Chapter22

Regina rubbed her eyes as she leaned back in the old rickety office chair her father refused to get rid of. Why the man held onto things like this she would never know. She glanced up at the clock on the wall. She still hadn't heard anything from the test results.

The brunette found it hard to concentrate on work when her mind wouldn't stop flashing to Emma. Deep down she knew that whatever happened between the blonde and the redhead, was an accident. Unfortunately, her heart shattered at the possibility that Emma's old habits were back.

Regina had been imagining this faint chance that there could be something with the Nolan. She could picture how happy her son would be to have the younger woman around all the time. She found herself wondering what it would feel like waking up next to the blonde.

As soon as a tear slipped down her cheek, there was a tap at the opened door and it pulled her attention. She wiped her eye before looking up to see Millie.

"Sorry to interrupt Doctor, but the lab reports finished." The concern on the pink haired woman's face let her know she hadn't read them yet.

Regina managed a weak smile, "It's all right Millie. You didn't interrupt anything." She pushed herself back from the desk and stood.

Millie held tight to the printouts before extending her arm out. For a moment, the brunette felt frozen. She suddenly realized how terrified she was of what those sheets of papers might read. Her eyes locked with the equally frightened pink haired woman.

"Did you read them?" Regina asked.

Millie shook her head, "No, I thought it would be best if I let you see them first."

Walking around the desk, Regina took the papers from the other woman and held them at her side. She sat back on the edge of the desk and let out a shaky breath, "Well, here goes nothing."

She pulled the papers up so that she could read the words and numbers. The first reading was the toxicology reports. She cleared her throat, "There are high traces of Rohypnol in Emma's system. There was no alcohol." The last sentence was just above a whisper.

Regina pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and chewed. She shifted the papers around. The next paper was the DNA reports. A wave of nausea hit and she looked up to Millie, "You have to read this part." With a shaky hand, she passed the papers back to the other woman.

Millie took them as if in slow motion. The brunette watched the woman's eyes as they read the line left to right, "Miss Nolan's DNA swabs were inconclusive."

Regina closed her eyes for a moment of thanks. In most DNA test, especially a rape kit, inconclusive, were not the words you wanted to see. But, in this case, it meant that there was no other person's DNA on Emma body.

Millie shifted the last piece of paper forward. Her eyes made similar movements as they had with the last paper. Regina held her breath as she waited for the other woman to speak. Her mind betrayed her and all she could see were images of Emma's mouth on the redheads. Her hands roaming over the lawyer's body caused bile to rise in her throat. Why did it affect her more to think of Emma pleasuring another?

"Miss Midas' test says," There was a pause in Millie's voice and Regina bit down on her lip harder, "Inconclusive as well."

The loud breath of air that escaped Regina's mouth caught both women by surprise. A grin spread across the pink haired woman's face, "This is excellent news. It means Emma isn't the vile dog I treated her like yesterday."

Regina's eyes stared down at the floor, her mind far away. Of course, she was relieved to know that Emma had been telling the truth, but something else was eating at her. She lived many years with Robin, not knowing at first if he were cheating on her or not. Then remembering how it crushed her when she learned he had never been faithful. She couldn't go through that again. Always wondering what she did wrong to make him stray, and questioning her body and looks. Not again.

"Dr. Locksley?" Millie asked.

Regina smiled up at the woman, but it didn't reach her eyes, "Yes it is good news, Millie, Thank you."

Ignoring the puzzled look the pink haired woman was giving her, she pushed off the desk heading out. She needed to call Zelena to put the redhead's mind at ease, but she needed some fresh air first. So many thoughts were racing through her head.

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Emma leaned against the delivery truck parked in the alleyway. She had been up all night trying to make sense of things. It all seemed to hit her at once. Her father ran through her mind. She refused to feel sorry for herself, those days were long gone. Her mind moved to Regina. The brunette had every right to not believe her. It still hurt. The thing bugging her last thoughts were of her brother Will. The comment she heard Neal say while she was under the influence rang in her ears.

