It's a bit rough and there might be mistakes but I'll fix it tomorrow. Enjoy and review :)

Chapter 8 Long Live The Queen

Emma woke up first the next morning. She didn't mean to fall asleep. She had planned to go to the guest room but she had ended up just watching Regina sleep until her eyelids felt heavy and soon she was slumbering beside the beautiful brunette.

The early morning light casted a grey glow around the room. Regina was still fast asleep beside her. She looked so young and peaceful snuggled under her son's comforter and her dark hair fanned out on the pillow. She looked so pretty and Emma found herself reaching out and tucking a strand of dark hair behind her ear. Regina's eyes fluttered opened at the intimate gesture and they silently held each other's gaze. Dark brown latched on to green orbs and they couldn't look away. Neither of them could even comprehend nor explain it. Hearts were pounding and time seemed to stop. All that mattered was the woman infront of them and then suddenly they were pulled out of their trance by the sound of Emma's cell ringing loudly in the room.

Regina looked away and Emma fumbled to grab it from the nightstand.

Moment ruined.

She sat up and answered the phone, barely noticing Regina getting up and walking out.

"Emma, there's been a murder," David's voice sounded through the receiver.

"What? Really?"

"Yes, last night on the docks. Also I need to show you what I found last night at the farmhouse."

"What did you find?" she asked, her voice dropping to a low growl at the mention of Regina's harasser.

"Pictures. Disturbing sick pictures of Regina," David answered. "He's been following her and Emma, he's been in her house when she's alone. He's watching her."

The blood drained from Emma's face. The thought that this guy was watching Regina even while she was alone in this house terrified her. She got up in a flash, locking the window and closing the curtains.

"How long?" she shakily asked.

"From the looks of these photos, I'd say he's been watching her since the second curse brought us back to Storybrooke. He's just been waiting for the right time to strike. This is dangerous and I have a bad feeling. I don't like this."

"What do we do?" she asked, standing in Henry's room and sweeping a hand through blonde locks.

"Get her out of the house," David answered and those words were enough to spur her into action. She hanged up, agreeing to meet him at the docks and rushed to Regina's bedroom.

"Regina?" she called, pushing open her door and not even bothering to knock. There was no time because suddenly she could feel his eyes on the back of her neck. Somehow she knew he was watching them. She didn't know how but she could feel it.

Regina was standing by her mirror, opened mouthed at the sheriff's rude intrusion. She was dressed in black slacks, boots, and a deep purple lace bra. Even then, Emma couldn't stop her eyes from roaming over exposed skin.

"Miss Swan! This is highly inappropriate!" she snapped, but Emma ignored her. Instead she quickly shrugged out of the red leather jacket she just put on and wrapped it around Regina. If that creep was watching them right now, then Emma wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of seeing Regina in her bra.

"What are you doing!" she cried, her voice fearful for the way Emma was acting.

"I'll explain in the car," she said, picking up the shirt Regina had dropped and ushering her to the door. She held her close in order to keep the jacket in place. "Let's just get you out of here and I'll explain on the way to the docks."

"Ok Swan, explain why you barged into my room and shoved me into this yellow deathtrap half naked," Regina demanded as she did the final button on her blouse and put on the black coat Emma grabbed on the way out. They were in the car and Emma was finally far away from the mansion to slow down her driving.

"Don't freak out."

"I can assure you I'm not going to freak out," she growled, the frustration clear in her voice and swirling in those dark eyes.

"David was investigating the farmhouse last night and well… He found stuff."

"What kind of stuff?" she asked with narrowed eyes and Emma pulled over now that they were at the docks. She could see David up ahead talking with the coroner.

"He found pictures. He's been following you and… and he's been in your house," Emma explained carefully, watching for a reaction. Regina's been so on edge lately and she wasn't sure how the former mayor would take this.

Regina instantly paled and she looked at Emma like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Regina?"

"I… I'm fine. He was in the house?"

"Yes, that was why I needed to get you out of there. I didn't feel safe and you were…" she trailed off, gesturing at Regina's breast. "You weren't dressed and I could've sworn I felt his eyes on us from somewhere inside."

