I don't own these characters; Disney/ABC does.

A/N: consider this kind of a warning, there are vague references to Regina sleeping with a guy.

5: Broke Loose

Regina found herself out on a date with a man she met a couple of days ago while she had waited for Emma to find her car keys. How someone with pants that were painted on could lose her keys so many times was beyond Regina. It could not take much to notice anything in her pockets was missing, but with Emma, nothing should be a surprise. Either way, it gave Regina a moment to chat with Marcus and she enjoyed talking with him enough to agree to an evening out.

Like everyone she went out with, Marcus was fascinating. He was fashionable, dressed in a fitted burgundy suit with a black shirt. Whenever she touched his sleeve, she had to resist the urge to just caress the material. He worked for a non-profit organization, which focused on aiding single mothers in various ways. For whatever reason, Regina attracted plenty of professionals, but they were involved in things outside of business. She had seen a couple of principals, an environmental attorney, a veterinarian, a family court judge, and people like that. She enjoyed every single second with all of them.

Marcus was no exception. His eyes sparkled when he smiled and he was so engaging. They talked throughout the date, going to eat and then he decided she needed to experience ice skating. She had done it before, both in the Enchanted Forest and with Henry, but Marcus insisted ice skating in New York was different. It was an excuse to hold her close and catch her if she fell, but she accepted it. Dating was wonderful in the sense that she got to connect with people she never would have before.

There were so many conversations she had that she never got a chance to discuss before. She never really realized how many opinions she had on so many things or how many things she wanted to know more about. It was lovely, like getting a chance to discover who she was as she discovered people. It filled her with a quiet joy she did not know existed.

And, at the end of the night, they ended up at Marcus' place, as Regina often did with dates. She was still getting a feel for sex for fun, with no motivation behind except for both parties to enjoy themselves. The whole thing was also great for forgetting how her body was no longer her own, ruled over by demigod powers she had not even known she had until that awful trip to Neverland. But, the problem was, the power was always there and always out of her control, like her entire life.

While the date ended in Marcus' bed and a good time was had, it was not for long. Marcus rolled over to catch his breath, fell asleep, and he would not wake up, no matter how much she shook him. Thankfully, he was still breathing. It was not the first time this happened. Regina, far from spent, felt a rush and had to resist the urge to clean his apartment as she left him in what might have been a coma. He was not the first one and she feared he would not be the last. She would check on him several times in the upcoming days, as she did with all of her lovers.

She was keyed up after leaving Marcus. This was not the first time and she knew why. Some days, she used the energy to explore the city for a few hours. She had been over the bridges and to the other boroughs in these moments. Each had their own charm.

She returned home and checked on Henry, who was asleep in his bed with the glow of his television illuminating the room. She turned off the TV and made sure Henry was properly covered before exiting. She peeked in on Emma, finding her sprawled diagonally along her bed with a book on her face. She moved the book, put a blanket over Emma, and then left the room before she started cleaning the place. This was Emma's space. She did not have a right to touch it, even if it was filthy.

Cleaning was done, though. Regina gathered everyone's dirty clothes and went down to the building's laundry room in the basement to wash clothes. While the clothes were in the washing machine, Regina went back to the apartment and scrubbed anything she could. Then, she went to put the clothes in the dryer, went back upstairs, started baking a cake, went back for the clothes, grabbed everything, ironed everything, and then decorated her cake.

She kept busy until it was an appropriate time to start breakfast. She felt like she was moving at super-speed and she was jittery. Emma arched an eyebrow the moment she saw her.

"You okay?" Emma asked as she eased into a seat at the table.

"I'm fine. Just some pinned up energy. It's fine," Regina replied. She did her best to take a discreet inhale to calm her nerves.

Emma nodded. "You got in late?"

"No later than usual. I'm shocked you were asleep."

"Henry always wants to do something that involves so much movement with me. Neal gets to sit in plays while I'm at some trampoline park and then doing laser tag and then walking to the Garden for no reason. Just to see it apparently."

Regina smiled. "You love it."

Emma chuckled. "I do. I'm happy he wants to be with me. I'm just worn out. Next field trip between me and him is gonna involve a lot of sitting."

