Adrenalize Me
Kiss me hard before you go
Summertime sadness
I just wanted you to know
That baby, you the best
-Summer Time Sadness, Lana Del Rey
A/N: Some slight suspension of disbelief is needed for this chapter.
"Swan," Neal hummed running his tongue across his teeth. He was trying the name out. Testing it against some standard in his mind. He shook his head, giving up. "I don't get it. Why use your real last name as your worker name?"
After the aftermath of the Lily showdown, Emma was faced with the uncomfortable task of explaining away why she worked in that position to her friends and faux family.
Belle had feigned shock, pretending she didn't already know this. Neal, had been truly shocked but he was understanding. Which wasn't something Emma could say about most of her other non-sex worker friends. They looked on at her with judgment. Like she was worth less for doing this.
They could fuck off for all she cared.
Judgmental assholes.
Emma shrugged, trying to answer Neal. "I dunno. I wasn't really creative when I picked it. And then I got too used to it to change it. And it fits me. I'm graceful like a Swan. And pretty like one too."
"Except you're more like a Dark Swan," Neal said as he took a sip of his stout beer. "Cuz you wear black spandex and leather. And you punish those who are bad."
She rolled her eyes. "It's not like that. I'm not a superhero."
"No one said you were a superhero. That's a supervillain name." He began to pantomime action. "And Dark Swan would use her whip to trip up heroes and have cuffs to tie them up while she gags them."
"Neal, knock it off," Belle chastised from where she sat on the carpet, legs tucked under her and so dainty looking as she sipped her beer. Emma was spread out on the couch, guzzling her drink and trying to drown out her sorrows. It wasn't working so far.
The fight she had with Regina left a bitter taste in her mouth. More bitter than any beer.
How could the mayor get upset about all that? Emma had been saving her ass. Had put her own reputation and job on the line and the least Regina could do was thank her.
"It's alright Belle," Emma sighed out as Neal shifted guilty on the couch next to Emma. "I don't mind. At least someone's talking to me."
"The rest of them are shallow assholes," Neal said, a dark look on his face. "I should beat them up-"
"It's okay," Emma placed a hand on his knee to calm him down. "I appreciate the sentiment but I'm a grown woman now. I don't care if someone doesn't want to be my friend anymore. I just move on."
She sounded more detached than she felt, when in reality she was hurt by them so swiftly rejecting her. But she guessed at least now she saw who her real friends were.
The rest of the night Emma, Neal, and Belle spent talking about other things, like new shows and some concerts they wanted to attend. They made Emma feel better about this whole situation.
"What did you do?" Zelena accused as soon as Emma picked up her phone the following evening. Emma was at the grocery store right now, doing some last minute shopping. She had run out of protein shakes for the gym. A couple of people pointed at her. They recognized her from the news. She ducked into another aisle to avoid them.
"What are you talking about?"
"Sister dearest of mine is in quite a tizzy."
"A what now?" Emma's brow furrowed at the unusual terminology.
"She's upset."
"Okay, and what does that have to do with me?" she shrugged even if Zelena couldn't see this.
"Because the thing you did, is all over the news."
"You're late then. It's been on the TV for weeks now."
"I don't like to watch the telly. It rots the brain. And I have more important things to do."
"Don't tell me you're going to blame me for doing my whole sting operation. I don't need shit from you about it too," Emma said harshly. She grabbed the nearest protein shake formula and checked it out, paying for it at self checkout while she held the phone in between her chin and shoulder.
"Regina wasn't happy about it?"
"No."
"But it was such a romantic thing for you to do. To expose yourself like that," Zelena cried out dramatically, with a wistful sigh, and Emma rolled her eyes.
"It wasn't romantic. I was only doing it so Lily could fuck off. She did some messed up things and I didn't need her back in my life, fucking it up."
"Well then, maybe Regina's upset that you didn't do it for her?"
"She knows I did it to help her out, too. Because Lily was trying to take her down from her mayoral position."
"Ah, Cora," Zelena said, with a sound of enlightenment.
