Chapter 26

"So," Regina heard Kathryn ask?

She looked up from the newspaper article she was reading, "So what?"

"Oh come on," the blonde said pouring herself a cup of steaming coffee from the coffee maker. "You may have been able to pull one over on your father, but I saw your smudged lipstick and wrinkled shirt."

Regina blushed and groaned. She folded the paper and lay it down on the island, "I told her we would see where things go."

"And? Lipstick doesn't smear itself," the blonde said sitting down on one of the barstools.

Another blush crept up the brunette's cheeks, "We may have gotten a little carried away." She realized how that sounded, "But you all came back before anything happened."

Kathryn's teeth glistened from the huge grin she wore, "Oh my God, you would have totally got it on in the kitchen."

"Kathryn please, you make it sound like I-."

Her father's voice cuts her off, "Hey honey."

Regina's eyes grew large and the blush was turning into more of a rash as it spread down her neck, "Hey daddy." Her eyes shot a warning to her friend.

"Hey, Dr. Mills. Your daughter was just telling me about her date," Kathryn said, still grinning.

The doctor made his way over to the coffee maker to pour him a cup, "I see. And how did that go?"

Regina cleared her throat, trying not to look at the blonde, "It went well."

Her father sat down on a stool next to the blonde, "Does this mean you two are a couple?"

Regina took a sip from her cup. She thought about it for a moment. Last night, she hadn't gotten much sleep because it was all she had thought about. Of course, the million and two text messages she shared with Emma hadn't helped either. Although she did find out the blonde's birthday was only a couple of days away.

She had planned to play it cool, but she couldn't hold back the happiness she was feeling. "It's still a little soon to give titles, but I suppose we are headed in that direction."

A squeal of delight shot across the island from her friend, "YAY! I'm so happy for you guys."

"Don't shot of the fireworks yet, I'm easing into this. I'm not an expert on relationships and this is all new to me," she said before taking another sip.

Her father studied her for a second, "After the make-out session you had last night, I thought we would be planning a wedding already."

Hot coffee shot out of the brunette's mouth, spaying the island. She grabbed a paper towel, "Jesus dad, really?"

"Hey, I'm not the one who sported those puffy lips last night. I'm not saying anything bad. In fact, I think it's a good thing," he said wiping the few droplets of brown coffee off his forearm. Kathryn laughed hysterically from across the island.

"Great. You think it's good that your daughter made out," she said wiping the mess off the granite surface.

"No, I'm saying it's good that you found someone who makes you want to," Dr. Mills said with a smile.

Regina rolled her eyes, but couldn't help the smile that crossed her lips. Her mind went to Henry and she sighed, "I just don't want this to affect Henry, you know? I mean if we move too fast, it may be too much for him. Then if it doesn't work out he'll be devastated."

Kathryn touched Regina's arm, "Stop treating this like it is a decision to buy a house. It's not that simple or that complicated. It just is."

Regina raised a perfectly sculptured eyebrow, "Well, thanks for clearing that up."

"Regina, Kathryn's right. There are no blueprints or schematics when it comes to this sort of thing. You can't over think it too much or you will get eaten alive by your own fears." Dr. Mills stood looking at the clock on the wall.

"But I have to think of Henry;" she argued.

"Stop," the doctor said. He put a hand against his daughter's cheek, "Henry is a child and children are resilient and adaptable. I know for a fact he is happy about the idea of you and Emma, but I also know he will understand if something did go wrong. Stop making this about Henry. You need to do this for you." He leaned in and kissed her head, "I have to run. I have patients waiting."

Regina didn't respond. She stared at her rapidly cooling coffee. Her father's words hit hard. She would never stop worrying about Henry when it came to her own decisions but she knew what he meant. She did want this. She wanted this more than she thought possible.

She glanced up after hearing the front door close from her father's departure. Feeling someone watching her, she looked over at the blonde, "Do you have anything you want to add?"

