A/N: Sorry, I've been working all weekend so I didn't have time to write a long chapter for you. Wednesday's one will be written on a plane while I'm waiting for the effects of Valium to come into play so … enjoy!
There was a long, heavy silence. Emma's eyes skittered over the beautiful face before her, trying to understand, to recognise the significance behind what Regina had said. The brunette's cheeks became tinged with a delicate blush despite her olive complexion. Emma thought she had never looked more stunning.
"Visiting me?" Emma managed to say at last. "Why would you visit me?"
Regina shrugged and leaned back in her chair. "Honestly?"
"Please," Emma nodded, mirroring Regina's position. After everything that was happening, she just wanted people to tell it to her how it was. No hiding; no skirting around the truth. Just fact.
"I don't know. I don't know why I'm already thinking of visiting you in prison. But what I do know is that I want to see you again. And if you're going to be stuck somewhere for a few years, I guess that's what I'll have to do."
Emma ran her hands through her hair and then grimaced at the greasy locks she encountered. Her mind raced as she tried to process Regina's words. Glancing at the brunette who looked at little shocked at her own admittance, Emma got to her feet and paced over to the window once more, looking out onto the street again. People walked past, never glancing up at the courthouse and instead hurrying to their own destination. When would she next be free to walk wherever she wished? Would Regina be walking by her side?
"I don't understand," she said at last.
"Me neither," Regina replied.
Turning around, Emma folded her arms and leaned against the wall. "Well, at least we're in the same boat there then."
Regina smiled. "Yeah, I guess we are."
"I mean, you should hate me."
"I know," Regina nodded.
"But you're saying you want to … see me?"
Regina ducked her head, suddenly shy. "I guess. I mean, not 'see' you, but see you. Yeah."
"Why?"
The brunette shrugged again. Her mother would hate to see this new habit; not only because the action seemed to come out whenever she was around Emma. That said, shrugging would probably be the least of Regina's concerns if her mother was privy to their conversation in that moment.
"I can't answer that," Regina said at last. "I know it doesn't make sense and, after what happened on Friday, I should hate you and want you to be in prison for the rest of your life," Emma flinched, "but that's not how I feel."
"It isn't? It's how I feel," Emma said, a dark scowl over her features.
"You want to go to prison?"
"No, not exactly. But I know that's what I deserve."
"No," Regina said, standing up. "You don't deserve that. What happened was not your fault. It was Neal and Lily, not you. If it wasn't for you, I don't know if I'd be alive today. You saved me Emma, now let me save you."
Emma regarded the young woman who had taken several steps towards her but stopped with a few metres still between them. "Save me?" The term sat uncomfortably with her. Emma Swan didn't depend on anyone. She had learned at a young age not to rely on any person other than herself. She couldn't put her faith in Regina, no matter how much she wanted to.
"Emma, you need help. Let me help you. Tink can get you a great deal. Yes, you'd have to spend some time in prison, but five years is nothing compared to a lifetime."
"To get that deal, I'd have to rat out a friend," Emma pointed out.
Regina raised an eyebrow. "Friend? Emma, she killed someone."
"She didn't mean to."
"Oh really? What did she think was going to happen when she pulled the trigger? Come on, Emma, you know Lily deserves to be punished."
"But so do I."
"And this deal doesn't get you off the hook. You'll still serve time and have a record. Don't worry, your stubborn morals will still be intact."
"Stubborn morals?" Emma asked, smirking.
Regina grinned. "I doubt there are many criminals who insist on being punished, especially when they're being offer a get-out-of-jail-free card."
"Well, in five years."
"Two with good behaviour," Regina pointed out.
"If I rat out Lily."
Regina sighed and moved forwards, stopping only when she was right in front of Emma. The blonde's eyes widened at the sudden proximity. "Emma, please, think about yourself for once. This sense of righteousness is cute and all, but can't you think about your own future?"
"Righteousness is cute?"
"On you, yeah."
So close up, Emma could see the vibrancy of the pinked skin on the soft cheeks of the brunette. Her eyes darted downwards, taking in the wound on Regina's lip. Her forehead creased with guilt at the sight. After what happened. After everything which Regina had suffered, how could she justify anything but serving the maximum sentence for her crimes?
"Regina, I can't," Emma all but whined. "I don't deserve to be free. I don't deserve your help, your support, your … whatever you're here for."
"I'm here for you, Emma," Regina said, stepping even closer and reaching out to place her hands on the blonde's shoulders. In her heels, she was the same height as the lanky younger woman. "I'm here to help you and you do deserve it. Just because no one has shown you kindness in the past, doesn't mean you're not worthy."
"Kindness? Is that what you're showing me?"
"You don't even recognise what I'm doing as being kind to you? Emma, that's so -"
"Stop," Emma said, stepping backwards as the expression on Regina's face morphed into something she had seen countless times when she was on the streets. "Don't pity me."
"I'm not."
"Yes, you are," Emma said, moving further away. "I don't want your pity, Regina."