"No, Lily." Emma bagged her goods and left. It was muggy outside and her shirt stuck to her in the ten minutes it took to go to her house. Even though it had been almost a month since it all went down with the Lily case, people still talked about it. She guessed it was because it was such a big scandal for their otherwise small and boring town.
She really couldn't wait for people to stop bothering her. Or for some big news event to wash over so they could forget about her and move onto someone else.
"No, Cora is our mother. She must have done all this. She picked Lily because she knew she would be able to be unscrupulous enough to do what was needed. Which was to take down Regina. Since mother's in the hospital and can't do it herself, she's got someone else doing her dirty work for her."
"What a bitch," Emma spat out. How could a mother do that to her own daughter?
"Hmm, well she's our mum. Can't change blood," Zelena said matter of factly. "That explains why Regina's so upset. She wouldn't tell me anything. But I feel like something happened between you and Regina that you aren't telling me."
"There's not much to tell. I took down Lily to help me and Regina out, and Regina didn't like how I handled it."
"She's probably upset that she's now associated with knowing and working with a reputable sex worker. It could ruin her reputation if she ever decides to run for the mayoral position once more."
"Seriously," Emma said as she felt anger curl in her belly like a hungry snake. She banged her apartment door open. "You're chastising me for this too?"
"Emma, relax. I'm on both of your sides. I think you could have handled things better, or let Regina do things her way, and I think she needs to stop overreacting. She has a good PR team. They'll make it all look like this was calculated and planned and not some last minute mess."
Emma scoffed. "I can't believe you. I don't need anymore flack."
"And I told you, I'm on both sides," Zelena stressed, also sounding annoyed now. "And I think the two of you need to talk this out. Because it's important now more than ever to have a united front against this all."
Emma pinched her nose. Zelena was being sensible for once. "Since when do you give advice?"
"Since the both of you are acting like children. Honestly, how much more effort do I need to make in getting the two of you together?"
"Then maybe you should stop," Emma hissed out. "I can't be with Regina. She's a political figure."
"You can't or you won't?" Zelena asked and Emma could hear the red haired woman arching a brow through the phone.
"What it that even supposed to mean?"
"It means, stop being a little bitch. You think Regina shouldn't be with you because of your job and her job, but you ever think that maybe it doesn't fucking matter and all that matters is the two of you being happy?"
"She doesn't love me," Emma says flatly.
Silence for once from Zelena until she sighs out, tired. "Whatever, Swan." And then she hangs up.
And Emma can't help feeling like Zelena is disappointed in her.
Summer's almost here and it means more work for the girls at Ursula's club. Apparently nothing goes better than summer and kinky sex because Emma finds herself booked and working hard each evening. But her spirit isn't into her work. Her mind and body just go through the motions and she doesn't feel that usual spark as she normally does.
"Take a break," Ursula says as Emma is coming out of the locker room one night, duffel bag by her side.
"I don't need one. I'm fine," she says gruffly, not meeting her boss's eyes.
"I'm not asking you. I'm telling you. You're taking a damned break." He hands her a leave slip. "Two weeks. Do whatever the fuck you want during those two weeks. Have a sex marathon for all I care. But you better not fucking work." And he leaves her, jaw gaping open at the unexpected action.
Without work, what will she use to keep her mind off of things? Off of Regina, more specifically. The fight still stings and it's taking Emma a long time to get over it. Longer than she would like. And it's because she went out on a limb, put so much of herself out there, only for it to back fire and hurt her.
Maybe she should take a break. Her relationship with her client has transgressed to something more and she doesn't need another Lily situation on her hands. She recalls she still has two session with Regina left and she doesn't know what she'll do with herself when they're over.
As she's leaving, a man comes out of one of the rooms, walking funny as he holds onto his sore ass. She recognizes the back of his head and her eyes bulge in shock. "Neal?"
He startles and turns around. "Emma. Hey."
He says this casually, like he hasn't just been caught walking out of one of their playrooms.
"What are you doing here?"
"Well, after I found out about one of your jobs, I got curious and came down to see what it's really like. To educate myself. And let me tell you, I respect how brolic you women are." He grimaced in pain as his sore ass throbbed. "But, I don't think BDSM is for me."