Kathryn shook her head, "No. I think he pretty much covered it. So when are you going to see her again?"

The brunette stood up, pouring her coffee out in the sink, "I don't know. I told her I would text her today and let her know."

"I have an appointment with Archie this morning. After, I can go hang out with your dad. We can pick Henry up from school and go for ice cream. If you want to see her I mean." Kathryn smiled.

"I don't know. I haven't planned anything yet." Regina said, rinsing her cup out and placing it into the dishwasher.

"Well, let me know. I'm going to go ahead and go, but I'll see you later." Her friend called to her.

She didn't answer, but she let her walk out the door. As much as she wanted this 'thing' between Emma and her to work out, she was also terrified. There was a flutter in the pit of her stomach that she didn't comprehend. She had never felt it before.

Regina sat back down on the barstool and stared at her phone with her back to the door. It was still before nine, and she found herself wondering if Emma was awake yet. An image of those hot pink boy shorts flew through her mind. She couldn't wait to see the blonde again.

The sound of the front door opening pulled her from her thoughts, but she didn't look up, "Did you forget something?" She figured Kathryn had walked off without her car keys again.

There was no response so she turned. She thought she would find her blonde best friend, instead, there stood Robin Locksley. She narrowed her eyes, "Have you ever heard of knocking?"

He was standing only a short distance from her and she silently swallowed. He tossed a manila folder on the island. Regina eyed him for a moment and then rolled her eyes. She turned to see what was inside.

As she opened it, she instantly saw a photo of her and Emma from last night. She flipped to the next which again was a picture of her and Emma. It was taken outside near the blonde's car. When she got to the last one, she clenched her jaw. Someone had taken a photo of Emma and her kissing, through the kitchen window.

She whipped back to her ex, "This was in the privacy of my home, Robin. Who the hell do you have stalking me?"

"So this is the perversions you are subjecting my son to," he said more than asked.

"Perversions? You are out of your mind. It is none of your business who I date. And he is 'our' son," she growled.

"You've been fucking her the whole time, haven't you?" He sneered stepping closer.

She stood and crossed her arms over her chest, "That is none of your business. You need to leave."

The look in his eyes made a chill run up her spine. Faster than she could have expected, his hand swung out striking her across the cheekbone. The pain was blinding as she stumbled backward.

"You ungrateful bitch," he spat. "I gave you everything and this is how you repay me?"

The surprise alone made it difficult for her to respond. Just as she was about to threaten him with the police he hit her again. This time she fell to the floor. She could taste metallic in her mouth. What in the Hell was going on?

He leaned down grabbing her by the hair, "It's time we put a stop to this."

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

The library was surprisingly crowded for a weekend. Henry was aware that the stay at home moms and the homeschooled kids might be here. He had really hoped he could enjoy some peace and quiet. His only saving grace was that he was well above the little children's reading level.

Violet had found a book and was now curled up on a beanbag in the kiddie area. Henry shook his head. He didn't see how she could concentrate on what she was reading with all of the little kids running around.

Henry made his way down the young adult aisle. He let his finger glide over the spines of the books on the shelf, hoping one would stand out to him. So far, nothing.

"Henry." A boy's voice said and Henry whipped his head in the direction it came from.

His eyes widened, "Felix?"

He had stitches above his eyebrow and nasty yellow and green bruises around his eye. He could see the healing split in his lip and he quickly averted his eyes.

"Go figure you would be here." The boy snorted.

Henry looked around, "Where's Peter?"

Felix let his eyes move around the end of the aisle, and he shrugged, "I don't know. He's around here somewhere."

The younger boy tried to smile, but it faltered, "What are you guys doing here?"

"What? We can't come to the library? I guess it's only for people like you," Felix said sarcastically.

Henry swallowed, "No, I didn't mean..."

"Calm down, I'm just messing with you," Felix interrupted.