"Then what do you want?"
Emma opened her mouth to answer but hesitated and clamped it shut again. What did she want? She wanted to own up to her mistakes and accept her punishment, she knew that. But a life in prison? She might not have had any goals or aspirations before Friday but that didn't mean she was satisfied with a life in a cell. And then there was Regina. The woman who had appeared in her little world and shaken her emotions to their very core. Would she feel the same about what happened at the bank had Regina not been there? Would she be so focused on doing what was right if Regina wasn't the one trying to get her off the hook for a felony crime?
"I want to be worthy," she said eventually, sinking back into the chair she had vacated.
Regina forced herself not to move back towards the blonde, wanting to give her some space. "Worthy? Of what?"
"A life of freedom? A future which doesn't involve a prison cell? You?"
The blonde was still staring at her knees when she muttered that admittance. Unable to stop herself, Regina crossed the room and crouched down in front of Emma, peering up into glassy eyes.
"Me?"
The blonde took in the earnest upturned face, trying to understand what was happening, why her heart was pounding against her ribcage, what the emotions swirling in chocolate orbs meant.
"I'm confused," she whispered.
"Me too," Regina said, placing one hand on Emma's knee to keep her balance as she wobbled slightly on her toes.
Emma's gaze snapped to the slender, tanned fingers resting lightly against her pants. Even though the material, she could feel the heat emanating from the brunette's skin.
"This is so fucked up," she sighed.
"Or just complicated," Regina offered, fingers tensing slightly on Emma's leg.
The blonde offered a hollow chuckle. "Yeah, you could say that. But hey, when has my life ever been simple?"
Regina smiled. "At least life isn't boring."
"Pretty sure prison will be boring," Emma pointed out.
"Then perhaps you should take the deal so that you're only in there for a couple of years, not a couple of decades."
"Regina, I -"
"No, Emma, please, listen to me." The blonde snapped her mouth shut at the interruption. "I admire your loyalty to Lily, I really do. The fact that you don't want to make a deal to protect your friend is very noble. But you need to be selfish right now. Stop thinking of others and think of yourself just for once. Lily is already going to be convicted based on the evidence the DA has. Your testimony will just guarantee their win but it will also save your life. It will mean you'll have a life, Emma. Don't you want that?"
"I do," Emma nodded. "I do want that."
"Then take the deal," Regina said, her other hand landing on Emma's other knee. "Take the deal, Emma. Give yourself a chance."
"But Lily -"
"Killed someone," Regina interrupted again. "I know she's your friend but she's a murderer. Don't protect someone who doesn't deserve it. She killed someone, Emma. She deserves to be punished."
"So do I."
"And you will be," Regina said, hands sliding slightly up Emma's legs as she adjusted her now aching toes. "But you'll be punished to the level you deserve. Five years, Emma. That's more than enough."
"Not for what I did to you."
Green eyes sparkled once more and Emma looked away. Loathe as Regina was to move, her toes were complaining. I must do more yoga, she mused as she stood up and pulled a chair close to Emma's side and sat down before replacing her hands on Emma's legs, this time, halfway up her thin thighs.
"Emma, you didn't do anything to me. At least, you didn't do anything bad to me."
At that, the blonde looked up into Regina's slightly smirking face and blushed furiously. "Regina, I smashed your phones."
"My dad already bought me a new one. Smashing a phone shouldn't be punishable by twenty-five years in prison."
Emma had to admit that was true. If that was indeed the sentence for petty theft or vandalism, their legal system was in crisis. "I tied you up. I held you hostage."
"You saved my life," Regina stated firmly. "Emma, please, please don't do this. Don't let those stubborn, admirable morals put an end to any future we might have."
"We?"
Regina raised her eyebrows and then dropped her gaze to where her fingers were resting on Emma's legs. She moved her thumbs slowly, backwards and forwards over the cheap fabric of the suit Tink had given the blonde. The movement sent a shiver through Emma's entire body. Regina's breath hitched as Emma's hand suddenly covered her own. The palms were clammy; a physical representation of the blonde's nerves.
"Emma, I want there to be a 'we'," Regina admitted at last.
"Why?"
Fingers squeezed Emma's thighs and when the blonde looked up, she was met with a soft smile. "I don't think I have an answer to that question. Isn't it just enough to know that I'd like to see what's between us? I mean, if you … I guess I'm saying … well." Regina faltered, her confidence suddenly second guessed. Did Emma feel the same? Or was she just making a massive fool of herself? "What I'm trying to say … well, I guess what I mean is … I'm not saying I think we'll, but … do you think there's something -"
Lips pressed gently against Regina's open mouth, stopping the babbling stream of panicked nonsense in its tracks. She froze for a moment, fingers tense on Emma's legs until she registered what was happening. A quiet whimper escaped her throat as Emma's lips moved gently against her own, prompting her to melt into the kiss. She tilted her head, shifting the wound away from the soft pressure. Even though Emma's lips had been delicate, a twinge of pain had still shot from her damaged skin. She didn't care though and once Emma's tongue touched the tip of her own, all memory of any discomfort evaporated from her mind.