"Nope. We're gonna go walk around the Museum of Natural History next time and then after that we're gonna walk the Brooklyn Bridge," Henry said as he sat down next to her.

"Perhaps we could all do the museum," Regina said. She would love for them to do more outings as a family. One, to prove to Emma she could not and was not being replaced, and just for them to all spend time together.

"Well, you've gotta find the last thing for your tattoo then," Henry said.

"Neal claimed he was handling it, but I've been looking into it, too." Regina needed that tattoo, especially if her powers got worse. If Emma could wake up and look at her and tell something was amiss, she did not want to find out what would happen if her powers really got out of hand.

"I'll help," Emma said, watching Regina as if she knew. Regina turned to serve breakfast and escape being found out. But, regardless, something needed to be done. Soon.

-8-8-8-8-

Emma found the last ingredient for the ink for Regina's tattoo. It was not out of competing with Neal, but she just happened to know where to get it. She also figured out how to turn the ingredients into usable ink, even though she did not want to tell them how she knew. Still, Emma was bright and spirited as she did each thing. Even after their talk, Regina could tell that doing something "useful" helped Emma.

Emma also found a reliable tattoo artist who did not think they were insane for needing special ink for the tattoo. Kirye. Regina was skeptical at first, but Emma was excited. Emma had seen plenty of Kirye's work online, showing Regina what she considered to be the best pieces until Regina conceded, and Emma reached out to her. Much to Emma's surprise and delight, Kirye was comfortable with coming to Neal's apartment to do the tattoo, for the right price anyway.

Regina was happy with that and willing to pay any amount Kirye asked for, not sure how she might react in a tattoo parlor and she did not want an audience. Emma sat with her in the living room while Kirye, a young, bald woman who might not be out of her teens yet set up her equipment on the dining room table. Regina tried not to seem skeptical over her age, but it was hard. It was hard to trust this world as it was still a mystery. Before, it was an adventure, but now it was unknown and she had to believe. Belief was hard, but Emma being there made it better.

"You sure you wanna do this? I mean, things aren't so bad, right?" Emma asked. She did not know the extent of Regina's powers. She probably thought it was just the simple enchantment making people hit on Regina, but it was so much more in the future, once the magic settled in this world.

Regina sighed, head dipping a bit. "I'm pretty sure I'm syphoning energy from my dates." And, she could not stop it. She enjoyed meeting with people and getting to know them along with the intimacy of it all and she did not want to hurt them. While no one was injured, it was possible for them to die from her stealing their life-force. It was not like she could control how much she took.

Emma blinked. "Excuse me?"

Regina looked at her and then looked away, eyes out the window. "This might count as girl talk. Are you sure you're ready for that?" While things were definitely better between her and Emma, they never talked about her dates. The fact that she dated at all seemed to make Emma uncomfortable, but they both pretended not to notice. She made it a point to never talk about her nights away from the apartment, not just to Emma, but in general. She doubted any of their family wanted to know.

Emma's eyes shifted and she squirmed in her seat. "Uh… yeah." Then, she must have realized how she came across as she cleared her throat and sat up straight. "I mean, yeah. You should tell me about anything that upsets you." The sincerity in her eyes beat out the wobble in her voice.

Regina smiled. She's trying. "Well, I've gone home with some dates."

Emma's face twitched. "I kinda know that, but you never stay the night."

"No, I don't."

Emma was silent for a moment, as if trying to process the information and figure out what to say next. A little wrinkle appeared between her eyebrows, as if she did not like what she came up with. "Don't like them as much as you thought?"

"If only. No, they're all quite lovely in their own ways, but after being intimate they fall into deep sleeps, whereas I feel energized. I do all sorts of things before I make my way home. It's what I imagine being on stimulant drugs are like."

"I'm guessing you never did drugs to find out?"

"Not many, but that's not the point. I'm stealing their essences. Most of them when I call to check on them have forgotten we even went on a date. The last one, poor Hannah, missed a day of work, asleep."

Emma blinked again, looking more and more like an owl each time. "Hannah? A woman? You date women?"