She laughed because of course, Neal being the good and supportive friend he is, went out of his way to go into Emma's world.
"I really feel for the person dating you."
"I don't do BDSM on my romantic partners," Emma explained. "I like doing it, but I don't need it to be in a happy relationship. Only if my partner wants it will I do it with them. Besides, I think of BDSM sort of more as work than just a strictly pleasure thing, even if it does give me pleasure to smack some smart asses around."
"Take me for a drink, will you? I need something to forget my sore ass," he said and she laughed once more. "You're such a big baby."
He fake pouted at this.
"Who did you have anyways?"
"A girl named Red."
Emma's smile dropped a bit at that. Well, this was going to be awkward. Ruby had now officially dominated both of Emma's close friends: Belle and Neal.
"What's wrong?" Neal noted her smile.
She shook her head. "Nothing. Just thinking on if they serve baby sized drinks because you're such a baby!"
"Hey, she hits hard!" he protested as Emma slung an arm over his shoulder and they headed out in the nearest direction of the bar. Day one of her vacation: time to get shit faced!
Emma knows she's not in her room because the sheets are too soft and there's too many pillows. And it smells like green apples. She sits up and notices the familiar wall paper and the green in the closet.
"Oh shit," she murmurs out through a dry mouth. Her head pounds as she sits up. "Zelena," she calls out, loud in the early afternoon quiet of the house. "Did we sleep together again?"
The door opens up. It's Zelena carrying a water bottle for Emma. "Don't be absurd. I'm with Mulan."
"Then why am I here?" she asks before sucking down half the bottle in one gulp. She burps gratefully at Zelena who only arches up a brow.
"You don't remember?"
"No?"
Zelena sighs. "You're drunken arse called me and asked me to pick you up."
"That doesn't sound like me. I would have been able to go home on my own."
"Except you wanted me to take you to Regina so you could apologize to her and, I quote, 'kiss all the boo-boo's away in your relationship which was strictly professional' and you stressed the professional part quite a bit."
Emma felt her cheeks flare up. Why was she such a drunken mess?
"You're clearly in love with my sister. I don't see why you can't just-"
"Because I can't. I can't just be like you, say screw the rules, and have everything come out awesome. There's too much at stake between us."
Zelena mulled over in silence as Emma finished off the rest of her water. "Then at least bloody talk out your issues with her before the two of you explode."
"Not like this," Emma shook her head stubbornly. She felt a mess. There was no way she would be brave enough to talk to Regina now. "Where's Neal?"
"Oh, boy toy wonder?" Zelena jerked downstairs. "In the kitchen. Eating all the good food. Get him out of here before he eats up all our food."
Emma clambers out of bed, still in her clothes from last night and finds Neal downstairs, eating like he doesn't have a hangover.
"You ready to head out?"
"I didn't know you were friends with the mayor and her sister!" his eyes are wide in wonder and appreciation.
"It kinda happened cuz of the case. But we're not friends," she stressed and they both left the house, Neal snagging a banana on the way out.
Emma looks at her notice of two week vacation and decides maybe she should leave town. Just for a bit. Just to get away from all the craziness her life has become. Maybe she'll get a vacation house on the beach? Or go to the mountains? Do some skiing.
She lazily googles some things up but can't find anything interesting. Her phone rings and she picks it up, instinctively knowing it's Zelena.
"Regina's at the house now, if you want to talk to her."
Zelena had taken to 'helpfully' updating Emma on whenever her sister was around so that Emma could go and talk to her. Emma did not like being pushed into conversation and so she declined each time.
"She's probably busy with wrapping up the ends of the ongoing trials with Lily. I don't want to bother her."
"Emma," Zelena sighed out.
"Besides, I'm going on vacation," Emma adds on, hoping this will stop Zelena from calling her for a good two weeks.
This does not discourage Zelena at all. "Where?"
"I haven't decided yet. But somewhere nice. Somewhere far."
"That's perfect. You should come with me and Mulan then. We're actually going somewhere for a pre-marital honeymoon."