Anton walked out of the back door of the club. He held a clipboard as he walked around the crates that were neatly stacked up on the pavement. He checked off things on his list as he circled the inventory. Without looking her way he asked, "I'm glad to see you're okay."

Emma snorted a laugh, "Yeah, no thanks to you."

"I would never let them hurt you." He said observing one of the crates a little closer.

The blonde laughed, "You betrayed me."

Anton sat his clipboard down and picked up one of the wooden crates, "I did what I had to do."

Emma clenched her jaw, "Exactly. You did what was best for you. Is that what you did the night my brother was murdered?"

Anton threw the crate down on the ground as anger washed over his face, "I DID WHAT I DID TO PROTECT YOU!" His voice boomed through the midday shadows of the alleyway.

His anger was frightening, to say the least, but Emma's own hurt and anger blurred her fear. "HOW IN THE HELL WERE YOU PROTECTING ME?" She shouted back.

As Anton stepped closer to her, his features softened, "Emma, don't you get it? You can't win here. Your father has everyone in his pocket. I told you to stay away from Regina and the boy but you are too fucking hard headed. Robin has made a name for himself in this town since you've been away. Your father has given him more power. That means that if you disobey Robin's wishes, it is the same as disobeying your father."

"I don't care about my father. I don't want to be one of his little puppets and I sure the hell am not obeying Robin Locksley. You helped them make Zelena and Me think we slept together. Regina is pissed at me. Zelena is petrified my brother won't marry her because of this, so tell me again how you were protecting me?" Emma crossed her arms over her chest.

Anton rubbed a hand down his round face, "They will hurt you, Emma."

The blonde rolled her eyes to display her give-a-shit meter.

"This isn't a joke. Chances are, he wouldn't kill you, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't do something horrible to Regina, or God forbid, that kid." Anton said with conviction.

Emma glared, "Let him try." She clenched her fist as she imaged killing him in the same manner she had killed Albert Blackwell.

The giant shook his head, "Listen to yourself. Not everything is about you. Think about someone else for a change."

"Wow, so now I'm selfish? I can't and won't walk away from them. I'll convince Regina to go away with me. We can take Henry and go." Emma said brainstorming.

"And then what?" Anton smiled softly, "That's Robin's kid. He would find you and if he didn't, the cops would. You and Regina would go to jail for kidnapping and then where would the boy be? What about Kathryn or Regina's father?"

Emma fought the sting at the back of her eyes. As much as she didn't want to admit it, the big man was right. Part of her wanted to tell him she was willing to take them all with her. She could chance not getting caught, but it was pointless. Where would they go? Emma only had a couple thousand bucks she had saved from her pay at the club. Sure it would feed them for a while if they were planning on living out of a car, but it wouldn't house them let alone much else. It would only be enough money for the three of them for a very short time. Not to mention Regina would never leave her father or her best friend, and Emma would never ask her to.

Her eyes moved to the liquid that had spilled out from the crate Anton had dropped in his moment of rage. Several bottles had shattered, leaving wet glass shards everywhere and random corks. The notorious crate, she thought to herself.

"Why are you receiving the orders? I thought the club owner was supposed to be here for all shipments." She asked.

Anton shrugged, "Robin trusts me after last night, I guess."

One of the corks had a small almost nonexistent x carved into the wax seal. She walked over to the broken crate and its inventory and knelt down for a better view. She reached out and picked up the cork. Yep, it was an x alright. She picked up another one and it too had an x, in fact, all this crate's broken bottles had exes on the corks. There was nothing else. There were no drugs or anything else and she had no idea what the exes meant. She stood and walked over to one of the undamaged crates.

"What is it?" Anton asked watching her with curiosity.

She picked up one of the bottles from the new crate but saw no marks on its cork. She hurried over to another crate and like the broken ones; each cork had a small x carved into it.

Emma glanced back to Anton, "I just found what I've been looking for."

"What did you find?" He asked, now standing next to her.