"There you are," Peter said walking up to his brother. He spotted Henry, "Oh, hey Henry."

Henry nodded giving a tight-lipped smile, "Hey."

"We promised our mom we would try harder to raise our grades. She said she would take us to Fiesta Texas this summer if we could get As and Bs this six weeks." Felix explained.

Henry had never had a conversation with these guys. Yeah, he somewhat talked with Peter the other day, but it wasn't a pleasant experience. The younger boy found himself wondering how far this talk would go before they told him he was a freak and walk away.

"You know, if you guys need any help," Henry started.

Before he could finish, Peter blurted out, "Really? We could really use some help with algebra."

Peter looked at his brother, and Felix added "Yeah and chemistry."

Henry smiled, "Sure. Violet's here too, I bet she'd help. We can make sure you guys get that trip."

Both older boys' faces lit up. "Awesome. Do you think we could start today? We have a test in chemistry Monday."

"Sure. Let's get going," Henry grinned.

SQSQSQSQSQSQ

Emma glanced down at the time displayed on her phone. Gold should have been here by now. She sent him messages hours ago and he replied with the time and place. She looked around the empty alleyway outside the club.

She had really hoped she would hear from Regina this morning, but so far, no luck. She smiled as she thought of all the text messages they sent to one another in the wee hours. As childish as it might seem, she had enjoyed finding out little things about the brunette. She learned that her favorite color was purple. When she was younger she had a horse named Rocinante. She secretly sold him when she found out her mother was ill. She thought the money would help her mom to get better. By the time Dr. Mills had found out what she had done, it was too late. The horse had been sold to a breeder in California.

It was moments like this when she wished she still had access to her trust funds. She would find out if that horse was still around and buy him back for her. She laughed at how dumb that sounded. Sure it would be awesome if she could give the other woman her cherished childhood pet. But it was over twenty years ago, there would be no way that that horse was still alive.

Headlights bounced off the brick wall in front of her, pulling her from her thoughts. She looked up to see a black town car pulling into the alleyway behind hers. It was about damned time. She straightened as she waited for Mr. Gold to step out.

Mr. Gold did emerge from the vehicle. It just wasn't the Mr. Gold she was wanting. It was Neal.

"By the look on your face, I can tell you were expecting my father." Two of his bodyguards climbed out of the car from the passenger side.

"Where's your father," she asked.

Neal shrugged with a smirk, "He said something about out of town business. I'm not sure." He walked a few steps closer, keeping his hands in his coat pockets, "You see, you're not giving those results to my dad. You're going to give them to me."

Emma snorted a laugh, "Yeah, I don't think so."

Neal gave a small chuckle of his own, but there was no humor in it, "You should've stayed in New York. Things keep getting fucked up since you've been back, Em."

That nickname was reserved for people she liked. For people she was close to, not sociopathic assholes like Neal Gold. She pushed down the urge to tell him he wasn't allowed to call her that.

"I think you should join me inside for a drink. We have a lot to talk about." He moved closer, his smile dropping, "and I think there's someone here you want to see."

His tone was chilling. Emma wanted to tell him to go to Hell, but something in her gut told her to do as he said. Instead of fighting him, she nodded and gestured for him to lead the way.

She followed him to the back door. After he unlocked it, they went in. She found it strange that Anton wasn't here to let them in. It was only a couple of hours until opening.

"We're doing a little remodeling as you can see," he said as they walked down the hallway to the main club area.

The tables had been stacked on top of each other and covered with plastic. The bar had drop cloths draped over it and the smell of paint was thick in the air. New drywall had been hung, the dried mud still visible.

"Robin gave the crew a couple of days off. So we will have this whole place to ourselves," he said.

Emma didn't say anything, she just followed him up the metal staircase that led to the office. The last time she was in this place, she had been drugged. Note to self, don't drink anything. She was really starting to loathe this club.