"You can only go on honeymoons after you're married, and gross. I don't want to be some third wheel."
"You wouldn't be a third wheel if you had Regina."
Emma rolls her eyes at this. Why is Zelena so aggressively pushing towards this all of a sudden? Emma thought Zelena had given up months ago on Emma's behest.
"Where are you heading?"
"To Aruba. It's nice. We're going Thursday and coming back Monday."
That gives Emma two days to pack if she wants to come.
"Tickets on me. I got a special offer so they don't cost that much."
Hm, it's tempting. And Emma has always wanted to go to Aruba.
Ah, heck. Why the fuck not do something spontaneous? "Alright. But keep the kissing to a minimum."
"It's not the kissing you should be worried about," Zelena says and Emma makes a gagging noise. Zelena hangs up with a promise to email Emma the tickets.
Emma should have suspected this exchange all went too smoothly. But she doesn't.
She's in the airport, dressed in booty shorts, a crop top, and tugging her carry on behind her, looking for Zelena and Mulan by the gate where the plane is supposed to depart. Except when she gets there, she finds Regina and Robin of all people standing there.
"Oh, hi," she blinks in shock and Regina does too. Only Robin really speaks. "Hi Emma. Zelena mentioned she'd have a friend come along."
"A friend. Uh, right, that's me." Emma's mouth feels dry and her eyes try hard not to look at Regina. But it's hard not to when she sees the woman in shorts and a t-shirt for the first time. Also, she's mad at her still.
"Where are you guys going?" she asks.
"Aruba," Robin answers, smiling that beaming all white grin.
Things click inside Emma's head and just at that moment she gets a text from Zelena. Mulan and I already went on a trip not too long ago to celebrate our engagement. Must have slipped my mind. But enjoy your trip with Robin and Regina.
No wonder it was so quiet in town that week, is Emma's first thought as the rest of the information slowly sinks in. She's going to kill Zelena. Kill her dead. Her grip goes tight on the phone, knuckles turning white.
The woman set her up. Up on a trip with Regina and Robin.
They too get pings on their phones and answer. "Looks like Zelena ad Mulan won't be able to make it. Something came up last minute," Regina hums and she too pieces something together, because her eyes flicker up to Emma.
Their eyes meet in a grim look of suffering that can only come with knowing Zelena. But, for better or for worse, they're stuck taking the plane together and spending a whole vacation by the beach. Not to mention, Regina's going to be barely clothed. How is Emma going to survive that?
Zelena may have tricked them this far, but Emma doesn't have to spend any time by Regina's side if she doesn't want to. She's going to avoid her on the whole trip.
Grumpily she awaits the plane's arrival.
The hotel is beautiful, which helps take Emma's edge off a bit. The whole plane ride she had sat in between Regina and Robin because that was where their seats were. Robin chatted her ear off the whole flight- so much so that she had to pretend to be asleep to get him to stop- and Regina was so frosty next to her that Emma felt cold on one side of her body.
Emma's got a pretty big room and a spacious bed, all to herself. She goes inside and throws open the balcony doors so she can get a good look at the view outside. The sky is baby blue, not a single cloud in the sky. Many floors below there is a swimming pool in which the people floating in it look like ants.
Robin and Regina have the room next to Emma and she really doesn't want to hear any noises coming from their room. She doesn't think she could stomach it.
She knows their getting settled in right now and so she thinks she's going to just make the most of the situation she has been forced into. She hastily pulls out her swimsuit, slathers on some sun screen and has every intention of spending the whole day at the pool.
She finds a free bench and lays the towel out there. Slides on some shades, accepts a drink from a server boy there, slathers on sun screen, and settles back to relax.
She's not more than twenty minutes in when who should pop into her vision but Robin. "Hey there, Emma. Hope you don't mind us sitting by you."
Emma does in fact mind and keeps her vision away from Regina who is standing somewhere next to Robin. He's wearing briefs and Emma doesn't really want to look at him too much either. She squeezes her eyes shut and nods her head. "Sure. I won't be out here long anyways."