Rocking forwards off the chair and onto her knees, Regina moved closer to Emma, her hands sliding further up the bony thighs. Emma's own arms wrapped around the brunette's back, pulling her between her legs which parted slightly to accommodate Regina's body. Her tongue dipped further inside, exploring the taste of the brunette; coffee. Briefly, Emma said a silent thank you that Tink had handed her a toothbrush and some toothpaste when she had got changed in the courtroom bathroom.
Fingertips dug lightly into Emma's legs as their tongues began to dance, stroking tenderly, hesitantly. Hands splayed across Regina's back, Emma pulled the older teen still closer towards her as the kiss deepened. They were so wrapped up in one another that neither woman heard the door open again.
"Oh Jesus Christ."
They sprang apart, Emma's chair skittering on the floor and Regina falling backwards as she was pushed away. Tink smirked as she walked further into the room, tossing her bag onto the table.
"And what am I supposed to tell your parents about this, Regina?" she asked, hands on hips as she looked at the red-faced teen, features schooled into what she hoped was a frown of disapproval.
"Um, nothing?" the brunette asked, clambering to her feet and avoiding looking at Emma.
"Nothing, huh?" Tink asked, gaze sliding towards an equally beetroot-faced blonde. "Well, did you at least 'persuade'," she used her fingers to make air quotes, "Emma to take the deal in between making out?"
Regina shrugged and looked, at last, towards Emma. It wasn't her place to say whether or not Emma was going to take the deal. Green eyes met her own. Regina could see the internal conflict in there. The fact that Emma felt duty bound to protect her friend was admirable but Regina hoped, prayed that the blonde would put herself, put them first. At the end of the day, Lily didn't deserve to get away with what she did but Emma certainly deserved a second chance.
"Ok," Emma said quietly. "I'll take the deal."
"Great," Tink said, springing into action and gathering all of the paperwork she would need when the DA arrived to ensure Emma received the correct deal and that the charges were amended on the docket due to be in front of the judge in just a few minutes time. Emma watched her work, listening to Tink explain the processes which were about to begin and what to expect within the courtroom. She'd be pleading guilty but the elocution and sentencing would come at a later date, as would her testimony against Lily.
Regina, however, was focusing on Emma. The kiss had changed things for her. Or perhaps it had just illuminated what she already knew. It sounded crazy, she was aware, to feel something so powerful for a girl she barely knew. But as she sank into a vacant chair, eyes still locked on Emma, she knew that whatever she was experiencing was something far bigger and stronger than she had ever felt before.
"Regina, are you coming in with us?"
"What?" Regina asked, snapping her head back towards the lawyer.
Tink smirked again. "I said, are you coming into court with me and Emma?"
"Oh, yes, of course," Regina nodded, shooting a soft smile at the blonde. "I want to be there for Emma; every step of the way."
"Great, then wipe that lipstick off your mouth and Emma's. First impressions matter, remember? And I don't think the judge is going to be too hot on the fact that you two were just canoodling. No puppy dog eyes in the courtroom either, ok? This is just an arraignment. Emma will be sent to jail and then sentenced at a later time. It usually takes a few weeks to secure a sentencing date. She won't be granted bail because we're pleading guilty. Any questions?"
"She won't get bail?" Regina asked. She had already mentally decided that she'd put her own money up as bail when the judge set the amount.
"No," Tink replied.
"So … after this she goes straight to a prison cell?" Regina asked.
"Yeah," Tink nodded. "Kinda unavoidable, remember?"
"Regina, it's ok," Emma said quietly. "I knew this was coming."
It was true, Regina realised. But somehow she hadn't quite come to accept that the blonde would be led away in handcuffs and placed in a cell somewhere.
"I'll come to visit you as soon as I can," Regina said, standing up and walking over to Emma and reaching for her hands.
Emma stood as well and, with a glance at Tink, pulled Regina into her arms. At last she was able to hold Regina, feel the smaller woman's warm body against her own. Regina wrapped her own arms around Emma and hugged her tightly, burying her face against the skin of Emma's neck. She didn't care that the blonde hadn't had a chance to shower in days. She just needed to feel the blonde.
"Thank you," Emma whispered. "I don't know what you see in me but thank you."
Regina said nothing; she just hugged her harder.
"Ok ladies, let's go," Tink said after over a minute. "It's time."
The women unwound their arms and stepped back. Emma grinned and reached out to wipe the smears of lipstick from the brunette's mouth. Regina giggled and did the same to the blonde, removing the traces of their passion.
"Ready?" Regina asked when both women were presentable at last.
"As I'll ever be," Emma nodded.
Regina smiled and reached her hand forwards once more. Her little finger slid, gently, against Emma's. Their pinkies curled around one another and squeezed.
"I'm right here," Regina said. "I'll always be here."
Taking a deep breath, Emma forced a smile and turned towards Tink who was waiting by the door. "Let's go."