"So he's been watching me," Regina stated more so to herself.

"There's more," Emma said, hating to burden her with more bad news. Regina looked at her and Emma could see her mentally preparing herself. "There's been a murder here. That's why we're meeting David."

"Of course there was," Regina said, her voice cold and her features taking up an emotionless mask. Her eyes were withdrawn, not meeting Emma's as she opened the door and stormed out. Emma groaned and moved to get out as well. This day couldn't get any worse.

She followed Regina to where David was standing and the moment Emma joined them, he pulled the blanket back from the body to show them the wound.

"His heart is literally gone," Emma gasped, kneeling to get a closer look.

"And not by magic," Regina noted.

"Whoever did this, carved his heart out with a hunting knife," David explained and Emma stood, placing the blanket back over him. "This has to be some kind of message."

"You think this is from the same guy that's been stalking Regina?" Emma asked.

"This can't be just a coincidence," David said. "His heart is missing. If that isn't some kind of message then I don't know who else could have done this. It has to be from the same guy."

"David's right," Regina agreed right before Emma could protest. "I used to take hearts but never like this. He's toying with me."

"Ok," Emma nodded. "Let's say it is him. What could he possibly want with you?"

Regina shook her head, not having a clue what it could be.

"I don't know," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Shivers racked her body, her eyes glued to the poor man whose heart was literally stolen from his chest. "Maybe he wants me dead."

At those words, Emma took Regina's arm and steered her away from the body and back to the bug. David signaled the coroner to take the body and he followed after them.

"Well that isn't going to happen," Emma said sternly. She turned to David. "Do you have the pictures?" David pulled out an envelope from the pocket inside his coat and handed them over to his daughter. She looked at Regina, noticing her withdrawn gaze. She wouldn't even look at the envelope.

"I have to look at them Regina. There could be some kind of clue to finding this guy. I could do it now or I could do it later when you aren't around to see."

"No, do it now," she said and it pained Emma to see how much distress Regina was under.

She guiltily looked away and opened the envelope. She didn't even notice Regina finally looking up and over her shoulder at them. She frowned, flipping through the photos. First they weren't so bad. Yes they were creepy as they seemed to be shots of Regina walking through town or sitting at the diner or even driving. The further she went the worst they got. There were now pictures of her with Robin and some with even Roland and Henry. Regina let out a low growl at these images. He invaded her most private moments and even if Robin and Roland were no longer with her, it made her angry that he had been watching them as well. Angry that he had been watching her with her son.

"No," Emma mumbled, the images now confirming what David had told her this morning. She was now flipping through the photos that took place in the mansion. It showed Regina in various rooms of her home doing various tasks and then it got even creepier. There were pictures of her sleeping. Some even close up as if he were standing above her. Some showed her while she got dressed and Emma quickly looked up when she got to the ones where Regina was naked with Robin in her bed.

Regina let out a startled cry at those and ripped them from Emma's hands. Muttered curse words came from Emma and she was practically shaking in rage.

"You're not going back there alone," Emma said and Regina icily glared at her. Her hands were shaking and her breaths were heavy, no doubt trying not to panic over the images all three of them saw. The images he saw.

"I could take care of myself! I have magic and I'm not some helpless victim!" Regina all but snapped and Emma rounded on her in an instant. Why was this woman so stubborn?

"That's not how I see you and you know it!" Emma yelled back. "In case you haven't noticed this sick fuck is watching you even while you're having…" she trailed off, her face reddening at what she just saw. Regina naked with Robin on top of her. "There's no way I'm letting you go back there," she said, her voice much more softer this time. Regina glared at her.

"Fine, then where do you suppose I should go? If you think you could put me in a room at Granny's then you have another thing coming."

"You could stay with us at the loft. I'll give you my bed," Emma said and Regina immediately protested. Sure she and Snow got along but there was no way she was living with Snow in such tight quarters no matter how brief the stay was.

"Are you insane? I'm not sleeping under the same roof as Snow White!"