He opened the office door as if it were his own personal place. She shook her head to herself. There was no way Will would have allowed him... She stopped her thought. This was probably exactly why Will was dead.

As soon as she walked into the office, Neal stepped to the side. Robin was the first person she noticed. He sat behind the desk wearing his same arrogant smile. Great, she gets to deal with this ass hat too.

The two men that climbed out of the car earlier entered. Anton appeared last. One snatched the rolled envelope from the back of her waistband and passed it to Robin.

"Ah, thank you, Frank." The attorney said. Robin nodded his head in their direction as if speaking a secret language. The two men turned, leaving the room again.

Emma knew they would get the results. She would have been kidding herself if she thought it would go any other way once she came inside with him. Hell, she wasn't even sure she would be walking out of here alive. She could see the bulge of Neal's gun on his side beneath his suit jacket.

"Can I get you a drink, Emma," Robin asked, one corner of his mouth curled up.

"No, I'm good, thanks," her voice dripped with sarcasm.

Both men smiled at each other. She clenched her fist at her side. She found herself wondering how many hits she could get in before Neal shot her. She glanced at Anton, but he didn't make eye contact. She hoped with everything in her soul that he was still on her side.

"Nice of you to join us," Neal said to the giant.

His expression was neutral, "The Boss had me going over some video footage."

Robin stood from his chair, "And did you find what I asked for?"

The big man nodded and presented a disc, "I did."

"Is this the only copy," Robin asked, taking the DVD.

Anton nodded again. What were they up to? For a brief second she caught the big man's eye, but then he looked away.

She watched as Robin sat the disc on the desk and turned his attention to the reports. "I really had hoped it wouldn't come to this. You just keep putting your nose where it doesn't belong."

"It was made my business when I was given the club," she sneered.

"It's not your club anymore, remember? What is it going to take to get it through that thick skull of yours," he passed the folder to Neal and stepped closer.

"Fuck you. I don't care about this club. I do, however, care about the people who work here. I also care that my brother was murdered because of it," she said.

"Your brother was killed for not doing what he was told," Neal said nonchalantly.

Emma stared at him in disbelief. He made the statement as if it were just business. He didn't deny it which only confirmed her suspicions. She turned to Robin in one final attempt to find the humanity in the man, "Why are you doing this Robin? Letting a piece of shit like Neal Gold dictates your every move?"

"Hey, easy with the insults, someone might get their feelings hurt." Neal chuckled dropping the folder down on the desk.

She ignored him, keeping her eyes on the lawyer, "What could he possibly offer you that you didn't already have?"

Robin leaned against the desk, "I have worked half my life for your father. There have been many sacrifices along the way, but I have helped maintain your father's wealth and power. And for what? I have nothing to show for it."

"You built a powerful name for your law firm and you have more money than most could dream of. What more could you possibly want," she asked.

"I will forever be in David Nolan's shadow. I will never be more than I am to him, right now. It's time people took orders from me for a change." He gave a tight-lipped smile, but there was hatred in his eyes.

"That's what this is about? How many women have you hurt with those bottles," she pointed to the folder on the desk.

"They asked for it," Neal snorted.

"What!? They asked for it," She repeated? "No one asks to be raped."

Neal laughed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Those bitches come in here dressed like whores. They flaunt their asses and tits in every guy's face and when a man hits on them, they turn their noses up like they are too good for us. Not anymore."

Her mind flashed to Kathryn, and the night she attempted to kill herself. Her stomach turned to think that more women had gone through even an ounce of what the older blonde had. "You're a sick fuck, Neal." She cut her eyes to Robin, "And so are you for allowing this to happen."

"That's priceless coming from you," he said.

Emma raised an eyebrow, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You have slept with an impressive amount of women. Many of their fathers were David Nolan's clients. You slept with them just to stick it to daddy. How many hearts did you break?" He paused pulling out his phone and typing something in, "Do you remember a Nicole Huntsman?"