"I'll be in the water." It's an invitation for her to join but she had no intention too. As soon as it wouldn't be too rude to leave, she was going. Seeing that Emma isn't taking up his offer, Robin turns to leave. "You ladies enjoy your tanning."
He goes and Emma is acutely aware of eyes on her. Regina no doubt is staring at her. Emma makes sure to take good care of her body and she's lean and her stomach is defined. It's more skin than Regina has ever seen on her before, even in their sessions.
Where normally it would be flattering, now it's irritating. "You know it's rude to stare," Emma says as she can feel the red hot gaze on her.
"I'm not staring!" Regina sputters and Emma had been half expecting Regina to not say anything at all.
Emma lifts up her sunglasses and gives her the side eye, catching Regina in a red swimsuit cover, and sunhat and cheeks flushed red out of anger or embarrassment.
"You were. And you were not subtle at it at all," Emma said informatively and with a bit of bite in her voice as she got up, collecting her things. Predictably Regina's eyes followed her and the mayor seemed to catch herself. She opened her mouth maybe to explain herself but couldn't seem to, so she gave up on it, sticking her tongue into her cheek in an expression of giving up as she shook her head in disappointment of herself.
Emma strutted past her and felt more eyes on her. "Seriously?" she asked as she left and with a sigh from Regina, the mayor got up and decided she needed a dunk in the pool. She slipped her swimsuit cover off and dropped in with a loud splash.
Emma finds way to go to the beach which is not far from the hotel on foot and decides to just stay there for the rest of the day instead.
Emma's sitting on the shore, close enough that the water laps at her toes but far enough that it won't wet anything else. It's peaceful out here, listening to the roar of the waves, the shrieks of the gulls, and in watching the sea turn a blood red color as the sun dips below the horizon for a nap.
She's joined by someone else. Someone else who has finally hunted her down and found her.
They sit down a good two feet away from Emma and adopt the same pose: knees up to the chin, arms wrapped around.
"What do you want, Regina?" Emma asks tiredly because she can sense the need to talk brimming off of the other woman.
"I wanted to apologize," is what comes out of her mouth and it stuns Emma. She never thought the mayor had it in her to think of such a thing. She thought the woman had too much pride.
Emma shakes her head, however. She doesn't want Regina to apologize for what she's going to apologize for. Instead, she wants an apology for something else. "Don't say you're sorry for how the situation went down," Emma dissuades. "I realized I was a bit headstrong and did things my way without thinking through the ramifications of my actions. I put you in a tough spot with the media."
Regina's not expecting this. "So, what, you're not angry at me anymore?"
"Oh, I still am. You were a dick to me about the whole situation."
"Then I'm sorry for being a dick to you," Regina says and Emma turns to look at her for the first time since they've gotten to Aruba. The breeze from the water is gently tousling Regina's hair. It's gotten even longer since they've first met. It sweeps along her collarbones now. "Apology accepted."
A smile wants to creep it's way onto Regina's lips for being forgiven but she turns her face to the sea so that Emma won't see this. "And I think we both need to find a way to get back at Zelena for doing all this. She really is too much."
Emma nods her head in agreement. She doesn't appreciate being forced into these situations with Regina against her will. "And this time, let's both plan it together and not keep the details of it a secret from each other."
"I wanted to keep you out of my plans against Lily. I didn't want you to have to deal with her anymore than you already did," Regina commented, stretching out her legs. They're already tanner than they were when they first got to this island.
"I appreciate that, but I don't need it. I'm a grown girl."
"That you are indeed," Regina murmurs as her eyes quickly rake over Emma's legs and chest. Emma arches a brow and clears her throat. The mayor really isn't subtle at all when checking out Emma. Regina frowns at being caught but says nothing more.
The two of them sit side by side in amicable silence, watching as the sun completely sets and the moon rises up. Emma can't help thinking of this as sort of a date between her and the mayor even as she knows how impossible all this is. Even the few inches of sand stretching between them is far too much.
Zelena can say what she'll say, can try to get them together. But neither Emma or Regina are in a position to pursue something more. And it's best to leave things like they are, before Emma creates another Lily situation.