"Yes. Is that a problem?" Regina frowned as she studied Emma, looking her up and down. "You've never shown any bias toward the LGBTQ community."

Emma held up her hands. "Uh… no. Totally a member of said community. The B part actually."

Regina did not know that and it was her turn to look like an owl. "Oh."

"Yeah." Emma's mouth twitched like she wanted to smile. "Yeah, first love was a girl. She screwed me over several times, but that's a story for another day. I kinda stayed away from women for a long time after that. What about you?"

"I suppose pan would be the closest, though I don't like to think of the term for obvious reasons. Yes, I find certain physical qualities attractive, I'm more interested in what's underneath when I really have a choice and I'm looking for companionship. Of course, it's not really an aspect of myself I've explored in great detail until recently." Since in the past all of her conquests had been about power and control, qualities that attracted her had never factored in and Regina had never really taken the time to contemplate her sexuality. It was never that important.

Sex was a weapon, nothing more. Just like you. Well, now it was time to be more and be better. The conversation was paused as the tattoo artist was ready for her. Regina took a breath and Emma smiled at her, patting her shoulder. It was enough to get her standing.

Regina sat at the dining room table, if they could even call it that considering the end-table-like size. She had to take her shirt off, but her fingers paused as soon as they pressed against the first button. She was not sure why she stopped. It was not like she had a problem with showing skin to strangers. She glanced at Emma, standing guard next to her. Was that it? She did not want to reveal her body to Emma? She could not understand why that would be the case. This was nothing more than a business transaction.

The plan was to have the symbol tattooed on the middle of her back. According to everything Regina read, it should be most effective in that spot, something to do with magical pathways in the body. It was fascinating to read so much magical philosophy and metaphysics in a world with no magic. They had so much more robust magical theory. She would continue her studies long after this was over.

"Want me to hold your hand?" Emma's grin was so teasing, it begged to be wiped off her smug face. There went whatever nerves Regina had about undressing in front of Emma.

"You act like I've never done this before," Regina replied and then unbuttoned her shirt.

Emma yelped and blushed. "You have a tattoo?"

Regina smirked. "Wouldn't you like to find out?" She tossed her shirt over Emma's head.

Emma grabbed the shirt, but probably did not realize what it was until she saw Regina topless. She yelped and covered her face with the shirt again until it reregistered what the shirt was. She moved the shirt and then looked at the ceiling. Regina had to laugh.

"Emma, you can look." Regina had been nude in front of audiences enough to not be bothered by Emma's gaze, especially if Emma was going to be… well, Emma about things.

"Nope. I'm good." Emma kept her eyes on the ceiling.

Kirye chuckled. "Up until this point, I thought you two were a cute couple. Now, I don't know what you are."

"Just gals being pals, according to my brother," Regina said. She still had no idea what he meant by that, except as a way to explain he thought Emma was her best friend. She was not sure where he got that idea either. "Friend" was woefully inaccurate in describing whatever Emma and Regina had, even though they did not have a term for it either. There might not be a term for it.

That got enough of a laugh out of Kirye. "Oh, so you are a couple?"

Emma yelped and Regina chuckled. "We haven't really labeled it, but she's my idiot."

"And she's my pain in the ass," Emma replied, giving Regina a glare while managing not to look directly at her.

That helped get things back to normal between them. Emma busied herself and them by basically re-interviewing Kirye, who had questions of her own. Regina just sat still and let Kirye work.

"This is a really cool design. Does it have meaning to you?" Kirye asked.

"Religious mostly," Regina replied. That seemed like the safest answer and might not get many follow up questions. Religion was a touchy subject in every realm as far as she knew.

Kirye nodded as she was ready to start. "And the rest not covered in the mostly?"

Regina smiled at Emma. "A promise fulfilled."

A blush stained Emma's cheeks as she smiled back. "I'll always do my best for you."

Kirye chuckled as she continued on. "You two should find a label. This little exchange had married undertones to it. You're cute. Is the special blend of ink religious, too?"

"Yes. There's a lot to it." They would need to do a chant at the end as well and burn so much sage, but that could wait until after Kirye left, so she would not have to witness it and worry if they were going to harm her.