Emma would be lying if she said she did. It was a known fact that she had been with a lot of girls. Out of the countless, she would be lucky to remember two or three names.

When she made no reply, he continued, "She overdosed on a bottle of pills from her daddy's bedside table. The note she left behind blamed you for ripping her heart out." He turned his phone around to show the article from a newspaper. "Of course, her father never released the note to the public. He did read it to David Nolan right before he blew his own brains out with an antique hunting rifle."

Emma's mouth fell open. How did she not know about this? Knowing wouldn't have changed anything. She fought the sting of tears at the back of her eyes. Was she really no different the men in front of her?

"Ah, I see this is all news to you," Robin smiled. "How often did you think of those girls? There's no need to answer because I already know. You didn't."

"I didn't rape them. They slept with me willingly," she defended.

"Yes, I'm sure they did, but you allowed them to believe there would be more." He said smoothly.

Emma tilted her head, "I never lied to any of them. They knew what they were getting."

"And what about my wife?" Robin asked, his tone becoming sharper.

"She's not your wife anymore," Emma snapped.

She watched the man flex his jaw, but he managed a smile, "What about Regina? Does she know what she's getting?"

Emma glared, "Regina's different."

Footsteps on the metal staircase sounded. When Emma looked up, she gasped, "REGINA!"

The two men held Regina between them firmly by her arms. A dark purple bruise formed over her right cheekbone and her lip was swollen. Emma lunged forward, but one of the men stepped in front of her.

"Are you okay," she asked the brunette over the man shoulder.

"Yes," Regina answered.

"You son-of-a-bitch," Emma growled through clenched teeth.

"I believe we were having a conversation," Robin grinned at the blonde's reaction. "What makes Regina different than those girls in New York?"

The more Emma looked at the bruises on Regina's face, the angrier she got, "I will kill you for this."

"Emma, focus," he said walking closer to the brunette. Again he asked, "What makes Regina different from the girls in New York?"

She swallowed. What was she supposed to say? He was trying to make her say her feelings out loud. It was way too soon, "Just because."

"That's not an answer. Why. Is. Regina. Different," he annunciated each word?

Regina chocolate colored eyes stared at her. This isn't how she imagined telling the other woman. She definitely didn't plan on telling her this soon. If she admitted it, she would frighten the brunette off.

Robin grabbed Regina's hair jerking her head back. She winced in pain.

"I'm in love with her," the blonde blurted.

Robin shot his eyes at her in anger, but he let go of Regina's hair, "So it's true?"

Emma was afraid to look at her. She was afraid of what she would see. The woman would most likely think she was insane.

Robin walked back over to the desk and plopped down into his chair. "August said you had finally fallen in love, but I didn't think it possible." He seemed to be conversing with himself.

"Who gives a fuck," Neal barked?

He walked over to Regina. He let his eyes crawl over the length of her body, stopping at her breast. The grey dress she wore didn't exactly display her cleavage, but the material did allow the contours to be seen.

"Even with the fat lip and bruised cheek, I can see the appeal my cousin had." He put his hand on her hip and slowly slid it up her side. He stopped only a small fraction of an inch below the swell of her breast.

"Get your filthy hands off her," Emma snarled.

Regina tried to pull away, but the one man held her in place, while the other continued blocking Emma's path. "Robin, there's still time to stop this." Emma was ready to plead with the lawyer.

Neal traced a fingertip up Regina's arm then over to her collarbone, "This one's even hotter than Lily."

She watched the man's finger slip beneath the edge of the gray shoulder strap and slide it down her arm, "Neal, don't do this."

"Don't do what," his voice distracted?

He slipped the second shoulder strap down over her other arm, "Please, Neal."

She couldn't see his face as his back was turned to her, but she could picture the smirk, "Now you want to beg."

She lunged forward, but the man before her was stronger. She looked desperately for Anton but found he was no longer there. So much for him having her back.

"God damn it! What did I ever do to you to make you hate me so bad?"