"And you'd rather sleep under the same roof as your stalker?" David asked. "Knowing Snow and how protective she's been over you lately, she'll agree. In fact why don't we just call her and see what she has to say?"

Regina thought about it and huffed in frustration. Both David and Emma were right. She really didn't want to go back home alone, and Snow was going to blow her top if she found out she went back there after hearing about these pictures and the murder of the now heartless old man. So she agreed, making it clear she wasn't happy about this arrangement and let Emma take the photos from her still shaking hands.

"Please stop pouting Regina," Emma said as she laid Regina's suitcase on her bed. They had just come back from the mansion. They quickly packed a suitcase full of clothes and necessities and were out of there within ten minutes. Neither of them wanted to spend any more time there then what was necessary. Just as Regina predicted Snow was all over her the moment they entered the loft, demanding answers and when she got them Regina cringed from the protectiveness stewing from her former stepdaughter. Henry was worried but happy that she was staying with them. He didn't know the gruesome details, just that someone was after his adoptive mother, and they planned to keep it that way. He was downstairs with his grandparents and baby Neal while Emma helped Regina settle in up in her bedroom.

"I'm not pouting," Regina grumbled almost like a three year old. She was sitting on the bed right next to the suitcase.

"Uh huh," Emma replied, not believing it for a second. She looked adorable though. The former Evil Queen pouting like a child because things aren't going her way.

Regina sighed and her features softened. "I guess I'll just have to get used to you caring," she suddenly whispered as she realized this is what friends do. Emma had said they were friends and well… Emma was being her friend.

Emma lifted her hand and reached out just like she did this morning when Regina was sleeping. She took Regina's chin and tilted it so she would look at her. "This is what friends do, so yeah. You'll have to get used it."

Regina gave her a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. She saw loneliness instead and that broke Emma's heart.

"Yeah, I guess I do," Regina said, averting her eyes and pulling her face away. She needed distance and Emma understood that. So she left her to unpack her things and headed downstairs to brainstorm with her parents for a potential suspect.

Henry claimed he was too old to cuddle, but later in the night when he was dead asleep, he edged closer to his mother. He was cuddled against her as they slept in Emma's Queen sized bed. Emma had taken the couch downstairs. Regina held him against her until her cell rang loudly, waking her with a start. She moved away from Henry and sleepily grabbed her cell before it could wake him.

"Yes?" she answered, her eyes still closed as she settled back into the pillows.

There was heavy breathing at first and then for the first time he finally spoke.

"Long live the Queen," he said, his voice malicious and so so cruel. Regina's eyes flew opened and she sat up so violently, she woke Henry. Her phone fell to the floor, the screen shattering loudly against the wood. Emma must have heard because there were suddenly footsteps racing up the stairs.

"Mom?" Henry asked, turning on the lamp to see his shaking mother. She was so damn terrified and pale and it scared him to see her like this. "Mom, what's wrong?"

She didn't answer and when Emma loudly pushed open the door she jumped, letting out a fearful cry. Henry instantly pulled her into his arms, holding her and desperately trying to comfort her even if he didn't understand what had just happened.

"What happened?" Emma asked, her eyes suddenly landing on the broken phone. It dawned on her and she shook her head in anger. "It was him wasn't it?"

Regina didn't answer. She couldn't. Her breaths were too heavy and too fast. She couldn't breathe and Henry's grip tightened on her shirt. "Mom… please calm down," he said and then she felt herself being pulled away from him and she was suddenly looking up at green eyes. Emma was sitting beside her, holding her head in her hands with her fingers combing through dark locks.

"You're hyperventilating, Regina. I need you to slow your breaths," Emma said softly and when she couldn't seem to do it Emma laid her head down on her chest so that Regina could hear her heartbeat as well as feel her chest moving up and down with each breath. "Feel my breaths. Try to copy my rhythm."

She took a deep breath and let it out. She did it again, closing her eyes and following Emma's pace until the tightening in her chest finally faded. Breathing became easier and the panic started to edge away. She felt safe.

Emma made her feel safe.