The tattoo process took several hours. By the end of it, they would never be able to convince Kirye they were not a couple. Henry had called Emma, wanting an update. Somehow, between the conversation and passing the phone back and forth, Kirye picked up on the fact that they shared a son.

It did not get any better as Emma doted on her, bringing her snacks and drinks throughout the process. Emma constantly checked on the tattoo to let her know how it was coming along. By the time Kirye packed up, she seemed convinced they were married.

"Maybe just go down to City Hall and get the certificate. You live together and you have a son," she said.

"I don't think this one is the type to be tied down," Regina said, not that she was in a rush to get married again. Of course, there was some appeal to it if it was her choice.

"Hey, you don't know my kinks," Emma replied with a laugh.

"I think it's time you let her," Kirye said. "Anyway, it's been a real pleasure, ladies, especially since you paid upfront and didn't murder me and skin my body."

"That was the plan if that tattoo wasn't awesome." Emma winked.

Kirye laughed. "Keep me in mind if you consider more tattoos."

"We will." Hopefully, this would be the first and last time. Although, the notion sent a little uncomfortable flutter in Regina's stomach. If it worked, she might end up cut off from humanity once again and she was learning that she could like people, like socializing, like being a part of things. The tattoo might take that from her. But, this is right. It'll keep you from hurting these people you've come to like and enjoy.

-8-8-8-8-

It was Regina's first date since getting her tattoo. She had let it heal and everything. Emma teased her about staying in, saying she would not know what to do without random people approaching her. What Emma did not mention was that would be her favorite thing about the tattoo. And Regina had to squash the idea that she needed demonic powers to get phone numbers. Not that any of it mattered, people still flocked to Regina the second she stepped outside. Tonight's date was to test if she was still stealing energy. Emma waited up for her, in case she needed the support.

At a little after three in the morning, there was a key in the door. Regina stepped inside, quietly closing the door behind. She locked eyes with Emma as she stepped out of shoes and shook her head. It was no good.

"Wanna talk about it?" Emma asked, putting her hand out.

Regina took the offered hand and sat down next to her, crossing her legs at the ankle, even though she was in pants. "You sure you want more girl talk? You didn't seem like a huge fan before."

Emma was not a fan and she was not sure why. She would talk about this stuff with Ruby all day long, but not with Regina for some reason. Regina was only dating casually and maybe that was it. There was nothing to talk about. Regina went out, had fun, and then came home with no expectations of ever introducing anyone to them. It should not be a big deal.

Emma laughed a little even as her stomach twisted. "Hey, I'm here for you and your horde of followers. You attract people like a Korean boy band."

Regina's face scrunched up for a moment. "I'm not sure what that means, but I left Bradley in a near-comatose state. Even as I tried to wake him, nothing happened. The only reason I'm sure he's not dead is because he was snoring… loudly."

"Well, you dodged a bullet there. You don't want to end up in a committed relationship with a guy that snores." Emma hoped the joke lightened the mood.

Regina gave a sad smile. "I'm not looking for a committed relationship, as you well know. Maybe just some human connection I missed out on."

Emma scoffed. "Dating is BS, anyway." She waved it off, hoping that would make Regina feel better.

There was that sad smile again. "I've enjoyed it. I've gotten a chance to really meet people. I never got a chance to sit across from someone and just have a discussion about interests with zero or at least limited expectations. My life has always had so many rules and regulations, even as the Evil Queen or as the mayor. I've never really been able to sit down with someone without it being a chess match."

"What? Me and Neal don't even know how to play chess." Emma was pleased to know Regina was not really looking for a relationship, but it sucked that her powers interfered with her having human connections. "So, let's get you another tattoo, so you can continue to get laid."

Regina laughed. "It's not about that, you simpleton."

"Are you sure? That's what it sounds like."

Regina sighed. "It's not just about that. Of course, this has also been the first time I've gotten to experience and enjoy sex like a normal person."

"What? You had Graham."

"I had control of Graham. This is really the first time I've gotten a chance to do this. Sex has always been about power for me. You either have the power or you don't. This is… this is different."