This caught the other man's attention. Neal turned to her, "You were born."

"What," She furrowed her eyebrows? "I have never done anything to you. I didn't even retaliate when you took Lily. Why do you hate me?"

There was something dark in his eyes, "Father cares more about you than me."

Emma didn't understand, but before she could ask any questions, he continued, "I have always tried to make my father proud of me, but not once has he been."

"Your dad was at every single school event we had. He made time for you when my father was too busy. So don't give me that poor unloved son, bullshit," She said rolling her eyes.

Her words must have struck a funny bone because he started laughing hysterically. It made Emma glance around the room nervously.

"Is that what you thought? That he had come to see me," more laughter rolled from the man, but she could see genuine tears.

Without warning, the laughter stopped, "He was there for you." His voice sliced through the silent room.

Again, Emma didn't understand. Why would he be there for her? She thought back to some of the school events. Every time she had seen him, he was looking at her.

Neal nudged the man in front of Emma, and he stepped to the side, "Haven't you figured it out yet?"

Emma didn't know what he was getting at. Her mind flashed back to Robert Gold's visit to the apartment. She had wondered why Gold would go through all the trouble to help her cover up a murder. He even spoke in a different tone when he addressed her. It was weird, but she just thought he was a creep. She waited for Neal to answer his own question.

"Your whore mother, spread her legs for our dear old dad." He whispered in her hear.

The sentence didn't have time to register. The only part she computed at that moment was Neal Gold had just called her mother a whore. She reared back and threw her head forward. She felt the solid connection with his nose. Same as with his cousin's, the cracking sound indicated she had broken it.

"FUCK!" He yelled.

The bodyguard jumped forward grabbing Emma. Neal recovered much quicker than she expected. He drew back and punched her in the ribs with all his might. She cried out. What were the odds he could hit her exactly where his cousin had?

"EMMA!" She heard Regina yell.

Neal pulled the silver Glock from his hip and pressed the cold steel against Emma's forehead. "I'm going to kill you for that, but not before I have some fun with your girl. And you're going to watch."

As Neal turned towards Regina, a gunshot sounded. The shot caused her ears to ring, and she felt something warm and wet splatter across her face. The man holding her let go and the blonde hit her knees. She felt dizzy.

"Emma? Are you okay?" Slowly she snapped to. Regina was next to her with her hand on the blonde's cheek.

Emma let her eyes roam around the room. Men in uniforms were pouring in. One officer was handcuffing Robin. Two other cops simultaneously handcuffed the two bodyguards. Her eyes found Neal's lifeless body lying on the ground in front of her.

She watched as a police officer took a gun out of Anton's hand. He nodded his head towards her, never breaking eye contact. He wanted her to know he did indeed have her back.

"Emma, how badly are you hurt?" Regina's asked.

"I think he broke my ribs again," She said. Forgetting the pain, the blonde reached up and lightly traced the bruise on Regina's cheek. It was an ugly mark, but even it couldn't take away from her beauty.

Regina's grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away, "I'm fine," she whispered.

Thoughts of her confession earlier came flooding back. She really hoped it didn't change their moving forward. She hesitantly leaned forward and brushed her lips against Regina's. She was careful not to put pressure on the cut.

The brunette pulled back with a smile, "We need to have a look at your side."

As Emma went to stand, she noticed Robert Gold in the doorway. He moved towards his son, falling to his knees, "I tried to be a good father to him."

Emma wasn't sure if he were talking to her or himself.

"It's probably hard to believe, but I did love him." He said through his tears.

The blonde gently took Regina's hand as they moved towards the door, "Did you ever tell him that?"

Gold's sobs could be heard as they descended the metal staircase. It was heartbreaking to hear a grown man cry that way. There were so many things Emma wanted to say to him. So many things she wanted to ask, but now wasn't the time. Even someone like Robert Gold deserved time to grieve.