"I'm not sure, but I aim to find out." She said sticking two of the corks from the busted crate into her pants pockets. She paused to look at the giant, "Unless you plan to stop me."

Anton raised an eyebrow, "I'm still on your side baby girl."

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Regina watched her best friend stare blankly at her as she concluded the detail of her week. She hadn't meant to make the visit about her, but who else was she supposed to talk to about these things?

"And did you apologize to Emma?" The blonde asked.

Kathryn was doing much better and was even starting to look more like her old self. There was even talk that she might be able to go home today. It would depend on what the doctor said when he got in."

Regina raised an eyebrow, "Apologize for what?"

"Seriously?" Kathryn looked around the commons room to ensure no one was listening. "She begged you to listen to her and you didn't? You completely treated her like shit."

"Hey, I did not treat her like shit. I only ignored her a bit." Regina admitted.

"Same thing. You think you're ignoring someone when you're mad at them. Yet there is this way about you and the tone in your voice that might as well be a slap in the face." Kathryn said. "So have you told her the test result at least?"

Regina paused taking a moment to look around the room as if to find something more interesting. This isn't exactly how she thought this conversation would go. She thought her friend would actually be on her side for once.

"I'll take that as a no. They need to let me out of here so I can fix this before you totally fuck it up." Kathryn said standing from the small wooden chair.

"What?" Regina managed as she watched her friend walk up to the nurse's station. Hushed tones could be heard. One of the nurses nodded her head at something the blonde had said as another picked up the telephone.

Kathryn made her way back to Regina, "They are sending for the doctor now."

Regina was puzzled, "Fix this?"

The blonde sat back down in her seat, "We are going to fix this thing with you and Emma."

"There's nothing to fix." Regina shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "I don't think it is a good idea for me to pursue any type of," She struggled to find the right word, "relationship."

"And I'm the one on medication?" Kathryn asked crossing her arms over her chest. "Did you hit your head since the last time I saw you?"

Regina rolled her eyes and let out a sigh, "It is safer for everyone if we keep it platonic."

"Honey you are way past that. You all but had sex with her and you think you can go back like nothing ever happened? Get real Regina. That girl is head over heels for you and for Henry." She said moving to the edge of her seat.

"I can't do it, Kathryn," Regina said flatly.

"Can't or won't?" Her friend asked raising an eyebrow.

"Look, I just got a divorce. I need to concentrate more on my son and not on dating." The brunette ran her fingers through her hair, "Emma is a lot younger than me and…"

"Those are excuses, Regina. Age doesn't matter as long as you are both consenting adults." The blonde tilted her head at her friend, "What are you really afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid." She hesitated and swallowed, "She doesn't have children. She gets to come in when Henry's at his best. She doesn't see him when he is having a bad day. She doesn't have the responsibility of actually having to take care of another human being. Making sure he is clothed and fed. Making sure Henry does his homework and eats his vegetables."

"Bullshit." The blonde said shaking her head from side to side. "Those are all minor things. Those are things she would learn in time. To the best of my knowledge, she has been around the boy in some pretty bad situations. So try again. What are you afraid of, really?"

Regina chewed her lip. Why couldn't her friend see how hard this was for her and accept it, "What if I'm just some passing phase for her?" Her words were soft but shaky. "What if I give myself to her and she bores of me? I'm not 25 anymore Kathryn. What if everything is going great but then all the sudden she doesn't want to play house anymore? I'm not strong enough for more disappoint in my life, in Henry's life." Regina closed her eyes for a second to fight the tears that threatened her. When she opened them, Kathryn wore a warm smile.

Slowly the blonde pulled her friend into her arm, "You're right, what if any of that?" After a moment she pushed the brunette back to look at her, "But what if this is exactly what she wants? Don't you owe it to yourself to at least attempt to find happiness?"

Before Regina could respond, a short round Middle Eastern man joined them at the small table. "Miss Midas, I have been looking over your charts and reviews from the staff members. I think today is as good a day as any to go home. I do want you to continue your medication and I need someone who will claim responsibility for you."