Emma had a lot of questions from that statement, even though they talked about it in Neverland to a degree. This was a new aspect of it. But, she would focus on the problem at hand. "So, let's get you another tattoo. We have that book on protective markings and containing vessels." She had gotten her ass in gear to help like she had promised to do. She went through books like crazy and she would go through more to get Regina back to normal. They had plenty of markings that should help Regina contain her powers and if those did not work, she would find something that did.

Regina sighed. "I suppose."

Emma took Regina's hand and held it. "You don't sound enthused."

"It's hard for me to hope."

Emma blinked. Was that what she was doing? She did not think so. "This isn't hope. Hope is this BS belief that everything will be okay without you having to do anything. Hope is having stuff fall into place for you. We know that doesn't happen. We have to put in work for stuff. We can try other things. I came across potions in a book I was reading. You miss making potions?"

"You know, I thought I would, but I don't. During the Curse, I did, but here I have enough going on to distract me. I have all of you, field trips, tons of reading…"

"Dates."

"Yes. Dates. I'm content right now, except for the fact I could accidentally kill someone who means me no harm just by sleeping with them."

Emma nodded. "Have you considered living a chaste life like me?" She could not keep in the laugh.

Regina chuckled. "You're chaste? I think you need to look that word up."

Emma grinned, even though now that she was not drinking, she could appreciate what she had around her. She had a great and supportive family around her, even annoying ass Neal. She had a great son. Regina took care of her with shelter and three meals a day. This was the dream. She did not need anything else, so yeah, she was able to be chaste right now.

"I can't be… chaste," Regina said.

Emma groaned. "The powers?"

"Succubi are very sexual beings."

"Damn it. Do you think the powers are why you're pan?"

Regina sucked her teeth. "I was pan long before the powers woke up. Will you stop it?"

"What? I'm being serious… about the potions and tattoos anyway." She was fascinated by the idea of Regina being a pansexual. She was not ready to admit why, but she knew.

"So, you found a potion?"

"Yeah, lemme go get my notes." Emma grabbed a legal pad off of the coffee table. She flipped several pages in. "Here it is." She handed it to Regina.

Regina read silently for a moment. "It seems like it should work."

Pride straightened Emma's spine. It was good to see Regina approve of something she did. She owed Regina for too many drunken nights. Who knew what terrible things she said to Regina and Regina just took it for her, from her.

"I see you already started mapping out where to find ingredients," Regina said.

Emma had taken notes on that. "Yeah, I made you a promise."

Regina smiled and patted Emma's thigh. "You've already done so much for me, Emma. Just believing in me is more than enough."

Emma hung her head. "Not always."

"But, not never. You know how big that is."

Emma sighed. "I do. I don't know when or why, but you're important to me."

Regina chuckled. "I do know when and why and you're important to me."

Emma's heart thumped. "You do?"

"Of course." Regina said that with great confidence, like it was general knowledge, like it would not stop Emma's whole world.

For a long moment, Emma just gawked at her. "What? Since when?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "You're so dense. I'm going to go shower. My walk of shame, I believe it's called, didn't include one."

Emma was left slack-jawed on the sofa as Regina retreated to her bedroom. She was important to Regina? Really, since when? Why did Regina say it like it was common knowledge? This was insane. And, before she could stop it, she felt hope. It really sucked to be the unwanted, orphan child of Snow White sometimes.

-8-8-8-8-

The potion did not work. Regina was not sure why, but she theorized there was not enough magic in this world to give it the kick it needed to combat her powers, which was the same with the tattoo. But, at least with the tattoo, they could keep trying until there was enough kick to power them. So, they went with the second tattoo idea. Once again, they met with Kirye in Neal's apartment.

"The first one healed up nicely. This one under it should be nice, too," Kirye said as she got to work on the second tattoo.

"While you're doing that one, check for another one. She keeps implying she has one, but refuses to tell me where and it's driving me crazy," Emma said.

Kirye laughed. "Sounds like you need to pay more attention to her."

Regina smirked. "She's not very observant in her tasks."

