regina turned to face Emma, her eyes suddenly looking vulnerable. She was shaking again as if she were nervous about showing Emma what else he had done to her tonight. She wrapped her arms around herself, almost as if she were trying to protect the hidden injuries Emma guessed were on her belly.

She wanted to hold her, to assure her she was safe here, but she wasn't sure if their new friendship was at the level of physical comfort. In fact, Regina seemed to shy away from being touched since she first met her.

She swiped her phone open and clicked on her camera app.

"Close your eyes," Emma whispered, not wanting Regina to see her holding a phone up to her face. Regina did as she was told, closing her eyes and tilting her face so that Emma could fully see the extent of the bruising.

Her cheek was red, and if she looked closely enough she could make out the imprint of fingers on her skin. Her chin was no longer swollen, but the bruising was still so dark and prominent in the bright bathroom lights. The split in her bottom lip was scabbed over.

She took a quick picture, feeling sick as she did it. She planned to send it over to Katherine as soon as possible so she could delete it. She brought the phone down and gently placed a hand on her left cheek that wasn't marred by bruises or cuts. Regina flinched the moment she made contact, brown eyes startling open, and Emma immediately pulled back.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "Are there any more?" she asked, her eyes falling to her belly that she seemed to be protective of since she got here.

Regina swallowed, as if afraid to answer or even show her what was underneath her pajama top. She took a moment but then with shaking hands, she slowly slid her top up, bunching it just below her breast.

Emma gasped. Red and newly forming bruises littered her belly and ribs as if she had been kicked multiple times.

"Regina…"

"Just take the picture, Miss Swan!" she snapped, suddenly retreating into herself and resorting back to hostile behavior. She was hurt and scared, and her pride was wounded, so she let her temper flare.

Emma did as she was told, not even noticing the tears streaming down her own cheeks as she took two shots at different angles. She slipped her phone in her pocket as Regina let her shirt fall and pulled her coat tighter around herself as if trying to shield what Emma already saw.

She wiped her eyes, wanting nothing more than to pull the woman into her arms and promise her nothing but safety, but Regina was starting to retreat into herself, and she knew being touched was the last thing she wanted.

"I need to go before he wakes up and sees I'm gone," she said, her eyes and voice emotionless. She sounded a lot like the tough ice queen that everyone in town associated her as. She sounded as if they had just done a business transaction.

"Regina?" she stopped her before she could turn the door knob. She turned to face her, and Emma frowned when she didn't make eye contact. "I'm calling Mr. Gold to be my benefactor. If joining him means beating Leopold, then what choice do I have? This could be the only way to keep him from taking control of the station… from covering the abuse." Her eyes briefly fell to her bruised belly.

Regina shook her head, a smirk of disgust on her lips.

"Do what you want."


Emma's mind was made up after seeing those horrific bruises on Regina's belly last night. She didn't describe how she had gotten them, but Emma was sure Leopold had kicked her. She was going to see Mr. Gold, even if Regina didn't approve. Even if she knew deep down, this was a really bad idea. If working with Gold meant getting some information on Leopold that will help get Regina away from him, then what choice did she have? She skipped breakfast and decided to go to Gold's pawn shop first. She entered the store and the smell of dust and something absolutely rancid assaulted her senses. It smelled like a barn with feces and hay and she nearly backed out.

"Gold!" she shouted, covering her nose with her gloved hand.

"In the back room, Miss Swan," his cool voice called out. She headed into the back and nearly gagged when she was in close proximity with the source of the smell.

"What the hell is that?" she asked, watching as he wrung scraps of material in a foul smelling wax.

"Lanolin from sheep's wool," he sneered. "What can I do for you?"

"I thought about your offer and I'm willing to work with you."

"And you're sure you'll win the election?" he asked.

No, she wasn't, but she didn't tell him that.

"Why is it so important to you that I win?" she asked.

"That's my business," he sneered. "Now, all you have to do is convince the town you are worthy to be their sheriff. Leave the rest to me."

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

"Because I'm sure you've been warned about me, and you should heed those warnings. The question is, Miss Swan, what changed your mind?"

"I… Want my job back."

"Oh.. that's not it," he said with a slimy chuckle that got under her skin. She shuddered with apprehension. She felt like she was selling her soul. "Is it because of Regina?"

"Do you know about the abuse?" she asked warily, unsure if she should even be talking about this with him.

"Is that what changed your mind?" he asked. "Are you looking for information on the mayor?"

"Maybe."

"Why don't we add it to our deal?" he asked. "Let me work with you as your benefactor, and in return you will win the election. If all goes as expected I'll tell you what I know about our mayor."

She narrowed her eyes at him, knowing if she gave him full control as her benefactor, he could wipe out the competition as he chooses, and somehow she had a feeling this man would do anything it takes. Still… the image of Regina standing in that bathroom, reddened cheek and bruised belly flashed in her mind; Eyes downcasted as if she were afraid of looking at Emma. The anger and the feeling of helplessness to do anything returned to her and she decided to hell with it. If there were consequences, she'll deal with it later.

"Deal."