"What do you mean responsibility?" Regina asked.

"Well, I want someone who will keep an eye out for warning signs. We don't want a repeat of what brought her in here." He said matter of fact. "It will take a little while to get her checked out of here. In that time I will get you some brochures on depression relapses and their warning signs. I've notified Mr. Hopper, so I'm sure he will be giving you a call when you leave to set up a schedule."

Regina nodded her understanding as she made eye contact with her best friend. Kathryn seemed excited about it, which she didn't blame her. This place gave her the creeps. She prayed there wasn't a repeat of that night in the bathroom.

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Henry placed his backpack down on the piano bench of the music room. He had been looking forward to this all week. Usually, he would practice on his grandfather's piano, but his grandfather hadn't taken him to his house in a while. He assumed that it was because his mom was having a hard time. Since that "hard time" happened to be over Emma, he hadn't been able to practice at the apartment either.

He let out a loud sigh as he sat down putting his fingers over the keys. Music was the one thing in the world that relaxed him. It never mattered what was going on. As soon as his fingers danced over the keys and the notes filled the air, it was like nothing else mattered. He began to play Ode to Joy.

An odd sound came from somewhere behind him and he stilled his fingers. Pausing, he listened. There were only the random sounds of chatter in the hallway from other students moving about. After a few seconds, he started to play again.

The overhead bell rang, signifying that the next class had started. Henry stopped to let the last of the banging locker doors end. Squeaky sounds of sneakers on waxed floors quieted before he continued playing. Again the earlier sound came from somewhere behind him.

Henry stood, turning around. There was only him in the vacant music room. The sound was different than most, but it was familiar to him. It had sounded much like a cross between a sniffle and a whimper. He had heard a sound much like that many of nights from his mother's room after she and his dad fought.

The sound came again and Henry followed it to the far side of the room. In a darkened corner, beside the coat rack was the shadow of someone sitting on the floor. Their back was against the wall and their arms wrapped around their knees. Cautiously, Henry moved towards the figure, "Are you okay?"

At first, there was only the sniffle but then a small voice said, "Go away."

Even the voice was familiar, "Do you want me to go get someone?"

"No. Just leave me alone." The voice was male and even though it was quiet, it came out sterner than before.

Henry chewed his bottom lip, but continued closer, "Are you sure you're okay?"

The boy raised his head up, "Why won't you leave me alone?"

To Henry's surprise, it was Peter. He started to turn away and do as the other boy had asked, but then he stopped. He couldn't leave him alone. Something was wrong, "Just tell me what's wrong. Maybe I can help."

The other boy stood up quickly with a glare. He stepped closer to Henry, his face coming into the light, "You've helped enough freak."

Henry couldn't contain the gasp that escaped his mouth. Peter's eye was swollen at the corner. The place where his eye should have been white was the darkest red he had ever seen. The closest thing he could compare it to was a zombie movie he had seen once while with his dad, "What happened?"

"Don't play like you don't know." He snapped.

Henry furrowed his eyebrows, "What are you talking about?"

"Why don't you ask your bodyguard?" Peter retreated back into the shadow leaning his back against the wall as he stood.

"My bodyguard?" Confusion crossed Henry's face. He had no idea what he was talking about.

"Your blonde friend came to our house last night." He sneered.

"Emma?" He asked, still not clear.

"Yeah, that was what she said her name was. You can stop crying to her about my brother and me. My dad is moving us to a different school." The boy said looking down at the floor.

"So Emma beat you up?" Henry asked unbelievingly.

The boy snorted out a small laugh, "No. This is my dad's handy work."

Henry's eyes widened, "Your dad did this to you?"

Peter didn't say anything. He crossed his arms over his chest and sniffled.

"Where is Felix?" He had never seen one boy without the other in the whole time he had been at this school.

"He got it worse than me. Dad said it was better if he stayed at home until he could stand." Peter said as if it were something that happened all the time.

