So I submitted today and I am officially done with my master's degree! I want to say get used to more frequent updates from me, but I don't want to promise something I'm not sure will happen. I will try though. This chapter was based off a CatanaComics picture (you can see which one on my insta page).
June 10th 2017
Regina had called and text Emma thirty four times over the next number of hours. The first number of calls had gone ignored, and she'd hung up only to try again. After a few hours of her texts being read, her phone calls being seen but not answered, she began to leave voicemails asking Emma to come home or tell her where she is. She'd stayed awake all night, calling or texting her every half hour waiting for a response. She'd got out of bed before dawn and emailed her assistant a list of things she needed him to do while she was working from home again. She also made a mental note to give him a pay rise.
When Henry woke up he informed his mother that his ma was staying with her parents temporarily and when she apologised to him for what was going on he had simply shrugged and laughed, informing her that he knew they'd be back to normal and being gross soon enough, and that he wasn't worried. That had helped the brunette for ten minutes until she had received a text from Emma, simply stating 'leave me alone'. When Henry was safely at his friends house and Regina had contacted the station and found out that Emma was not working that day, she poofed herself over to the loft, knocking quietly on the door.
David answered, biting into a piece of toast, looking at his phone before he looked up at the visitor. "Oh hey Regina, how's it going?" Regina frowned, unsure what was going on. She had figured that Emma had spent the night telling her parents how rude she had been, what she had said etc. and that they would be annoyed with or ignoring her like Emma was.
"Uhm…" She paused, not used to what she was feeling, which was, undignified, to say the least. "Hi David, yeah, I was looking for Emma. She won't answer my calls. I… overreacted yesterday and…" David chuckled, interrupting her explanation.
"I don't think Snow would appreciate you saying that, she had a similar reaction to yourself and Emma has been sulking in her room ever since. I think she expected us to back her up but why she thought her mother would be happy with her riding one of those 'donor cycles'…" He made air quotes with a grin. "… then she is not as smart as we would like to think she is." Regina giggled as he rolled his eyes at his wife and daughter's behaviours. Mary Margaret had recently started watching Grey's Anatomy and was getting obsessed, much to the chagrin of David. "Come in Regina, Snow made breakfast." He held the door open wider for her to enter, offering an awkward one armed hug. Regina relaxed, now she was aware that David wasn't going to run her through with his sword, and that Snow would not be ready to shoot her.
She only became aware at the mention of food that she had not eaten anything since the few bites of lunch that she'd eaten the previous day, before her fight with Emma. She smiled gratefully as Mary Margaret handed her a plate of French toast and berries, having heard most of the conversation between her husband and ex-mother-in-law. Regina sat at the table, stabbing the toast with her fork before David placed a cup of coffee in front of her. She grasped the mug she recognised as Emma's in both hands, the physical heat doing nothing to warm the numb feeling she'd had in her chest since Emma had walked out. The couple stood together at the sink, watching the woman who'd once tried to kill them, sad and contemplative at their table, having one of their silent conversations while the older woman sipped at her coffee.
"You know Regina… Emma is in her room if you want to go and speak to her. She'll probably be pouting because we've had to explain to her how her response to your perfectly reasonable reaction was ridiculous and how she cannot keep run ing away when things do not go her way." Mary Margaret was serious as she was speaking, but couldn't help but smirk at the end, glancing up at David. "It's great that we still get to lecture her at over 30 years old…" David shook his head, grinning adoringly at his wife and Regina had to look away, unable or unwilling to look at a couple so much in love when she felt her relationship was damaged beyond repair. With a nod to the pair she stood and made her way up the stairs, knocking quietly on the closed door to Emma's room.
"Emma, can I come in?" When there was no response, she knocked again a little harder. "Please darling, we need to talk, I know I am in no position to tell you what you can and can't do..." She tried one more time, not wanting to annoy the blonde more than she no doubt already had. "I've tried calling you, you know if you just spoke to me and told me to, I'd go away…" She figured either Emma would ignore her thereby giving her permission to keep knocking, or she would tell her to go away, and at least then they'd be speaking. When no words were spoken, no noises were made, no non-verbal communications were attempted, the brunette sighed, leaning her forehead against the door, speaking quietly, so the couple downstairs could not hear, her hand resting level to her face, flat against the wood. "I'm so sorry Emma… I love you… please don't let it end like this."
She waited for thirty more seconds, hoping that Emma would just be being stubborn, that she would wait as long as possible and then open the door and allow her inside. When that didn't happen, she turned dejectedly and made her way downstairs. She was planning to just leave, go home and wait to see if Emma would make her way back there but was stopped by David and Snow both stood at the door with their arms folded.
"That went well." Regina raised her eyebrow at Mary Margaret's sarcastic comment.
"I can't make her speak to me. You know that better than anyone." The younger brunette rolled her eyes, looking to David for assistance. He nodded at her once and unfolded his arms, wrapping one around his wife's shoulders.
"Okay listen. We know how much you love Emma, it is not difficult to see. And we know you will do absolutely anything to protect your family; that much is evident. So picture this Regina. You apologise to Emma. You tell her what she wants to hear and, although you're not happy about it, you don't argue when she buys a motorcycle. She is happy and that means you are happy. Then one day, she is in an accident. She's seriously injured. Maybe she even dies…" Regina was horrified at the images her mind was conjuring at the words ad she didn't notice the same look in Mary Margaret's eyes as she clearly considered the same thing. She swallowed the bile that was rising in her throat as David continued. "You're left to tell Henry, to face his questions, to raise him by yourself once again. You never get to see her again, hear her laugh, hold her hand, all because one of her moods made you change your mind and allow her to buy a death trap." Regina's stomach rolled and she barely made it into the bathroom in time before the image of a life without Emma made her sick. She barely heard Mary Margaret thump David for what he had said, probably scarring both women for a long time.
The deputy sheriff gave the older woman a few moments to pull herself together before he knocked on the door that had closed behind her. "I know that that was a bit dramatic Regina, but you two have gone through too much for this to be the thing that breaks you up. You do not need to apologise for having strong reaction to a dangerous decision. You go in there and you make her talk to you. She cannot keep doing this, she is an adult, with a family. Now get her out of here and take her home." He smiled lightly at the end, trying to lighten the mood in the room. Regina could only give a terse nod, before she went back up, the image of her true love dead steeling her resolve. She knocked loudly twice.
"I'm coming in Miss Swan, you better be decent!"
She closed her eyes, holding her palm up to the handle, hearing the lock click open, and made her way inside, seeing Emma sat in the centre of her bed, her eyes red-rimmed, a blanket wrapped around her legs. She didn't look up at the intrusion and neither of them spoke for a moment.
Regina took a deep breath and stepped closer to the bed, trying to work out what the best thing to say would be. "I know you're mad. Just know that I love you very much, and I want nothing more than your safety and happiness." She decided that was succinct enough and knelt on the bed, wrapping her arms around Emma from behind. She wanted to keep it calm but she could not keep the images out of her head, and needed some kind of physical contact.
Emma didn't move, and she didn't say anything, so Regina, figuring she'd done all she could at that time, kissed her cheek and stood up, turning to leave.
"More!" The tone was sarky but Regina could hear the sadness in her voice, it made her turn around and climb back on the bed next to the blonde. She pulled her into her arms and they sat in silence for a few minutes. It was Emma that broke the silence, and it made Regina hug her tighter. "I heard what my dad said… I couldn't even picture it if it were the other way around… I understand Gina. I won't be buying a bike." The brunette nodded, not letting her girlfriend go. The numb feeling she had was slowly starting to go, but she decided she would continue sitting there, holding her for as long as she needed. Just in case.