Emma blushed at the implications and decided to shut her mouth. The second tattoo went as smoothly as the first. Emma admired the intricate line work, just under the first tattoo, commenting on it throughout the process. Kirye snickered often, probably still thinking there was more to their relationship than there was. Thankfully, she did not stick around after she was done and paid. They had enough to deal with than a near-stranger making assumptions on their relationship.

"I wish you could see this. The lines are so sharp and crisp. Both tattoos seem kinda like they shimmer against your skin," Emma said and then yelped, like that thought was not meant to escape her head.

Regina hummed. "That could be the magic charging up."

"You think this'll work?" Emma asked.

Regina shrugged. "We'll see as time goes by. The tattoos have a better chance of working as they use the magic in my body to power themselves rather than try to combat it."

"So, you're a battery for your own restraint?"

Regina nodded. "Pretty much. It's just about the tattoos using enough of the magic to act as a seal, so I'm not oozing magic."

"So, how would that stop you from draining people? Seems like you should drain more people to balance it out?"

"Once the tattoos are using enough magic, I shouldn't have the magical energy to drain someone. Basically, I'd be so thirsty my throat would close up and I couldn't drink, even if I had water poured down my mouth." The tattoos should keep her powers constantly flowing and unable to focus on anything but powering the tattoos.

"That's horrifyingly graphic, but okay. Can you feel it working?"

Regina shook her head. "I feel like I just got a tattoo."

Emma laughed. "Oh, right. Well, let's do the chant and burn the sage, so we can get you home. I told Neal to bring dinner."

"You actually talked to Neal?" Regina did not think Emma was there, despite all of their time in New York. Neal still did not seem to grasp what he did wrong with Emma and until that happened, Regina assumed Emma would be as standoffish as possible to him without hurting Henry's feelings.

"To be fair, he asked me to dinner and I told him it's great he's gonna bring home dinner since your tat will be fresh."

Regina laughed. "Nice." She loved her brother, but wished he would get a clue about Emma.

As they made their way home, no one randomly approached Regina, so that was promising. But, as days went by and that remained the case and Regina's stomach sank. Of course, Emma noticed.

"Okay, books away," Emma said as they sat on the sofa, doing more research. They were home alone.

"What? Why?" Regina asked.

"Because your face."

"Rude."

Emma chuckled. "Yes, but you look down and you've looked that way for days. Is that tattoo bothering you?"

"No. It seems to be working."

"But?"

Regina sighed. "What if that was the only reason anyone ever approached me? I had them enchanted."

"I guarantee you that isn't the case."

"I'm sure it is. It makes sense." Regina deflated. No one approached and spoke to her like they wanted to know everything about her before her powers emerged. No one actually cared about her. "Just as I was learning to enjoy and appreciate people, now it's gone."

"What? That's not true at all. It wasn't your magic that made people approach you or like you."

Regina's stomach flattened and folded against itself. "Obviously it was. This is why no matter what good I did as queen I was still considered evil. I mean, granted I was evil, but I did some good things. I mean—"

Regina's words were cut off as Emma kissed her. She gasped and her eyes almost fell out of her skull. Emma pulled back and winced.

"Shouldn't have done that, huh?" Emma asked.

Regina frowned. "Has the magic somehow gotten worse with the tattoos?" She had never affected Emma before. Emma was probably protected by her own magic, but now, all bets were off apparently.

Emma had the nerve to look at her as if she were an idiot. "What? No, Regina, I did that because I wanted to, not because of your powers. I've wanted to do it for a long time."

Regina blinked. "Since when?"

Emma laughed and wagged her finger in Regina's face. "Now, who's a simpleton? I've been so pissed at you replacing me when you started dating and I didn't mean it as, you know, a best friend, even though you are my best friend. I was ready for heartbreak when you started dating. I just wasn't ready to admit to myself, but here it is. Here I am. Out there in the open." She gave an awkward shrug.

"Oh, Emma." Regina leaned in for a kiss of her own. Better late than never, even when it came to kisses. Emma kissed her back. A jolt went through her as if she was struck by lightning. They pulled back and stared at each other for a long moment. And then kissed again. Somehow, that made all the sense.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Regina and Emma explore the idea of them.