Who could do this to their own kid? He had been bad many times in his life, but his parents never hit him and especially like that. The worst he could ever remember getting was chewed out by his father and on occasion he was called a name or two. He found himself wishing he had never told Emma about them.

"Don't do that. Don't you dare feel sorry for us." The boy sneered. "If you would have kept your mouth shut this wouldn't have happened."

Henry would have argued with him at any other time, but not this time, "Your dad doesn't have the right to hit you like that."

Another snort came from Peter, "He must not have gotten that memo." He pushed away from the wall and walked towards the exit, "You stay away from us and we'll stay away from you."

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Emma tapped on the wood frame of Dr. Mills' door. She wanted to get his take on the corks and maybe see if he would run tests to see what was so special about those exes.

"It's open." He called from the other side.

She turned the knob and stepped inside with a small smile, "Hey Doc."

"Hey, Swan. I guess you've heard the news?" He said grinning.

Raising an eyebrow Emma asked, "What news?"

"About the lab results." He said pushing the files he had been going over to the side of his desk, "Regina got them this morning. I figured she would have called you."

Emma shook her head slowly to answer the doctor, but her heart fell. Why wouldn't Regina call her and tell her? "No, she didn't."

"Ah, I see. Well, in that case, let me fill you in. You and Zelena were both drugged and there is no evidence that the two of you did anything." He waited for her reaction.

"That's great," Emma said without the conviction there should have been. She thought Regina would be happy she was telling the truth.

"I thought you'd be delighted to know you were right." The man said folding his hands together.

Emma was pulled from her thoughts, "No, I am happy. It's great news." She hesitated and then said, "I came by to see if you could help me with something."

Dr. Mills looked at her with curiosity, "I'll try."

She pulled the two corks from her pocket and passed them to him, "Do you think tests could be run on these."

He looked slightly confused, "What kind of test and why?"

Emma didn't know how much she should reveal. It wasn't as if she didn't want to tell him the truth. She just wanted to keep him safe and the less he knew the better. "Well, I wanted to see what the liquid contents came back as, or if there is something mixed in with the wax."

"It says tequila on this cork so I would assume that's what's in it." He chuckled.

Emma tried hard to fake a smile, "I just want to make sure."

"You still haven't said why." He said keeping his eyes on the corks as he examined them closely.

"You just have to trust me on that one doc." She refused to lie, so it was the best she could come up with.

He stared at her for a long moment and then stood from his chair, "Alright, let's go see what Millie can do."

Emma followed the man out of the office and down the hallway to Millie's lab. Walking inside, the pink haired woman grabbed the blonde in a tight bear hug, "There's my girl."

"Oh, now I'm your girl? That is definitely not how you were acting yesterday." Emma said.

"That was yesterday, before the report." She said stepping back.

The blonde raised an eyebrow, "You could have just believed me when I told you the truth."

Millie placed her hands on her hips, "I am a 'proof that can be seen', kind of girl. I learned a long time ago not to take anyone at their word. I like facts."

Emma smiled, she could respect that. Although she didn't like the part where she had been treated like a criminal. Isn't it supposed to be innocent until proven guilty?

"What can I do for you two?" Millie asked looking up at her boss.

Dr. Mills passed her the corks in silence.

The pink haired woman raised an eyebrow. "Most of the time, when giving one of these as a gift they are attached to a whole bottle."

The old man chuckled, "I'll keep that in mind for the next time." He glanced over at the blonde then back to Millie. "Can you run any test on these to see what other than alcohol might have been with them?"

Millie took the corks and examined them. "It's possible, but it will take a while to pull a proper sample and then run a toxicology test."

"Thanks, Millie. You can call Emma when they're finished" He said walking out of the room.

"Will do." The pink haired woman called after him. She looked over at Emma, "What am I looking for specifically?"

Emma shrugged, "I'm not sure. I don't even know if anything out of the ordinary will show up, but I need to know."

Millie sat the two corks down on a metal tray and walked over to the counter, "I'll call you as soon as I know anything."